Eagle Peak Blog: August 2020

Monday, August 31, 2020

So many monuments to Ikeda

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Soka Gakkai men of arrogance should bow before the votaries of the Lotus Sutra

‘It is in accord with the principle that men of great arrogance should end by bowing before their enemies.'" - Nichiren

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Slanderous Nichiren Shu, Honmon Butsuryu Shu, Nipponzan Myoho Ji, and Kempon Hokke

Rengokai page url-----

Rengokai is the 'Association of Disciples of Nichiren Shonin'.

http://danrin.exblog.jp/tags/%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%97%A5%E8%93%AE%E8%81%96%E4%BA%BA%E9%96%80%E4%B8%8B%E9%80%A3%E5%90%88%E4%BC%9A/

Rengokai sects:

日蓮宗・ Nichiren Shu

法華宗本門流・Hokke Shu Hommon Ryu

顕本法華宗・Kempon Hokke Shu

法華宗陣門流・Hokke Shu Jinmon Ryu

法華宗真門流・Hokke Shu Shin Mon

日蓮本宗・Nichiren Hon Shu

本門法華宗・Honmon Hokke SHu

本門仏立宗・Honmon Butsuryu Shu

国柱会・Kokuchukai

日本山妙法寺Nipponzan Myoho Ji

------------------------------------------------------------------

1st pic:

Today, 10/6, the oeishiki ceremony was held at the Kyoto KHshu sohonzan Myomanji. It was sponsored by the federation of Nichiren Shonin's followers. (Rengokai)

Rope is for bell that is rung, box is to throw money in and then pray, just like shrines[receiving donations from slanderers].

If their clothes don't have the triple orange blossom mark of the Kempon Hokke they are priests of other sects.

Then, after that, the Chief Abbot (High Priest) of the Honzan Honponji Segawa Geika gave a sermon. (High Priest of heretical sect)(http://eishouzan.honpouji.nichiren-shu.jp/)

------------------------------------------------------

sermon:

宗派、門流は違いますが、南無妙法蓮華経のお題目を弘めていくため

、手を取り合って布教精進していく門下連合会をこれからも大事にし

て参りますさて、

今日の唱題行脚の時にしみじみと感じたことですが

、最近、街中からお題目の声が聞こえなくなったとよく言われます私

が師匠から受け継いだ「団扇太鼓」を見てみると、お題目の字が消えて

、バチが当たるところはすり切れています（￣□￣；）!!先師はいつも

お題目を唱えながら歩いてられたのでしょう・・・。

それに比べ、現在の私たちはあまり唱題行脚をしていないような・・・故に

「街からお題目の声が聞こえない」と言われるのですねm(__)mこれで

はいかん！！と改めて痛感いたしました・・・。

私もすり切れた団扇太鼓の名に恥じぬよう、時間を見つけて唱題行脚

をして参りたいと思います。

-----------------------------------------------------

宗派、門流は違いますが、南無妙法蓮華経のお題目を弘めていくため

Although there are differences between sects and methods,

、手を取り合って布教精進していく門下連合会をこれからも大事にし

Its important that the members of the rengokai hold hands and do propagation together.

て参りますさて...............

Nichiren teaches, "no supervision of a teacher is necessary"

"This is what the Lotus Sutra means when it says, “This is what is called observing the precepts.” The Reverend Annen in his On the Universally Bestowed Bodhisattva Precepts states: “The Lotus Sutra is saying that those who are capable of preaching the Lotus Sutra deserve to be called observers of the precepts.” That is, such persons do not, as described in the sutras prior to the Lotus Sutra, have to observe the precepts under the supervision of a teacher. They have only to put their faith in this sutra to become observers of the precepts." -- Nichiren

Liberate your self and stay away especially, from "bad teachers", such as Daisaku Ikeda, High Priest Nichinyo, and the corrupt Nichiren Shu priests.

Soka Gakkai's and Nichiren Shu's dealings with the enemies of the Lotus Sutra

"It is like the case of those who take service in the palace of the ruler and labor diligently there. Some are rewarded by the ruler’s favor and some are not. But if any of them commits the slightest error, it is quite certain that that person will be punished. It is the same way with the Lotus Sutra. No matter how fervently a person may appear to put faith in it, if, knowingly or unknowingly, he has dealings with the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, he will undoubtedly end up in the hell of incessant suffering."

"We are all Buddhas" - SGI teachings

Nichiren's teachings:

“In one world there are not two Buddhas".

"There are not two Venerable Ones.”

