Soka Gakkai leader guilty of embezzelment

June 12, 2008 | David Haldane

The former finance director and chief investment officer of Soka University of America has pleaded guilty to federal charges of embezzling nearly $1.8 million in university funds, authorities said Wednesday. Kiyoshi Hatanaka, 52, faces up to 10 years in federal prison at his sentencing Aug. 25. As the school's financing director from 1999 to 2006, prosecutors say, Hatanaka transferred the money from university banking and investment accounts to accounts he had created at California Bank and Trust.

ARBN a forum index

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/TJMOiFq_SwY

Nichiren's call for public debate

"You must not allow the towering pride of your present lifetime to plant the seeds of deluded wandering for endless kalpas to come. Let us make all haste to appeal to the authorities, make haste to meet face-to-face before them, and to put an end to these erroneous views!"

Nichiren on how to preach the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day

"Answer: Your lack of understanding is great indeed! I am reminded of the words of clear warning that the Scholar Manoratha gave to his disciple, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, as is written [in The Record of the Western Regions]. “Manoratha said, ‘Do not attempt to argue over important principles with the supporters of the various cliques; do not try to define what is doctrinally correct when dealing with bands of deluded persons!’ After he had delivered these words, he died.”

Your lack of understanding is like that of the groups he mentions. But as it happens, the Buddha, the World-Honored One, when he was preaching the Lotus Sutra, in the course of that one sutra twice gave instructions regarding its transmission.

Moreover, when preaching another sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, he indicated how the Lotus Sutra was to be transmitted. Thus in the Nirvana Sutra he stated: “If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching.” The two Tripitaka masters, Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih, and the two great teachers, Jikaku and Chishō, were doing just that, using the Mahāvairochana Sutra, which is one of the sutras embodying the provisional teachings, to destroy the Lotus Sutra, a sutra of the true teaching.

Therefore if I, Nichiren, fearful of the world, should fail to speak out, I would be the enemy of the Buddha. Hence the Great Teacher Chang-an has delivered his warning to students of the latter age, saying: “One who destroys or brings confusion to the Buddha’s teachings is betraying them. If one befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy. But one who reprimands and corrects an offender . . . is acting as his parent.”

I have taken these words of Chang-an’s commentary thoroughly to heart, and therefore I risk my life to speak out in reprimand. I remember that Āryadeva, the fourteenth successor to Shakyamuni’s teachings, was murdered, and Āryasimha, the twenty-fifth successor, had his head cut off."

Josei Toda declared life itself Buddha, contrary to the teachings of Nichiren..

Question: The Zen school teaches that “the mind itself is the Buddha, and the body is none other than the Buddha.” [What is your opinion on this?]

Answer: A sutra states: “The mind is the utmost enemy, and this enemy works the greatest evil. This enemy can bind persons and send them to the place of King Yama. When you are burning alone in the fires of hell because of the retribution for your evil deeds, you cannot hope to save the wife and children you cherished, your brothers, or your kin.” And the Nirvana Sutra says, “May I be the master of my mind and not let my mind become my master!”

Deluded and shameless as the mind is, to declare that “the mind itself is the Buddha” is to be a person who supposes he has attained what he has not attained, who supposes he has understood what he has not understood, is it not?

Question: What is the view of the Lotus school?

Answer: The Lotus Sutra states, “If you are endowed with the thirty-two features, then this will be true extinction.” And it says that [living beings] “quickly acquire the body of a Buddha.” 

But the Zen school, revering the Buddha, which is the essential nature of phenomena, supposes that the self and [Shakyamuni] Buddha are equal, which is to fall into the error of overbearing arrogance.　Surely a person who does so will be condemned to the Avīchi hell. Hence the Lotus Sutra says, “The monks who are overbearingly arrogant will fall into a great pit.”

The Zen school says, “Go trampling on Vairochana’s head.” But who is this Vairochana?

Do they mean the Dharma body that exists everywhere throughout the entire realm of phenomena? If so, then the mountains and rivers, the great earth itself, are all the body ground of Vairochana. This is Vairochana as the essential nature of phenomena. This body ground is trampled on by dogs and foxes and such like—it is surely not the property of the Zen school alone.

Or do they mean actually trampling on the head of the Buddha [Shakyamuni]? But even the god Brahmā cannot see the top of the Buddha’s head, so how could it be possible for ordinary mortals of an inferior level to trample on it?

In his relation to all living beings, the Buddha manifests the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent. To trample on the head of a loving father whose kindness and virtue are so vast is to behave as an extremely stupid and wicked person, one perversely sinful and void of filial respect.

Even the sacred texts of Confucius condemn such behavior, to say nothing of the correct teaching of the Thus Come One! Could there be anyone so foolish as to praise such wrong behavior, such an erroneous teaching, and thereby incur immeasurably weighty blame?

When the Buddha was in the world, we are told that Mahākāshyapa “bowed his head in respectful obeisance.” But now that he has passed into nirvana, these benighted Zen believers say they will trample on the Buddha’s head—what fearful words! -- Nichiren

Josei Toda and SGI too, are those who suppose they have attained what they have not. Taking a chapter out of the Zen playbook, Josei Toda declared life itself Buddha, contrary to the teachings of Nichiren.

We are provisional manifestations according to SGI leader Thomas Pass the Doobie

Originally Posted by PassTheDoobie 

The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld(originating from post 1657; continued on post 1686)

WNDII / pg. 835

Written by Nichiren

Therefore The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra says, “The nine worlds represent the provisional, the world of Buddhahood represents the true.”(3)

The nine worlds that are provisional are the teachings set forth in the first forty-two years. The world of Buddhahood that is true is that which was preached in the last eight years, namely, the Lotus Sutra. Therefore the Lotus Sutra is called the Buddha vehicle.

The births and deaths occurring in the nine worlds exemplify the principles underlying a realm of dreams, and hence they are called provisional teachings. The eternally abiding nature of the world of Buddhahood exemplifies the principles of the waking state, and hence it is called the true teaching.

Therefore we may say that the teachings set forth over a period of fifty years, the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, or all the various scriptures, are made up of the provisional teachings preached in the first forty-two years, which are designed for the instruction and conversion of others, and the true teaching set forth in the last eight years, which pertains to the Buddha’s enlightenment. Together the two make up a period of fifty years. These two terms, provisional and true, thus provide a mirror in which one may perceive the real nature of the teachings without doubt or misunderstanding.

Therefore, if one practices the Tripitaka teaching, thinking that after three asamkhyas and a hundred major kalpas, one may in the end become a Buddha, then one must generate fire from one’s body, “reducing the body to ashes and entering extinction,” and thus destroy oneself. If one practices the connecting teaching, thinking to become a Buddha after seven asamkhyas and a hundred major kalpas, then likewise, as in the previous case, one must reduce the body to ashes and enter extinction, and thus destroy oneself, leaving no trace or form behind.

And if one practices the specific teaching, thinking to become a Buddha after twenty-two great asamkhyas and a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand kalpas, this is to become a Buddha of the provisional teachings in the dream realm of birth and death. Seen in the light of the waking state of the original enlightenment of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddhahood of the specific teaching is not true Buddhahood but a goal achieved in a realm of dreams. Thus the path outlined in the specific teaching can never lead to true Buddhahood.

In the path to enlightenment set forth in the specific teaching, when one reaches the first of the ten stages of development, one for the first time to a certain degree cuts off ignorance and begins to gain understanding to a certain degree into the principle of the Middle Way. But when one does so, one realizes that the specific teaching presents the three truths as separate entities not fused together. One thereupon shifts to the perfect teaching, becoming a believer in the perfect teaching, and thus no longer remains in the category of those who embrace the specific teaching.

