Response to Srishti

"Nobody can learn about Nichiren Buddhism's concepts by themselves. That's why we attend the meetings and participate in all SGI activities." - Srishti

What you learn in your meetings and activities is NOT the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren. It is Ikedaism. Even a solitary Bodhisattva of the Earth, according to the Lotus Sutra can attain Supreme and Perfect Enlightenment and Nichiren was one man alone. Nichiren taught: 

"Are persons who receive instruction orally from their teacher invariably free from error, while those who appear in later ages and who seek and investigate to be regarded as worthless? If so, then should we throw away the sutras and instead follow traditions handed down from the four ranks of bodhisattvas? Should a man throw away the deed of transfer received from his father and mother and instead rely upon oral transmissions? Are the written commentaries of the Great Teacher Dengyo so much trash, and the oral traditions handed down from the Great Teacher Jikaku the only guide to truth?" (Gosho Zenshu, p.1258)

Nichiren, in fact, was a scriptural Buddhist....

Srishti writes: 

"Because the main motive is to strengthen our faith and to feel internal happiness in our life. We are fortunate that someone introduced us this wonderful philosophy and we know people who are there to help us as our leaders where ever we have doubts or any questions." - Shrishti 

I suggest that they (and you) receive guidance and answers to your questions from the Original Eternal Buddha as Nichiren advises:

“Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His GUIDANCE are one with this Eternal Buddha.” — The True Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind

“Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are his manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. nevertheless, seemingly knowledgeable men of such provisional schools of Buddhism as Ch’eng-kuan of the Hua-yen, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun, Tz’u-en of the Fa-hsiang, and Kobo of the shingon tried to extol their own canons by stating: “The Lord of the Flower Garland Sutra represents the reward-body (hojin) of the Buddha whereas that of the Lotus Sutra the accomodative body (ojin);” or “the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus is an Illusion; it is the great Sun Buddha who is enlightened.” clouds cover the moon and slanderers hide wise men. When people slander, ordinary yellow rocks appear to be of gold and slanderers seem to be wise. Scholars in this age of decay, blinded by slanderous words, do not see the value of a gold in the “Lifespan of the Buddha” chapter. Even among men of the Tendai school some are fooled into taking a yellow rock for gold. They should know that if Sakyamuni had not been the Eternal Buddha, there could not have been so many who received GUIDANCE from Him. ” — The Opening of the Eyes

Srishti:

"But we should not forget that there are a lot of people out there who are still new practitioners or maybe want something like Nichiren Buddhism in their lives. So it's our duty to clear their questions that all of us had when we first introduced to this philosophy." - Srishti

It is most important to answer the people's questions correctly, otherwise, you will see what we saw in the USA...600,000 people received the Gohonzon in the 70s, 80s, and 90s but only 40,000 remain today. 

Srishti:

"The video is all about answering all those questions that all of us have at our initial point... So I tried to explain those questions in a very normal way. Because it's not possible to all of us to know everything in this world. 

We should never feel that we need to have all the answers or everything about Nichiren Buddhism in order to share this. And if we get caught up in worrying about sounding clever or making a good impression, we can easily loose sight of the purpose of encouragement in Buddhism." - Srishti

Teaching lies is poison to both new and old believers. For example, teaching that "the prime point of the Lotus Sutra is the mentor-disciple relationship" is poison.

Srishti then quotes Daisaku Ikeda: 

"SGI President Ikeda says, 'The source of all development in the realm of Kosen - rufu lies in the sharing the member's sufferings, answering their questions to relieve them of any doubts and making it possible for them to exert themselves in faith joyously, filled with confidence and hope'".

Mixing truth with the false is what confuses the members and leads them to abandon their faith. Mixing Namu Myoho renge kyo with the false teachings of the Soka Gakkai is precisely why more than 90% of SGI believers in the United States returned, destroyed, threw away, or rolled up their Gohonzons in sock draws, never again to chant Namu myoho renge kyo.

One 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 infused 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. Lack of financial transparency too, is mixing the clean with the unclean. Letter to Akimoto teaches:

"But a vessel is susceptible to four faults. The first is being upset or covered, which means that the vessel can be overturned or covered with a lid. The second is leaking, which means that the water leaks out. The third is being defiled, which means that the contents can be contaminated. Though the water itself may be pure, if filth is dumped into it, then the water in the vessel ceases to be of any use. The fourth is being mixed. If rice is mixed with filth or pebbles or sand or dirt, then it is no longer fit for human consumption.

The vessel here stands for our bodies and minds. Our minds are a kind of vessel, and our mouths too are vessels, as are our ears. The Lotus Sutra is the Dharma water of the Buddha’s wisdom. But when this water is poured into our minds, then we may jar and upset it. Or we may shut it out by placing our hands over our ears, determined not to listen to it. Or we may spit it out of our mouths, determined not to let our mouths chant it. In such cases, we are like a vessel that has overturned or has had a lid placed on it.

Again, although we may have a certain amount of faith, we may encounter evil influences and find our faith weakening. Then we will deliberately abandon our faith, or, even though we maintain our faith for a day, we will set it aside for a month. In such cases, we are like vessels that let the water leak out.

Or we may be the kind of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra whose mouths are reciting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo one moment, but Namu-Amida-butsu the next. This is like mixing filth with one’s rice, or putting sand or pebbles in it. This is what the Lotus Sutra is warning against when it says, “Desiring only to accept and embrace the sutra of the great vehicle and not accepting a single verse of the other sutras.”

In the Opening of the Eyes we read:

"In the ninth volume of the Nirvana Sutra we read: “Good man, there are icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. They pretend to be arhats, living in deserted places and speaking slanderously of the correct and equal sutras of the great vehicle. When ordinary people see them, they all suppose that they are true arhats and speak of them as great bodhisattvas.” It also says: “At that time, this sutra will be widely propagated throughout Jambudvīpa. In that age there will be evil monks who will steal this sutra and divide it into p.271many parts, losing the color, scent, and flavor of the correct teaching that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this sutra, but they will ignore and put aside the profound and vital principles that the Thus Come One has expounded in it and replace them with ornate rhetoric and meaningless talk. They will tear off the first part of the sutra and stick it on at the end, tear off the end and put it at the beginning,put the end and the beginning in the middle and the middle at the beginning or the end. You must understand that these evil monks are the companions of the devil.”

I believe this is what the the Soka Gakkai has accomplished. They propagated Namu Myoho renge kyo throughout Jambudvipa but thanks to SGI's evil doctrines, it has lost the color, scent, and flavor of the correct teaching that it contains;

Lastly, Sristhi states:

'Nobody can learn or know everything about Nichiren Buddhism as it is a very vast philosophy we have. When we share through our dialogue to those who are in need , it adds up in our own practice. Thank you for sharing your views and your understanding about Nichiren Buddhism and SGI."

Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra (Gohonzon) and Nichiren Daishonin know just about everything about Lotus Sutra Buddhism. I advise you to seek guidance from them and answer the people's questions through their perspective. You will be castigated by the Soka Gakkai but who cares what icchantikas think?