"In volume one of 'On the Words and Phrases', we read: 'There are not two Buddhas in the world, there are not two rulers in the nation. In the realm of one Buddha, there are not two Venerable Ones.' And The Treatise on the Upholding of the Stage states: 'In one world there are not two Buddhas, in one nation there are not two rulers. Within the realm of a single Buddha’s teachings, there are not two Venerable Ones.'"

Proof from the Lotus Sutra:

"The Sutra Canons which the Tathagata expounds are all for saving and liberating the mass of beings. I either preach my own body or preach the body of another or show my own body or show the body of another or show my own matter or show the matter of another."

As votaries of the Lotus Sutra, we are emanations of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni as explained by Nichiren:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/search?languageNavi=English&bookTypeNavi=WND1&resultFlgNavi=1&searchFrom=search&searchInputNavi=emanation&searchSubmit=Navi&findtext=&languageNavSp=English&bookTypeNavSp=WND1&resultFlgNavSp=1&searchFrom=search&searchInputNavSp=&findtext=&select1=&select1=&select1=&select1=&select1=&select1=&select1=

Soka Gakkai teachings are a pebble, Nichiren's teachings a gem

"To uphold these men's teachings instead of the Lotus Sutra] is like exchanging a gem for a pebble or trading sandalwood for common lumber. Because Buddhism has now become thoroughly confused, the secular world has also been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body and society like the shadow. When the body is crooked, so is the shadow. How fortunate that all my disciples who follow the Buddha's true intention will flow naturally into the ocean of all-encompassing wisdom! But the Buddhist scholars of our time put their faith in teachings expounded according to the people's capacity and are therefore doomed to sink into the sea of suffering."

Soka Gakkai too is the crooked shadow of the crooked tree of Taisekeji.

Soka Gakkai propaganda masquerading as a documentary

The Embattled Buddhists documentary? You mean the Soka Gakkai propaganda masquerading as a documentary?

"Yes, I've seen it."

One SGI-USA member wrote down the list of sponsors at the end of the film. Can you provide more information about them? Are they members or otherwise connected with SGI?

Angel Capital Corporation

Mari Shikoda

Hiromi Nabeshima

A.N.L. Corporation

MacDonald & Beckman (Steven MacDonald is a San Francisco-area SGI leader)

Virender Goswami (SF attorney specializing in immigration law)

Rouse & Bahlart (Cheryl Rouse is a leader in San Francisco)

Chuck Texeira (SF attorney)

Also, another SGI-USA member noted that the credits listed the following people: Clarice Robinson (producer), Anthony Andrews (writer), Tim Jones (composer who has done work for SGI before). Are all of these people SGI members?

Please understand that the issue for some SGI-USA members is not about the film's quality or accuracy. It's about the integrity of portraying the film as an independent production, implying that the film was made independent of SGI's editorial control.

Some members find it disheartening that the only scholars, writers and documentarians who have favorable views of the SGI are the ones on the SGI's payroll or membership list. Granted, this may not be the fact in all cases, but it is a widespread perception among members in the US. Perhaps no one has a problem with this kind of thing in Japan. But in the US, it raises questions about the legitimacy and true motives of an organization; in public relations terms, it raises people's suspicion and makes the organization look like it is trying to deceive people somehow.

I truly appreciate that you took the time to clarify some facts about the film. I will post your response on the BuddhaJones website the next time we update it, which will probably be sometime in the coming week.

Thanks!

Lisa Jones

[...]

I agree that it is naive to imagine that SGI should merely maintain a passive and detached stance while negative perceptions and misinformation perpetuate. ;-) After this exchange, promotional materials distributed by SGI-USA about the film made no mention of it being an "independent production."

Soka Gakkai's assets

Posted by: The Anticult
SGI-USA multimillion dollar corporation propaganda document (very informative)

Date: August 25, 2009 08:55AM

(excerpt of information page for reference and educational research )

_______QUOTE excerpt for reference and educational research______

Confusing Information to Dismiss

Do not be too concerned about questionable actions of Soka. We are an organization that chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore, everything will work out for the best. Because we chant and are striving for enlightenment, everything we do will eventually benefit the world. We do not need to have a conscience -- we have sincerity, which is more important. All guilt is absolved and all righteousness is conferred by our practice of Soka Buddhism!

1. SGI-USA is a multimillion-dollar religious corporation

2. False impressions, false promises

3. Soka rewrites its own history

4. Soka propaganda masquerading as a documentary

5. Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit disingenuous

1) SGI-USA is a multimillion-dollar religious corporation

According to LA County tax records, SGI Plaza and adjacent properties around Sixth and Wilshire in Santa Monica are valued at over $20 million. (These are just tax valuations, not the market value.)