"So what does the above say? It clearly states that the Nine Worlds of Hell, Hunger, Animals, Asuras, Human Beings, Heavenly Beings, Voice-Hearers, Cause-Awakened Ones, and Bodhisattvas are provisional states of being. They are not what they appear or are generally perceived to be. They are not a state that can be regarded as true." -- Thomas Pass the Doobie

RESPONSE: Nichiren says nothing of the sort. The Nine Worlds are always mutually possessed and the Three Bodies of the Buddha, including the Manifestation Body, are all eternal. The Nine Worlds as taught in the Lotus Sutra are also absolutely true. 

Were it true what Thomas Pass the Doobie asserts, then we who are a collection of the "Skandas" or "Aggregates" [body and mind], would be unable to realize Buddhahood in this very body and in this very life. If the temporary collection of aggregates too are not true and manifested eternally [recurrently] the Lotus Sutra teaching of eternal Buddhahood would be false. In other words, the truth of the Lotus Sutra, the truth that separates the Lotus Sutra from all the Buddha's other teachings, would be false [that the Buddha possesses all Ten Worlds, without having to eradicate the Worlds of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger]. It is precisely because the Buddha eats, sleeps, smiles, cries, and thinks that he is able to save the masses of beings. The State of Buddhahood can only be realized through faith in the Lotus Sutra. The beings of the Nine Worlds possess the World of Buddhahood but they only become Buddhas when they have absolute faith in the Lotus Sutra.

The Ongi Kuden is not only just plain wrong, it makes no sense.

The Ongi Kuden states:

"This Myoho-renge-kyo (Lotus Sutra) is not Shakyamuni's Mystic Law, because at the time this chapter was preached, he had already entrusted it to Bodhisattva Jogyo. (Gosho, p. 1783)

But the Kanjin Honzon Sho (The True Object of Worship) states:

"Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the five characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo to his original disciples since the eternal past, who had sprung up from under ground." Kanjin Honzon Sho, pp 122 to 140, NOPPA 1991.

and the Lotus Sutra:

"At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: "The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra (Myohorengekyo) to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for a measurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra (Myoho renge kyo). -- Lotus Sutra Chapter 21

SGI Ikeda double-speak

"History is created by people. Each individual is a key protagonist in that endeavor. Instead of relying on others, we must enact our own great drama of creativity. Then we can break through the shell of our limited self, advancing and improving ourselves day after day." -- Ikeda

"If one veers from the path of mentor and disciple, then even if one upholds the Lotus Sutra, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering." - Ikeda

"When President Ikeda passes away, he will still be our mentor." - SGI-Australia

The Buddha's impartial wisdom and compassion

Impartiality is one aspect of Buddhahood. The Buddha rebukes all who alter the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin whether they be handsome, ugly, glib, tongue-tied, illiterate, or the author of four hundred books. We who enjoy the "Merits of Joyful Acceptance" and the "Merits of the Preacher" [Chapters 18 and 19 of the Lotus Sutra] are also impartial. Nichiren writes, referring to these two chapters of the Lotus Sutra:

"Moreover, as life does not go beyond the moment, the Buddha expounded the blessings that come from a single moment of rejoicing [on hearing the Lotus Sutra]. If two or three moments were required, this could no longer be called the original vow of the Buddha endowed with great impartial wisdom, the single vehicle of the teaching that directly reveals the truth and leads all living beings to attain Buddhahood." (Questions and Answers About Embracing the Lotus Sutra)

and  

"If a vessel is free of these four faults of overturning, leaking, being defiled, and being mixed, then it can be called a perfect vessel. If the embankments around a moat do not leak, then the water will never escape from the moat. And if the mind of faith is perfect, then the water of wisdom, the great impartial wisdom, will never dry up."(Akimoto Gosho)

Question: Then, why do you single out SGI and Daisaku Ikeda for rebuke?

Answer: I will let Nichiren Daishonin supply my answer: 

"At the time of his extinction, the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment lamented, 'Now I am about to enter nirvana. The only thing that worries me is King Ajatashatru.' Bodhisattva Kashyapa then asked him, 'Since the Buddha’s mercy is impartial, your regret in dying should stem from compassion for all living beings. Why do you single out only King Ajatashatru?' The Buddha replied, 'Suppose that a couple has seven children, one of whom falls ill. Though the parents love all their children equally, they worry most about the sick child.' T’ien-t’ai, commenting on this sutra passage in his Great Concentration and Insight, said, 'Even if the parents of seven children are never partial, they are still particularly concerned about the sick one.' In essence, the sutra is saying that, even if there are many children, the parents’ hearts are with the child who is ill. To the Buddha, all living beings are his children. Among them, the sinful man who slays his own parents and becomes an enemy of the Buddha and the sutras is like the sick child." (Winter Always Turns to Spring).

Which photo best captures the true nature of SGI?

We will not compromise Nichiren Daishonin's teachings....

....not for converts, not for a peaceful and secure existence in this lifetime, not to appease the authorities, and not to make friends nor to influence people. 

Shakyamuni Buddha is not mentioned at all and Nichiren Daishonin is mentioned once, for example, in SGI's document for public consumption in Brazil http://www.bsgi.org.br/. Are they embarrassed by Shakyamuni Buddha and the real Nichiren? Is that why the foundation of their religion is Daisaku Ikeda's Human Revolution rather than the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin? Is that why they emphasize the questionable writings of Nichiren, those most likely authored by those with the same placater mentality?

Nichiren was correct about the nature of the Lotus Sutra in Mappo. The Rissho Kosekai, HBS, NST, Nichiren Shu, and especially the SGI is wrong. Many so-called Nichiren priests and members, possibly a majority, especially in the Nichiren Shu and in the Kempon Hokke are wrong. The way to establish the Buddha's land is to transmit the teachings exactly as laid down by Nichiren Daishonin. The Dharma, the truth of the teachings is what is important. We see how the SGI teachings on the Third Great Secret Law culminated...in abject ruin. That is because the Dharma which they propagate is not the Lotus Sutra for Mappo. They are a disgrace.

Social programs too were eschewed by Nichiren Daishonin who believed in personal liberty, the ultimate responsibility of the individual, and the belief that the Buddhist gods would absolutely protect those who embrace the True Dharma. There are no exceptions. the Buddhist gods in the form of family members or rulers will protect those who are disabled. All others must fend for themselves which is as easy as spreading honey on bread for those who embrace the Right Law. The Lotus Sutra promises that none of those who embrace the True Law will want for food, clothing, and shelter. Nichiren Daishonin also promises that a great collection of believers will activate all the protective functions of the universe and the Buddha's land will manifest as the Land of Eternal Quiescent Light.

SGI New Years prayer for a family member

"Please let him come to understand the greatness of Sensei. He can not be happy if he rejects Sensei and the SGI"

A note to freedom of thought loving people

Rj Peters: Wow. Once upon a time NSA was a noble and inspiring movement. We all know that. But when the Gakkai took it over, what ensued was a Schism. It became a corporate money-making political organization - not that the Hokkeko is any much better. And anyone who was there knows this. 

And Patty, you pretty much used the same format in an open note in a public forum to me as you did with Greg. For whatever your reason, you you drag perfectly good laundry into a public forum. That's not at all correct.

And I for one resent your trying to manipulate anyone. You have no right to do that; despite the perverse training you and Jim passed on to the rank and file.

We disagree. I strongly disagree with the SGI and the Hokkeko and Shu and almost all religions, be they western or eastern.

But aside from the brainwashing and conditioning that NSA pushed on all of us, the effort was more than doubled down when the SGI took over; and you know that.

The SGI makes Manchurian Candidates in all levels of society. Doctors - remember the one that allowed Bill Goldman to die without medical tests or care and told him it was just a headache? What about others who've committed suicide like Carol? Lawyers - Beverly Hills is rife with them. Actors - don't even get me started. Security professionals - I was one, many of my Shakubuku were turned against me. For what? For speaking out?

You have no right to reach out and admonish Greg for speaking his mind. None. That's not even close to being a correct practice.