Just across the street, the World Culture Center and Ikeda Auditorium and the house behind the WCC are valued at more than $7 million.

SGI-USA’s Malibu Training Center, with a tax valuation of $1.4 million, was on the market in June 2003 for $21 million. It sold for $14.5 million in June 2003. SGI originally purchased the property in 1972 for a reported $109,000.

The LA Friendship Center -- $3,600,000

The Santa Monica Community Center -- $4,300,000

Soka University, Los Angeles in Calabasas -- >$1,000,000,000,000.00 (endowment alone).

Plus, this other little bit of SULA -- $5,700,000

A quick search on [www.hawaiipropertytax.com] brings up results of "agricultural properties" owned by Soka Gakkai:

10 acres - parcel 220480940000 [www.hawaiipropertytax.com]

3 acres - parcel 160093950000 [www.hawaiipropertytax.com]

3 acres - parcel 160093960000 [www.hawaiipropertytax.com]

10 acres - parcel 220480950000 [www.hawaiipropertytax.com]

SGI-USA's main facility in Hawaii is the Hawaii Culture Center -- Market Land Value $2,318,800; Market Building Value $14,950,000

In Hawaii, Soka Gakkai also owns: Makaha Community Center;[www.honolulupropertytax.com] Maui Community Center;[www.mauipropertytax.com] Pupukea Community Center. [www.honolulupropertytax.com]

The Soka University of America campus in Aliso Viejo, Calif., opened in 2001 with an endowment of $300 million to teach a class of fewer than 200 students. GuideStar.org reports that SUA has assets in excess of $1 billion dollars.

The Denver Culture Center ($4.5 million), the New York Culture Center ($9.7 million), the Florida Nature and Culture Center ($8 million) [bcegov.co.broward.fl.us] are all listed in tax records as being owned by Soka Gakkai International-USA. There are more properties in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, etc., but you get the idea.

2) False impressions, false promises

The pamphlet, “Contributing to the Future,” published by SGI-USA in 2003, states that member financial contributions make it possible to turn on the lights, keep copy machines running and pay the rent for meeting places. These examples give the impression of a small ministry struggling to make ends meet. Strangely, the pamphlet fails to mention SGI-USA’s millions of dollars worth of appreciating assets. In fact, SGI-USA declines to tell members anything substantive about the corporation’s finances.

The “Contributing to the Future” pamphlet tells SGI-USA members:

"With all of your contributions, you are making great causes for your own happiness... Some members may feel they can improve their financial situation by challenging themselves to contribute more money to the organization. It’s true that when you make offerings, you are making a cause to change your destiny -- just as it’s true that when you chant, you are changing your karma. How this change in karma will manifest, though, no one can readily predict. When we make offerings, we increase our fortune. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that we increase our bank balance.”

Who is the “we” in that last sentence? When you make a contribution to SGI-USA, you are most definitely increasing “their” bank balance. SGI-USA holds out a promise that many members have been hooked by over the years: Giving money to SGI-USA will change your life for the better. This assertion may fatten the religious corporation’s accounts, but it does not accord with the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism.

3) Soka rewrites its own history

The following was written by former Soka member Lisa Jones in March, 2004.

Several months ago, I reported on BuddhaJones that SGI's official PR flak in Denver had claimed in a letter to a local newspaper that SGI *was not* excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu. Of course, SGI *was* excommunicated. People gave me a lot of crap, saying that I was misrepresenting what was stated in the letter. Well, oddly, I've found another instance of a "clarification" of the excommunication claim, this time in a response to the Italian Report on Cults. But I'll get to that in a minute.

First, here's what I wrote back in September 2003...SGI President Ikeda was not excommunicated. That's right. An official SGI spokesperson recently claimed that Ikeda merely "left" Nichiren Shoshu. Funny, I thought the bitter, internecine religious war between Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai came to a head when Ikeda was forced out.

Alas, Chris Risom (not to be confused with Cris Roman) -- who holds the title "director of community affairs, SGI-USA Buddhist Association, Denver region" -- now assures the good people of Denver that the excommunication is a "discredited allegation."

Huh?

In late August, a Denver newspaper ran an article that mentioned Soka University and SGI. The article, in Westword, stated:

But for all its emphasis on peaceful co-existence, Soka Gakkai has been extremely controversial, with a PBS documentary and scores of articles reporting on everything from leaders' disputes over prostitute bills to allegations of members destroying rival temples. Critics of the seventy-year-old lay organization of the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist priesthood charge that it's a cult that focuses only on Ikeda rather than the traditional teachings of Nichiren Buddhists. Even the priests of Ikeda's own sect aren't particularly fond of the fellow, having excommunicated him in 1991. [bold added]

SGI-USA responded in a letter to the editor, published Sept. 4:

Your characterization of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in the August 21 Off Limits was extremely one-sided and offensive to the Nichiren Buddhists living in the Denver area. You aired some very old and discredited allegations with no apparent effort to present a balanced or truthful picture.