South Bay Chapter brainwashed it's members and when it couldn't do that, it humiliated them or denied them access to family, friends of different beliefs and even wouldn't allow them into meetings, arranged marriages that couldn't work, made people spend thousands and thousands of their own money to support a staff of Japanese administrator's life-styles and stole people's personal identities and lumped them into a horde of zealous fanatics prowling the streets, airports and malls for inductees.

This is a public forum. Here adults speak their mind. This is not a Jewish Synagogue where dissent is trounced with humiliation tactics and mind control or the SGI where brainwashing is standard practice.

And as you've probably noticed, mind control and manipulation simply doesn't fly with freedom-of-thought loving people.

You're not chanting for Greg's happiness. You're chanting for him to think like you. 

http://www.csj.org/.../studymindctr/study_mindctr_singer.htm

Benefit from the Gohonzon

My doctor has forty-seven patients with the same or a similar illness as mine. Two patients out of the forty seven continue to work and one out of the forty-seven works full time. That be me.

Entities of the Mystic Law

https://www.yahoo.com/news/2017-pictures-animals-slideshow-wp-100043658.html

Soka Gakkai's Code of Conduct for Leaders

Soka Gakkai rising star who landed on FBI's most wanted list captured in Mexico:

http://alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren.narkive.com/vXmShB2g/experiences-anyone#post2

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2344291/Ex-USC-professor-FBI-Top-10-Most-Wanted-list-alleged-child-sex-crimes-arrested-Mexico.html

As I've been saying for years, the Soka Gakkai has its Code of Conduct for Leaders because Ikedaism has no ability to create Buddhas. Furthermore, there are so many guidelines for members that they might as well be practicing Theravadan Buddhism like the "peaceful" monks in Burma.

SGI members are icchantikas or men of incorrigible disbelief

Question: "What is the essential quality of the icchantikas [men of incorrigible disbelief]?

Answer: The rejection of scriptures." -- Mahayana Nirvana Sutra

Another sutra maintains that those desirous of profit [GAIN] are icchantikas. Does "Beauty, goodness, and GAIN" ring a bell?

By these standards, we conclude that SGI members are icchantikas.

“Shame on such monks (SGI leaders) ! — they will preach their own fictions.” -- Lotus Sutra

"First, religion needs to center on the human being. In the world of fundamentalism, abstract principles — creeds and beliefs — are treated as absolutes, while humans are seen as subordinate to these greater gods, ideas, and purposes." -- William Aiken SGI-USA top senior leader

Bill, you are going against the teaching of your Sensei who teaches that "the Soka Gakkai is more important than my life."

Jim Celer, another SGI senior leader, wrote that nothing is ceded from the Gohonzon (power of the Buddha and power of the Law) to the believer because all spiritual power derives from the faith and practice of the believer.

To demonstrate SGI's error, I turn to two fundamental principles of Buddhism, Dependent Origination and Ichinen Sanzen [Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life]. 

These principles demonstrate that everything in the universe is inextricably connected to everything else. Therefore, not only does one's thoughts words and deeds affect ones own being but all beings both sentient and insentient and all phenomena equally affect us. This is the rational for chanting for other people's welfare, those dead and alive, praying for rain, good weather, lack of accidents etc. The environment equally has the power to influence us. Rainy days are gloomy or cause our joints to hurt, for example.

When examining one's own power compared to the power of the Buddha and Law, it is impossible to fail to acknowledge that our power alone is indeed limited. Whether in the religious or in the secular realm, a team can accomplish more than an individual and an individual with a tool can accomplish more than one without a tool. Were our power not limited, we could, by our own power, obtain Buddhahood but according to Nichiren Daishonin, we require both the help of others [the Buddha, the Law, and good friends in the dharma] and the hindrances of others [those who obstruct our faith and practice]. Believing that we can utilize our power alone to attain Buddhahood is a shallow mechanistic approach to Buddhism, denying others assistance and the utility of a tool. It also deprecates the Gohonzon thinking that the paper and ink of the object of devotion is inferior to the flesh and bones of the human being. In the secular realm, millions have given their lives for the sake of ink and paper, ie: for the Constitution of the United States. How much more so in the realm of Buddhism where the Law is supreme so the person is worthy of respect, not the other way around.

SGI's Hypocrisy

What hypocrisy that the Soka Gakkai doesn't refute Professor Kanno for teaching that Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha in their Journal of Oriental Studies but they call us deluded! 

http://www.iop.or.jp/About-SrResearchFellows.html

SGI mentor in the seat of the Law is not even expedient means. It is just plain lying.

"All forms of Buddhist philosophy are Great in and of themselves. It is, in the course of seeking to benefit the world with one's calling and when one has to navigate through the numerous layers of consciousness within the many mind worlds of sentient beings that the relativity of the various teachings become apparent and one has to employ the principles of expedient means. This has been the case and the issues all throughout the history of Buddhism. It is also the same issue in todays world as well." -- SGI Senior Leader Eric Toro

In this Latter Day, expedient means are abandoned for a direct exposition of the Law of Namu Myoho renge kyo. SGI mentor in the seat of the Law, for example, is not even expedient means. It is just plain lying.

SGI Australia's Depression Initiative

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/09/some-thoughts-on-sgi-australia.html

The four dangers of the Soka Gakkai

The four dangers of the Soka Gakkai from the perspective of the Lotus Sutra and teachings of Nichiren:

The first danger of the SGI teachings is mixing the clean with the unclean. No dog would ever intentionally eat ground glass. No infant would ever intentionally ingest a toxic substance nor would any mother intentionally give her baby a toxic substance. However, a dog will eagerly eat a steak inundated with ground glass and an infant will readily drink tainted breast milk. A mother, not knowing that the noxious drug is excreted into her breast milk, inadvertently gives it to her baby. This is what the SGI members serve to the children of the Buddha. They serve the poison of the heretical doctrines of Nichiren as True Buddha, The DaiGohonzon, and the Oneness of Living Mentor and Disciple to their children in the milk of Namu Myoho renge kyo. Or they, like a mean and deranged farmer, serve their loyal dog the ground glass of slander of the orthodox sects in the steak of the Jiga-ge.

The second danger is as noxious as mixing the clean with the unclean: Taking a piece of the teachings from the middle, a piece from the end, and a piece from the beginning and re-attaching them in reverse order or mixing them up. The former practice is like a surgeon who reverses a vein when creating an arterial bypass. The flow of blood ceases and the patient dies. The latter practice (that of mixing up the teachings) can be likened to a physician who is ignorant of adverse drug-drug interactions. He mixes two or three safe and efficacious drugs together which turns them into a powerful poison. The former practice of rearranging the teachings is commonplace in the SGI. For example, those teachings that Nichiren Daishonin taught before he had fully developed his faith are given precedent over the later complete teachings or they promote the theoretical teachings of expedients over the essential teachings of abandoning expedients and the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. An example of the danger of mixing several efficacious practices which when mixed have a deleterious effect, are the practices of shoju and shakabuku in the Soka Gakkai which are practiced without understanding the times or the circumstances in which we live. They practice shoju towards the slanderers of the Dharma such as the Zen men, Nembutsu adherents, and believers in Islam and practice shakabuku towards the members of the Kempon Hokke and the Nichiren Shu. These sundry practices the SGI perpetrates on the children of the Buddha. Neither Greg Martin nor Dave Baldshun nor any of the salaried SGI leaders are good persons and neither is their master, Daisaku Ikeda. Both have the mission of destroying the teachings and harming the children of the Buddha, Daisaku Ikeda from above and the salaried SGI leaders from below.

The third danger of the SGI is that they arbitrarily add doctrines and concepts to the Great Pure Teachings where none exist and claim them as “the original and authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin”. This is worse than forging Gosho because it is more insidious. By altering a word here or a word there, to already extant and authentic Gosho (literally putting words in Nichiren’s mouth), they become adept at fooling the people. This cunning and treachery they inherited from the perverse seven hundred year tradition of the Taisekaji priests and their Gosho Zenshu, Oral Teachings, and faked transfer documents. Fortunately, we have the unadulterated Showa Tehon Collection of Original Gosho (as well as expert linguists), to keep them honest. We also have the disciples and believers of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin whose correct faith and understanding renders them capable of clarifying such matters.

The last danger is that many innocent people fall prey to the Soka Gakkai's argument, “Nichiren said this but meant that” which is the teachings of the delusion of fundamental darkness. Since this is a visceral and emotional argument and the people are steeped in the Three Poisons, no amount of logic or scholarship will suffice to overturn it. Most people can no more see their own eyebrows than heaven in the distance [Nichiren]. It will require the wisdom of the Buddha born of faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s Gohonzon and the Lotus Sutra to destroy these arguments and devils.

The sickest SGI experience EVER!

"Well I stand corrected. As this site says above - You can chant for whatever you want, wherever you want, for however long you want. Our neighbor's dog was always sticking his head over the fence and annoying us. Someone gave us a card that said Nam-myoho-renge-kyo on it and wanted my wife and I to go to a SGI meeting. We said no thanks. Then one day, we had some friends come over for a BBQ, and the dog is sticking his head over the fence and barking. We still had the card with the chant on it, so I said to my wife, "Let's chant, for this to stop, what could it hurt." We chanted for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening to get the dog to stop annoying us. A week later, an ambulance goes to our neighbor's house. The girlfriend hung herself. The girlfriend left the house to her son, not the boyfriend. So the boyfriend left and took the dog with him. No more dog! Chanting really works!"

I entreat the Dalits of India

I am a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin who would never condone the SGI's cordial relationship with the Brahmins and the SGI's compromise of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra which teaches the absolute equality of all people.

Dalits are the real voice of the oppressed people of India but the SGI and traditional Buddhists are more interested in the money, power, and influence of the Brahmins. How strange that these so-called Buddhists place Ghandi on a pedestal while abandoning the true champions of the people, Shakyamuni Buddha and his faithful disciple Nichiren Daishonin!

Your question, "How can we revive the Lotus Sutra in India?", is the most difficult to answer. I think dialogue between the voices of the Dalit and the disciples and believers of Nichiren is an excellent first step. Secondly, if the people are pure through the chanting of Namu Myoho renge kyo and belief in the True Object of Worship, Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine, their land will be pure. There is a concept in the Lotus Sutra of the immeasurable merits and virtues of the 50th person who hears the Sutra and experiences one moment of faith and joy. How much greater are the merits of the first person! You, V.T. Rajshekar, are the first person. Your good fortune, benefits, and good name will be known for ten thousand years and from ten thousand miles afar. Tears well up and joy fills my heart. Please protect your good followers also.

I will send you 300 daily use Sutra books in English, several collectors edition Sutra books and several Tradition of Nichiren Doctrine glossy print books. I am looking forward to what you can provide about your movement and the Good Doctor Ambedkar.

India Lost Buddhism:

I have read all the copies of Dalit Voice you sent and I commend you on your deep interest in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin, the Lotus Sutra's Supreme Votary. The Lotus Sutra will once again spread throughout India as predicted by the Great Buddhist Prophet:

"Answer: The moon appears in the west and sheds its light eastward, but the sun rises in the east and casts its rays to the west. The same is true of Buddhism. It spread from west to east in the Former and Middle Days of the Law, but will travel from east to west in the Latter Day. The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, “Does this not mean that Buddhism has been lost in India, the country of its origin, and must now be sought in the surrounding regions?” Thus, no Buddhism is found in India anymore. During the 150 years or so since barbarians from the north invaded the Eastern Capital in the time of Emperor Kao-tsung, both Buddhism and imperial authority became extinct in China. Concerning the collection of scriptures kept in China, not one Hinayana sutra remains, and most Mahayana sutras have also been lost. Even when Jakusho and other priests set out from Japan to take some sutras to China, no one was found there who could embrace these sutras and teach them to others. It was as though there were only wooden or stone statues garbed in priests’ robes and carrying begging bowls. That is why Tsun-shih said, “It [Buddhism] came first from the west, like the moon appearing. Now it is returning from the east, like the sun rising.” These remarks make it clear that Buddhism is lost in both India and China." (On the Buddha's Prophecy).

Buddha taught that one becomes a Brahmin through virtue not birth. As the Lotus Sutra spreads in India, freeing the oppressed peoples of India from their mortal bonds, those "Brahmins" by birth are sure to rise up against the Brahmins of great virtue who embrace the Lotus Sutra and revere Shakyamuni Buddha. Your people are sure to encounter the Three Obstacles and Four Devils. 

Nichiren writes,

'The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching. One passage from the same volume reads: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.” This statement not only applies to me, but also is a guide for my followers. Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations.

The three obstacles in this passage are the obstacle of earthly desires, the obstacle of karma, and the obstacle of retribution. The obstacle of earthly desires is the impediments to one’s practice that arise from greed, anger, foolishness, and the like; the obstacle of karma is the hindrances presented by one’s wife or children; and the obstacle of retribution is the hindrances caused by one’s sovereign or parents. Of the four devils, the workings of the devil king of the sixth heaven are of this last kind.

In Japan today, many people claim they have mastered the practice of concentration and insight. But is there anyone who has actually encountered the three obstacles and four devils? The statement “If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil” indicates not only the three evil paths but also the worlds of human and heavenly beings, and in general, all of the nine worlds. Therefore, with the exception of the Lotus Sutra, all of the sutras— those of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, and the Nirvana and Mahavairochana sutras— will lead people toward the paths of evil. Also, with the exception of the Tendai school, the adherents of the seven other schools are in reality wardens of hell who drive others toward the evil paths. Even in the Tendai school are found those who profess faith in the Lotus Sutra, yet actually lead others toward the pre- Lotus Sutra teachings. They, too, are wardens of hell who cause people to fall into the evil paths."

The false but powerful "Brahmins by birth", are the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven who now reside in India. Do not be swayed or frightened by them. It is proof that you embrace the true teachings. You must teach your members this night and day for many will be killed and exiled on account of their faith. 

Nichiren writes in one of his two most important writings, the Opening of the Eyes,

"Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not have doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith.

Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes. Some of them feel pity for their wives and children and grieve at the thought of parting from them in this life. In countless births throughout many long kalpas they have had wives and children but parted from them in every existence. They have done so unwillingly and not because of their desire to pursue the way of the Buddha. Since they must part with them in any case, they should remain faithful to their belief in the Lotus Sutra and make their way to Eagle Peak, so that they may lead their wives and children there as well."

As far as violence in the Lotus Sutra, there is no exhortation to kill unbelievers. There is no need. They will have their heads split into seven pieces as a matter of course. Nichiren writes, "Thus, although one may exert one’s full effort to save others, it is very difficult to save them from the karmic retribution that they have brought upon themselves." (On Repaying Debts of Gratitude) Cause and effect is very strict.

Likewise, there is no exhortation not to protect yourself. We must protect the precious children of the Buddha at the cost of our own lives.

There is much more I wish to say to you but I will keep this letter brief. We will talk again.

The SGI chose a demon infested honzon

One's choice of honzon [object of devotion] is based on one's state of life or Realm [of the Ten Realms]. Conversely, the honzon has a power and influence on the believer, directly imbuing either merits and virtues or illusions and sufferings [effects].