For the record, there are no known allegations of Soka Gakkai leaders having a dispute over prostitute bills. Second, Mr. Ikeda left Nichiren Shoshu, along with 12 million members of the Soka Gakkai International -- roughly 95 percent of the Nichiren Shoshu membership. This split was inevitable, given the outgoing and engaged style of Soka Gakkai versus the more insular and doctrinaire manner of the Nichiren Shoshu leadership. [bold added]

It is unfortunate that your reporter did not take the time to learn more about the group he was defaming. He/she would have learned that the SGI-USA is the largest and most diverse Buddhist association in the U.S., and that we seek to help people -- through Buddhist practice -- to cultivate the virtues of responsibility, wisdom and compassion in their daily lives. Locally, the SGI-USA/Denver and its over 3,000 members have been civicly active and contributive to the Denver metro community for over 33 years.

Chris Risom, director of community affairs

SGI-USA Buddhist Association, Denver region

There you have it, folks. For the record, Mr. Ikeda wasn't excommunicated; he left. Please disregard the hundreds of SGI-published assertions to the contrary.

Please go to "Confirming Our Path of Faith," your Temple Issue handbook published by SGI-USA. Find the speech given by President Ikeda on Feb. 5, 1999, and cross out the line: "On Nov. 28 of the following year, 1991, Nichiren Shoshu excommunicated the Soka Gakkai. What madness!"

Also, since his "leaving" was inevitable, we can stop crying foul about "Operation C" and all of the other dirty deeds that led to the ouster-that-never-happened. Please annotate your handbook accordingly.

Madness? What madness?

(If you want to know what else I think, check out my letter to Westword, just below SGI-USA's.)

OK...fast forward to today...One of the readers of this blog referenced the Center for Studies on New Religions (at cesnur.org) in one of his comments. So I checked it out. In searching the CESNUR site, particularly an article analyzing the "Italian Report on Cults," I found this bizarre claim:

(The report incorrectly argues, p. 15, that the Italian Soka Gakkai was "apparently excommunicated by the Japanese mother organization". In fact both the Italian and the Japanese Soka Gakkai as lay organizations parted company from the monastic order they used to be affiliated with, Nichiren Shoshu).

Wuh? By SGI's own *repeated* accounts, SGI was most emphatically excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu, *twice.* So does this mean that info from cesnur.org is unreliable? Or is it a case of SGI PR flaks working with CESNUR and trying to rewrite history?

4) Soka propaganda masquerading as a documentary

The following was written by former Soka member Lisa Jones in April, 2003.

You've probably heard the rumors: Some SGI-USA members are claiming that the movie "Embattled Buddhists: Under the Rising Sun," a one-hour documentary about Soka Gakkai's history, was made and paid for by the SGI.

I called Sylvia Hueston, the SGI-USA member who served as the film's producer, and asked her point blank who financed the film. "It was paid for by Global Management Group," she said. Hueston assured me that the documentary is an independent production. A dispatch from the SGI Office of Public Information also states that the documentary was made by an independent company.

Hueston told me that she does not know much about Global Management Group or the film's executive producer, Keiko Kimura. According to Hueston, Kimura is not a member of the SGI.

But some SGI members say that "Embattled Buddhists" is not an independent production at all. They are quick to point out that the film's director and editor is Cory Taylor, a prominent SGI-USA leader. They also point to Hueston in the role of producer.

"It's like a cardinal and an archbishop making a documentary about the Catholic church," said Chris Oaks, a Los Angeles-area SGI member. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you can't claim it's independent or objective."

"Who is Global Management Group?" asks a screenwriter, would-be indie film producer and SGI member who asked not to be identified. "Anyone who has tried to make an independent film knows that production funds are hard to get. Most PBS-type programming is made possible through grants and donations. So who put up the money for this film and why? Was it financed by SGI directly or indirectly?"

We may never know the answer to that question; SGI declines to disclose the details of its financial dealings.

According to the online database provided by the California Secretary of State, Global Management Group, Inc. (corp. number C1772225) is listed as "suspended." Kimura is listed as the contact.

"If SGI paid for the movie, fine," says Oaks. "But let's not be sneaky about it. This is a documentary that supports SGI's version of events, SGI's interpretation of its past and SGI's point of view. Why not just be honest about our bias?"