The SGI chose a demon infested honzon as their banner of propagation because the leader of their movement is himself demon infested. As like is drawn to like or as a magnet attracts iron, the demon infested leader of the SGI chose a demon infested Nichikan honzon. Those pure sincere members who know no better, chanting and faithfully worshiping the Nichikan Gohonzon, soon too become demon infested [fall into the Lower Three or Four Worlds]. This is readily apparent in their words and actions. It is a pity. Nichiren Daishonin states:

"The Nirvana Sutra, referring to the Lotus Sutra, states: “Even the offense of slandering this correct teaching [will be eradicated] if one repents and professes faith in the correct teaching. . . No teaching other than this correct teaching can save or protect one. For this reason one should take faith in the correct teaching.” The Great Teacher Ching-hsi said, “The Nirvana Sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and saying that it is the ultimate.” He further said: “It is like the case of a person who falls to the ground, but who then pushes himself up from the ground and rises to his feet again. Thus, even though one may slander the correct teaching, one will eventually be saved from the evil paths.

Bodhisattva Vasubandhu was originally a scholar of Hinayana Buddhism. In an effort to prevent Mahayana Buddhism from spreading throughout the five regions of India, he wrote five hundred treatises on Hinayana. Later, however, he encountered Bodhisattva Asanga and abandoned his erroneous views on the spot. Facing Asanga, he said that, in order to eradicate this offense all at once, he wanted to cut out his own tongue. Asanga stopped him, saying, “Vasubandhu, use that tongue to praise Mahayana.” Vasubandhu immediately wrote five hundred Mahayana treatises in which he refuted Hinayana. He also made a vow that, as long as he lived, he would never place the Hinayana teachings on his tongue. In this way he eradicated his past offense and was later reborn in the heaven where Bodhisattva Maitreya dwells.

Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha, a native of eastern India, was thirteenth among the successors of the Buddha’s teachings. At one time Ashvaghosha had been a leader of Brahmanism. When he debated with the Buddhist monk Punyayashas over the validity of their respective teachings, however, he quickly realized the superiority of Buddhist teachings. Ashvaghosha was prepared to behead himself in order to pay for his past offense, saying, “I have been my own worst enemy, leading myself to hell.” But Punyayashas admonished him, saying, “Ashvaghosha, do not behead yourself ! Use that head and mouth to praise Mahayana.” Ashvaghosha soon thereafter wrote The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, in which he refuted Brahmanism and Hinayana. This marked the beginning of the spread of Mahayana Buddhism in India.

The Great Teacher Chi-tsang of Chia-hsiang-ssu temple was among the most outstanding scholars in China. He was the founder of the Three Treatises school, and lived on Mount Hui-chi in Wu. Believing that none could equal him in knowledge, he raised the banner of his pride to its highest. He challenged the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai to discuss the meaning of the passage that states, “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].” In the debate Chi-tsang was soundly defeated and thereupon renounced his misguided beliefs. In order to expiate his serious offense of slander of the correct teaching and of those who uphold it, he gathered more than one hundred eminent scholars and begged the Great Teacher T’ient’ai Chih-che to lecture to them. Chi-tsang used his body as a bridge for the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai to climb [onto the preaching platform], supporting T’ien-t’ai’s feet with his head. Moreover, he served T’ien-t’ai for seven years, cutting firewood and drawing water for him. He ceased giving lectures of his own, dispersed his followers, and in order to purge himself of his great conceit, refrained from reciting the Lotus Sutra. After the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s death, Chi-tsang had an audience with the emperor of the Sui dynasty to pay his respects. As he was leaving, he clutched His Majesty’s knees and tearfully bade him farewell. Sometime later, Chi-tsang looked into an old mirror and, seeing his reflection, condemned himself for his past errors. All these many acts of penitence were done to eradicate his karmic disease.

The Lotus, the wonderful sutra of the single vehicle, is the golden words of the three kinds of Buddhas. Likened to a bright jewel, it ranks highest among all the sutras that “I have preached, now preach, and will preach.” There are passages in the Lotus Sutra that say, “Among the sutras, it [the Lotus Sutra] holds the highest place,” and “[Among those sutras] the Lotus is the foremost!” The Great Teacher Dengyo said that [the Lotus school is] the school founded by the Buddha himself" -- On Curing Karmic Disease

One need not pass through kalpas cycling through the Lower Worlds. One may choose to push himself off the ground he has fallen to and immediately renounce the Nichikan Gohonzon and the Soka Gakkai and embrace the One Pure Vehicle as practiced by Nichiren.

Nichiren Daishonin also states:

"Thus, T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo, following this principle, state in their commentaries that one should persist in preaching the Lotus Sutra. For instance, a person who stumbles and falls to the ground pushes himself up from the ground and rises to his feet again. In the same way, though persons [who slander the Lotus Sutra] may fall into hell, they will quickly rise up again and become Buddhas.

The people of today in any event already turn their backs on the Lotus Sutra, and because of that error they will undoubtedly fall into hell. Therefore, one should by all means persist in preaching the Lotus Sutra and causing them to hear it. Those who put their faith in it will surely attain Buddhahood, while those who slander it will establish a “poison-drum relationship” with it and will likewise attain Buddhahood." -- Those Initially Aspiring to the Way

Do not turn your back on the Lotus Sutra as ByakurenK and the other leaders of the Soka Gakkai. There may be some solace in the "poison drum relationship" you have with the Lotus Sutra but why pass through a thousand kalpas as did those who persecuted Neverdespise Bodhisattva? Exchange your Nichikan Gohonzon now and renounce your affiliation with the slanderous Soka Gakkai.

SGI "life coach" calls herself a Nichiren Buddhist

"Having continuous faith in something greater than ourselves (God, Allah, Buddha, Jesus Christ, The Divine, The Law of The Universe…) that will give us the necessary strength and courage to weather any storm and celebrate any joyous miracle. It is what makes all things possible. The path of absolute happiness –true happiness from within." -- Liz Isaacs SGI senior leader and "life coach".

Lets talk SGI Malaysia

!!!!!!!!!!

Never let depraved SGI leaders, those who claim to have attained what they have not, degrade your faith or your efforts for the Law.

The character Myo is the rain of the Law. Even in the depths of hell Myo is the rain that puts out the great fires of suffering and delusion. Everything changes save for the eternal nature of the Law and the Buddha. Jihi or Buddhist mercy is the essential nature of Myo. Buddha Shakyamuni displayed his mercy by confronting the nine great persecutions for the sake of the people and Nichiren overcame the five great persecutions. Both these great men renounced a life of luxury for the sake of the Law. Both could have been or done anything they chose, monarch, adviser to the nation; entrepreneur, physician, or general. They chose to preach the Law, living in the open under the stars or in thatched hermitage. Neither was respected by the powers that be. Ajatashatru loosed a herd of wild elephants on the Buddha and Hojo Takenobu sentenced Nichiren Daishonin to death. Never let those depraved SGI leaders who claim to have attained what they have not degrade your faith or your efforts for the Law. You will see in ten or fifteen years who is being tormented by the guards of hell and who is enjoying the boundless benefit of the Law. The rain of Myo benefits all equally, not just "holy" leaders or priests who are anything but holy or true priests. You yourself are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, exalted beings who drink the life sustaining rain of the Law. Never forget this. Never forget the gratitude we owe to Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin.

Even the lowly Dhammapada far surpasses the Koran. How much more so the Lotus Sutra?

Buddhism [from the Dhammapada]

” In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, Ancient and inexhaustible. ”

“All things, including you too shall pass away. Knowing this, how can you quarrel?

“It is better to conquer your own mind, than to win a thousand battles.”

“The mind is everything; what you think you become”

“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”

“Never speak harsh words. For they will rebound upon you.”

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth”

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

Islam: (From the Koran)

“cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads”

“Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other,”

“When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them”

“Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you.”

“Believers, know that the idolaters [non-Muslims] are unclean. ”

“Jews are like pigs and monkeys”

“Reclining in paradise with bashful virgins for companions, they will call for abundant fruit and drink.”

“Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please.”

Having complete faith and trust in turtle fur and rabbit horns

"Well it was a day full of happiness, compliments, appreciation and confidence. I can face anything in my life, as I have complete faith, trust in my God and Gohonzon and of course not to forget my darling My Sai [my savior Sensei]." -- SGI-India member Aruna

"Todos Somos Budas" - Core Soka Gakkai teaching that even they don't really believe

??? Ryokan? Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? They who must sign the SGI code of conduct?

Soka Gakkai is Ikedaism

Half of the latest WT was devoted to mentor and disciple.

"Ghandi was not great because he had publications tauting (touting) him, neither was Martin Luther King.

If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that.

I am ready to drop all of my subscriptions to SGI pubs.

I would rather read experiences (sanitized by the SGI to sound all the same) rather than read this mentor and disciple stuff.

What is going on with this M&D [sic] crap?

Re: Mentor & disciple, I am sick of it.

They are shoving it down our throats. I think it is their way of solidifying SGI doctrine, which is to be based on this concept. They've had to throw out much of the Shoshu doctrine, and so we have THIS. If we don't buy into it we're bound for the hell of incessant suffering. I wouldn't mind the concept so much if they didn't take it upon themselves to decide who my mentor is going to be. It might be a nice idea if the mentor wasn't mandated.

This summer's Living Buddhism is also almost entirely devoted to the "Mentor/Disciple relationship". This is a pretty strong push in the publications right now, and my feeling about it is that M/D has become a sort of "caulk" for the SGI. As long as the M/D relationship is a prime point of faith, it can be used to distract attention from any policy or doctrinal issue.

As I discussed last week, Japan (and perhaps to a limited extent our own study department in Santa Monica) is very engaged right now in trying to sort through exactly what form of Nichiren Buddhism we are going to be teaching as we nobly march forward into the 21st century. This involves a lot of interpretation, decision-making,and discussion to which we gaijin are cordially not invited. If faith becomes a matter of a personal loyalty oath to an individual rather than about our own inherent Buddhahood, or if we can somehow be convinced that our own inherent Buddhahood is contingent on a fantasy relationship with someone we've never met, then the subject can always be changed whenever there's a conflict. If (like some of us) you have problems with the Gakkai's choice to continue slandering other forms of Nichiren Buddhism, a layer of M/D caulk can be applied to sort of give the appearance of a flat wall of agreement,and the subject can be changed to the questioner's lack of faith and need to build a better fantasy relationship with his or her mentor. It is a strategic means whereby the organization can avoid dealing with the inevitable cultural conflicts which have arisen and will continue to arise. Personally , I think it is doomed to failure, since the caulk will only cosmeticallycover any cracks and not actually strengthen the structure.

At the end of the day, though, people will be able to meet together and chant without an emphasis on building a fantasy relationship if that's what they want to do. If the current emphasis is really disturbing to you,, you can always chant and study with people who feel likewise. The only thing I would offer as a caveat is to try to keep things positive. Our Fifth Wave gatherings out here are not about venting frustrations with any particular group or any particular organization's way of doing things. They are an opportunity for people to get together and do faith, practice and study of Nichiren Buddhism.

Hang in there, hope you are well, Best, Byrd in LA

Yes, I think you have expresse the reality pretty well here. And this is one of the reasons non-denominational meetings will continue to be interesting to a lot of people. Americans have a real aversion to being compelled to admire or emulate anyone. It may not be true, but we like to flatter ourselves that we choose our own leaders and we decide whom we will admire. Non-denominational gatherings will just simply continue to make it possible to understand Buddhism without using a mandatory Mentor as an intermediary between ourselves and the Lotus Sutra, or ourselves and Buddhism. That's one of the basic rules of the Fifth Wave, I think - no mandatory mentors.

Well, I hope everyone has a good week this week. I myself have started a new morning exercise routine. I'm hobbling a bit, but otherwwise feeling well. Best regards, Byrd in LA

"...If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that..."

Maybe we need a little reminding now and then...For example, the current issue of "Living Buddhism" repeats the name "Ikeda" some 200 times witnin its 13 pages..not counting footnotes or direct references Ikeda makes to himself...

That's right...the word "Ikeda" is printed over 200 times in one issue...mostly with gushing adulation about his mentorship, his wisom, his compassion...and of course, how the "lifeblood" of Nichiren flows through him to us...

Just reading one issue of Living Buddhism you see the name "Ikeda" 200 times...maybe the guys over there are slipping...I suggest they set a target for 1000 times in the next issue!

Welcome to Ikeda Buddhism. Well, has it really come to that? Is this truly the direction we've been on ALL ALONG? I REALLY do wonder.

I bring this up all the time with my SGI friends and either they are embarrassed about it or don't like it. Ikeda calls the shots in the SGI."

A few of Nichiren's thoughts on Zen

"It is customary among physicians to name anyone who departs from the basic practices of medicine a “practitioner of outside ways.” In human society one speaks of those relatives who are of a surname other than one’s own as “outside relatives.” And in Buddhism, that which departs from the sutras and treatises is known as an “outside way.”

The Nirvana Sutra states, “If there is any person who does not abide by the expositions of the Buddha, you should understand that this person is a servant of the devil.” And volume nine of On “Great Concentration and Insight” says, “Before the Lotus Sutra, they were disciples of an outside [non-Buddhist] way.”

The Zen school describes itself as something “not transmitted by the Buddha and patriarchs.” [What is your opinion on this?]

Answer: If that is so, then why does the Zen school talk about the “twenty-eight patriarchs of India” and the “six patriarchs of China”? If you speak in this way, you are refuting your own assertion that the teachings were entrusted to Mahākāshyapa, are you not? How do you explain this contradiction in your own words?

The Zen school says, “This superior way of ours has not been transmitted by the sages of the past.”

Answer: If that is so, then the Zen school of today can have no real understanding of this “superior way” either. And if it has no real understanding of it, then it is not true Zen!

All the Zen school does is sing about a “superior way,” resting in arrogance, never correcting its deluded views but instead boasting of “perceiving one’s true nature.” Its greatest mistake is to create gaps between people’s capacities and the Buddha’s teachings. In doing so, it impedes the enlightening process of the Buddha’s teachings and falls ever deeper into error.

The Zen followers talk about a doctrine “outside the sutras” and practice this thing “outside the sutras”; they say their doctrine is “independent of words or writing,” yet they love to take up their brushes and write about it. Their words and their hearts fail to match—how could they be other than followers of the heavenly devil, disciples of a non-Buddhist way?

It is through the use of words and letters that the Buddha saves living beings."

The Buddha Shakya is conceived with the mind as his lodging

"In turbid water the moon does not abide; in a withered tree there are no birds. In the body of a woman without a mind [of faith] the Buddha does not abide. A woman who keeps the Hokekyo is like clear water: the moon of the Buddha Shakya takes up residence [there]. For example, although, when a woman is first pregnant, she is not aware of it in her own body, as the months gradually add up and the days pass, she first wonders if it is so and later thinks that it is certain. A woman of insight even knows whether it is a boy or a girl. The doctrine of the Hokekyo is also thus. When one believes Namu Myoho renge kyo in one's mind, the Buddha Shakya is conceived with the mind as His lodging. Though at first one does not know it, as the months gradually add up, the Buddha in one's mind appears and a joyful mind gradually emerges." -- Letter to Lord Matsuno's Wife

Appraising the perception and judgement of an SGI leader

"I have never known Petry to ever say anything worthwhile or truthful. He is like an intellectual gnat attacking an intellectual giant (John Ayres). What Petry mistakes for the truth is his own inability to deal with facts that he does not like. He simply makes up "facts" that are more suitable to him.This is the best that the Minobu sect has to represent themselves. Typical. His ignorance of his own sect and Nichiren’s Buddhism is very helpful for orthodox Nichiren sects." -- Terry Ruby SGI leader

I suggest you search John Ayres on Google Groups Alternate Religion Buddhism of Nichiren. Then we can most easily judge the perception and judgement of SGI leader Terry Ruby. Were you to find it to be deficient, it is a warning to you who remain in the Soka Gakkai or to those who are thinking of joining. A good search term would be John Ayres and Reginald Carpenter and go down to the 5th post. Thomas Pass the Doobie's perception and judgement is not much better than Terry Ruby's. Should Thomas wish to come here and argue SGI's or Nichiren's doctrines, I would be more than happy to host him. We can have a hundred day debate.

An open latter to Daisaku Ikeda

https://nagabuddha.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/an-open-letter.pdf

Bearing up under severe persecutions

"But the sutra says, “How much more will this be so after his passing?” By this we know that, in a future age after the passing of the Buddha, there are bound to be persecutions and difficulties even greater and more fearful than those that occurred during his lifetime. If even the Buddha had difficulty bearing up under such persecutions, how can ordinary people be expected to bear them, particularly when these troubles are destined to be even greater than those that occurred during the Buddha’s lifetime?

Though one might wonder what great persecutions could possibly be more terrible than the huge rock thirty feet long and sixteen feet wide that Devadatta rolled down on the Buddha or the drunken elephant that King Ajātashatru sent charging after him, if persecutions greater than those that arose during the Buddha’s lifetime keep occurring again and again to someone who is not guilty of the slightest fault, then one should realize that that person is a true votary of the Lotus Sutra in the age after the Buddha’s passing."

There are no priests in SGI. There are 'Ministers of Worshhp"

Italian SGI leaders [responsabili] are known as "Ministers of Worship."

How we will be granted the same benefits as Shakyamuni Buddha.

"Shakyamuni’s practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in these five characters, we will naturally be granted the same benefits as he was.

With full understanding of Shakyamuni’s teachings, the four great voice-hearers said, “This cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought.” They represent the world of the voice-hearer that is within ourselves. The Buddha stated, “At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us, and what I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way.” ShakyamuniBuddha, who has attained perfect enlightenment, is our own flesh and blood. His practices and the resulting virtues are our bones and marrow. The “Treasure Tower” chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, “He who is capable of guarding the Law of this sutra will thereby have offered alms to me and to Many Treasures. . . . One who guards this sutra will also have offered alms to the emanation Buddhas who have come here adorning and making brilliant all the various worlds.” Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions represent the world of Buddhahood within ourselves. By searching them out within us, we can receive the benefits of all these Buddhas. This is what is meant by the following passage: “If one listens to them [the preachers of the Law] for even a moment, one will immediately attain supreme perfect enlightenment.” The “Life Span” chapter reads, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.” The Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives is the eternal Buddha since time without beginning, who obtained the three bodies more than numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. The “Life Span” chapter states, “Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life span that I acquired then has yet to come to an end but will last twice the number of years that have already passed.” He was speaking of the world of the bodhisattva within ourselves. The bodhisattvas, as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, who emerged from beneath the earth, are the followers of the Shakyamuni Buddha present in our lives. They follow the Buddha just as T’ai-kung Wang and Tan, the Duke of Chou, served as ministers to King Wu of the Chou dynasty and later assisted his son and successor, the infant King Ch’eng; or just as the Chief Minister Takenouchi supported Empress Jingū and later her grandson Crown Prince Nintoku as a highly valued minister. The bodhisattvas Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, Pure Practices, andFirmly Established Practices represent the world of the bodhisattvawithin ourselves. The Great Teacher Miao-lo says: “You should understand that one’s life and its environment at a single moment encompass the three thousand realms. Therefore, when one attains the Buddha way, one puts oneself in accord with this fundamental principle, and one’s body and mind at a single moment pervade the entire realm of phenomena.” -- Nichiren's most important writing

Don't be fooled

Burton Watson translates a passage from Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra as follows:

"At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: "The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for a measurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra.

For this reason, after the Thus Come One has entered extinction, you must single-mindedly accept, uphold, read, recite, explain, preach and transcribe it, and practice it as directed. In any of the various lands, wherever there are those who accept, uphold, read, recite, explain, preach, transcribe, or practice it as directed, or wherever the sutra rolls are preserved, whether in a garden, a forest, beneath a tree, in monks quarters, in the lodgings of white-robed laymen, in palaces, or in mountain valleys or the wide wilderness, in all these places one should erect towers and offer alms. Why? Because you should understand that such spots are places of religious practice. In such places have the Buddhas gained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, in such places have the Buddhas turn the wheel of the Law, in such places have the Buddhas entered parinirvana." 

Bunno, Kato, Etal. translates the same passage:

"At that time the Buddha addressed Emminent Conduct and the host of other Bodhisattvas: "The divine powers of buddhas are so infinite and boundless that they are beyond thought and expression. Even if I, by these divine powers, through infinite, boundless hundred thousand myriad kotis of asemkheya kalpas, for the sake of entailing it, were to declare the merits of this sutra, I should still be unable to reach the end of those [merits]. Essentially speaking, all the laws belonging to the Tathagata, all the mysterious, essential treasuries of the Tathagata, and the very profound conditions of the Tathagata, all are proclaimed, displayed, revealed, and expounded in this sutra.Therefore you should, after the extinction of the Tathagata, wholeheartedly receive and keep, read and recite, explain and copy, cultivate and practice it as the teaching. In whatever land, whether it be received and kept, read and recited, explained and copied cultivated and practiced as the teaching; whether in a place where a volume of the sutra is kept, or in a temple, or in a grove, or under a tree, or in a monastery, or in a lay devotee's house, in a palace or a mountain, in a valley or in the wilderness, in all these places you must erect a caitya and make offerings. Wherefore? You should know that [all] these spots are the thrones of enlightenment. On these [spots] the buddhas attain Perfect Enlightenment; on these [spots] the buddhas roll the wheel of the Law; on these [spots] the buddhas [enter] parinirvana." (Lotus Sutra, Chapter 21, The Power of the Tathagata)

Leon Hurvitz translates this same passage;

"The Buddha then addressed Him of Superior Practice along with the others in the great assembly of Bodhisattvas. "The spiritual powers of all Buddhas are similarly immeasurable and boundless, beyond conception or imagining. Were I, for the sake of entrusting this scripture to others, to expound its merits and virtues for untold and limitless hundreds of thousands of myriad millions of eons by means of these-spiritual powers of mine, I would still not be able to exhaust its riches. In short, all the Teachings that I as a Tathagata possess, all the spiritual powers that I have at my disposal, all my unseen storehouses and all my extremely profound activities are expounded, revealed and explained in this scripture. For this reason, after my parinirvana, you should wholeheartedly accept and hold to it, study and recite it, understand and expound it, write it down and make copies of it and, just as you preach it, so practice in accordance with it.

"If there is anyone in any land or country who accepts, holds to, studies, recites, understands, expounds, writes down, copies or practices it as he preaches it, be it in a place where Scripture books reside, or in a garden, or in a grove of trees, or under a tree, or in a monk's quarters, or in the lodging of a white-clad layman, or within the halls of the nobility, or on a mountain, or in a valley, or in an open plain, therein will a stupa be raised and an offering be made. And for what reason? Know that such a place is indeed a seat for enlightenment: in such places Buddhas find Complete and Perfect Enlightenment, in such places Buddhas turn the Wheel of the Dharma, in such places Buddhas enter parinirvana."

"Because you should understand that such spots are places of religious practice."(Watson)

"You should know that [all] these spots are the thrones of enlightenment." (Bunno)

"Know that such a place is indeed a seat for enlightenment."(Hurvitz)

Now, my dear readers, don't you think that, after seeing these highlighted sentences and reading again and again the three translated passages above, that the SGI advisers to Watson had an agenda to mute the Buddha's message and passion for the Lotus Sutra? Please, think about it. Watson's passage is drab and passionless. Bunno's is vibrant and filled with passion and Hurvitz's is to the point. Do you think the Buddha was passionless or circumspect? The SGI are psychological manipulators. Do not be fooled.

SGI now promoting mindfulness meditation within the Institute of Oriental Philosophy

http://www.iop.or.jp/Documents/1626/%5B032-035%5DJournal26_Leonard.pdf

SGI strengthening anti-democratic forces

http://www.iop.or.jp/Documents/1626/%5B125-138%5DJournal26_Moghaddam.pdf

No shakubuku whatsoever

http://www.iop.or.jp/Journal27.html

"Do not put faith in traditions handed down orally." -- Nichiren Daishonin

This is proof of the principle, Transmission Through the Sutra Scrolls and the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin.

Nichiren on plagiarism and foolishness

"The translators of the newer versions of the sutras learned about T’ien-t’ai’s doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life when they came to China. When they translated Sanskrit sutras into Chinese, some put T’ien-t’ai’s principle into their translations, and others claimed that the originals they had brought from India already contained it. Some of the scholars of the T’ien-t’ai school were simply pleased that other schools were expounding the same doctrine as theirs, while others praised the Buddhism of India and slighted that of China, or discarded their original doctrines and adopted new ones. These scholars yielded to their devilish nature and to foolishness. Ultimately, however, without the seed of Buddhahood, that is, the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, sentient beings cannot become Buddhas, and any statue or painting would be an object of devotion in name only."

The Victorious Future of Mentor and Disciple by Daisaku Ikeda SGI Eternal Mentor

I can see
Those who are like demons
Milling around what,
Unbeknownst to them,
Is only an execution block.
They trample
The noble spirit
Of the Daishonin
And have become
Pitiful robbers of the Law.
Like a rapacious swarm of locusts,
Nikken and his cronies
Have exploited and persecuted
And even plotted to destroy
The Soka Gakkai,
An organization of the highest good
That has made unprecedented contributions
To spreading the Law
And worked so hard
To support and protect the priesthood.
Their evil deeds
Will go down forever in history
And they will be severely judged
According to the law of cause and effect.
This I believe
To be the unwavering position
Of the Daishonin.
It will be just as he states
In the writing "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage":
They "seem to be free from punishment at first,
But eventually they are all doomed to fall"
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 997).
The plots and schemes of High Priest Nikken Abe and his cohorts,
Spinning a web of the most base lies
And vicious slander,
Were designed to bring us down.
Yet
We shone on brightly
Like the morning sun!
We rose boldly to the challenge,
And began our battle!
The Daishonin, too,
Was slandered as an immoral priest,
And his struggles amid persecution
Were beyond description.
Our first president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi
Used to strictly remind us
That in comparison
The persecution we encounter
Is truly small and trivial.
With silent forbearance,
The firm resolve demonstrated by the Buddha
Engraved in our hearts,
We waged an arduous struggle To overcome
Every imaginable
Haughty and arrogant utterance.
We will not be defeated.
We are fed up
With the clamoring and abusive foolishness
Of these spiritual paupers.
In fact, our mighty, passionate spirit
Only burns all the brighter.
They who are
At times frenzied,
At times coldly silent,
At times filled with excuses,
Will eventually depart this world,
Gasping and trembling in fear.
Backsliders in faith!
Are you satisfied
To lead a life
Trapped in a maze
Of hellish depths?
Slanderers of the Law!
Having corrupted the Daishonin's teachings
And veered from the eternal truth,
Are you prepared
To drift along forever in a state of life
Of agonized defeat?
Traitors!
Having turned your backs
On the Daishonin's golden words,
Are you ready
To be burned in the fires
Of the hell of incessant suffering?
To be imprisoned in a cavern
In the hell of extreme cold?
To be shut off in the darkness
Of misery and strife,
Forever deprived of the sun's light?

Welcome to Ikedaism

Half of the latest WT was devoted to mentor and disciple.

"Ghandi was not great because he had publications tauting (touting) him, neither was Martin Luther King.

If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that.

I am ready to drop all of my subscriptions to SGI pubs.

I would rather read experiences (sanitized by the SGI to sound all the same) rather than read this mentor and disciple stuff.

What is going on with this M&D [sic] crap?

Re: Mentor & disciple, I am sick of it.

They are shoving it down our throats. I think it is their way of solidifying SGI doctrine, which is to be based on this concept. They've had to throw out much of the Shoshu doctrine, and so we have THIS. If we don't buy into it we're bound for the hell of incessant suffering. I wouldn't mind the concept so much if they didn't take it upon themselves to decide who my mentor is going to be. It might be a nice idea if the mentor wasn't mandated.

This summer's Living Buddhism is also almost entirely devoted to the "Mentor/Disciple relationship". This is a pretty strong push in the publications right now, and my feeling about it is that M/D has become a sort of "caulk" for the SGI. As long as the M/D relationship is a prime point of faith, it can be used to distract attention from any policy or doctrinal issue.

As I discussed last week, Japan (and perhaps to a limited extent our own study department in Santa Monica) is very engaged right now in trying to sort through exactly what form of Nichiren Buddhism we are going to be teaching as we nobly march forward into the 21st century. This involves a lot of interpretation, decision-making,and discussion to which we gaijin are cordially not invited. If faith becomes a matter of a personal loyalty oath to an individual rather than about our own inherent Buddhahood, or if we can somehow be convinced that our own inherent Buddhahood is contingent on a fantasy relationship with someone we've never met, then the subject can always be changed whenever there's a conflict. If (like some of us) you have problems with the Gakkai's choice to continue slandering other forms of Nichiren Buddhism, a layer of M/D caulk can be applied to sort of give the appearance of a flat wall of agreement,and the subject can be changed to the questioner's lack of faith and need to build a better fantasy relationship with his or her mentor. It is a strategic means whereby the organization can avoid dealing with the inevitable cultural conflicts which have arisen and will continue to arise. Personally , I think it is doomed to failure, since the caulk will only cosmeticallycover any cracks and not actually strengthen the structure.

At the end of the day, though, people will be able to meet together and chant without an emphasis on building a fantasy relationship if that's what they want to do. If the current emphasis is really disturbing to you,, you can always chant and study with people who feel likewise. The only thing I would offer as a caveat is to try to keep things positive. Our Fifth Wave gatherings out here are not about venting frustrations with any particular group or any particular organization's way of doing things. They are an opportunity for people to get together and do faith, practice and study of Nichiren Buddhism.

Hang in there, hope you are well, Best, Byrd in LA

Yes, I think you have expresse the reality pretty well here. And this is one of the reasons non-denominational meetings will continue to be interesting to a lot of people. Americans have a real aversion to being compelled to admire or emulate anyone. It may not be true, but we like to flatter ourselves that we choose our own leaders and we decide whom we will admire. Non-denominational gatherings will just simply continue to make it possible to understand Buddhism without using a mandatory Mentor as an intermediary between ourselves and the Lotus Sutra, or ourselves and Buddhism. That's one of the basic rules of the Fifth Wave, I think - no mandatory mentors.

Well, I hope everyone has a good week this week. I myself have started a new morning exercise routine. I'm hobbling a bit, but otherwwise feeling well. Best regards, Byrd in LA

"...If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that..."

Maybe we need a little reminding now and then...For example, the current issue of "Living Buddhism" repeats the name "Ikeda" some 200 times witnin its 13 pages..not counting footnotes or direct references Ikeda makes to himself...

That's right...the word "Ikeda" is printed over 200 times in one issue...mostly with gushing adulation about his mentorship, his wisom, his compassion...and of course, how the "lifeblood" of Nichiren flows through him to us...

Just reading one issue of Living Buddhism you see the name "Ikeda" 200 times...maybe the guys over there are slipping...I suggest they set a target for 1000 times in the next issue!

Welcome to Ikeda Buddhism. Well, has it really come to that? Is this truly the direction we've been on ALL ALONG? I REALLY do wonder.

I bring this up all the time with my SGI friends and either they are embarrassed about it or don't like it. Ikeda calls the shots in the SGI."