Hueston says that if anyone really wants to know who contributed money toward the production, they should record the broadcast and freeze-frame the donor acknowledgements at the end of the film. "Everyone who contributed is listed," Hueston says. "These are sponsorships that Keiko Kimura solicited." Hueston adds, "Keiko is back in Japan now and -- really -- she is not a member. She got the inspiration to make this documentary after seeing how the SGI was treated in Japan."

* [...]

I responded with this e-mail:

Hi Rie --

Thanks for the info about "Embattled Buddhists." I have not seen the film, but I would like to.

One SGI-USA member wrote down the list of sponsors at the end of the film. Can you provide more information about them? Are they members or otherwise connected with SGI?

Angel Capital Corporation

Mari Shikoda

Hiromi Nabeshima

A.N.L. Corporation

MacDonald & Beckman (Steven MacDonald is a San Francisco-area SGI leader)

Virender Goswami (SF attorney specializing in immigration law)

Rouse & Bahlart (Cheryl Rouse is a leader in San Francisco)

Chuck Texeira (SF attorney)

Thanks!

Lisa Jones

[...]

5) Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit disingenuous

The following commentary was written by former Soka member Lisa Jones in February 2004.

The only problem I have with the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Exhibit is that it's a big fib. To rank Daisaku Ikeda alongside Gandhi and King is disingenuous -- and that's the nicest word I have for it.

The University of Denver, which is now hosting the exhibit, says: "India’s Mahatma Gandhi, the American Martin Luther King Jr. and Japan’s Daisaku Ikeda each made a significant impact through peaceful protest for the cause of human rights."

Peaceful protest for the cause of human rights? In the case of Gandhi and King, that's absolutely correct. In the case of Ikeda, that's hilarious.

Gandhi and King were harassed and jailed by the government, yet still managed to change the law in their respective nations. Meanwhile, Ikeda built an outrageously wealthy religious corporation, paid enormous sums for Renoirs and other works of art, and started a political party that is now in the ruling coalition in Japan.

Where is Ikeda's record of nonviolent protest for the sake of human rights? Where is his bus boycott? Or his salt march? Ikeda did spend some time in jail -- for electioneering, I think it was, but he was cleared of all wrongdoing.

I assume that if you're reading this, you already know quite a lot about SGI, Daisaku Ikeda and Nichiren Buddhism. The Gandhi-King-Ikeda Exhibit is apparently for those who know nothing about these things and therefore cannot critically evaluate the claims that are being made about Ikeda. In my view, the exhibit is an obvious attempt to mislead idealistic college students into thinking that SGI and Ikeda are synonymous with nonviolence and peace activism.

From the other side of its mouth, the SGI claims to be the only organization in the world that promotes and teaches a correct understanding of Nichiren Buddhism. FYI, Buddhism and Gandhism are perhaps similar, but significantly different.

This exhibit reminds me of how SGI (when it was called NSA) was busted by the Boston Globe for cloaking itself in American patriotism to gain access to classrooms and children. In both cases -- with the Liberty Bell ruse and now with the G-K-I exhibit -- SGI is misrepresenting itself in the name of "making friends."

Dr. Lawrence Carter of Morehouse College -- who claims that he came up with the idea for this exhibit on his own, without financial consideration from SGI -- has said that he wanted to show that three people from different religions and cultures could successfully apply the principles of nonviolence. In that case, the Dalai Lama would have been a better choice. The Dalai Lama is the real deal when it comes to nonviolence.

It's one thing to say you're committed to nonviolence (as Ikeda perhaps claims), and another thing to say it while the Chinese army is shelling your house and murdering your country, as in the case of the Dalai Lama. Oh -- and let's not forget that Ikeda and SGI created an exhibit to honor one of the men responsible for the Tibetan genocide, "The Great Leader Zhou Enlai."

Please check out the video that accompanies the Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit. At about 18 minutes and 35 seconds into it, Dr. Carter says that Daisaku Ikeda is Gandhi, King and Jesus all rolled into one! No lie.

The video claims that Ikeda has distinguished himself by dedicating his life to championing the work of Gandhi and King. Huh? In the SGI, we are told all the time that Ikeda is great because he propagates the teachings of Nichiren, and that he is the foremost practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism in the world. Funny, that's never mentioned in the video -- especially funny considering that the video was written, produced and directed by a group of hardcore SGI members.

In other words, in my opinion, the video brazenly misrepresents Ikeda's work, and glosses over the fact that for more than 40 years (longer than Castro has been dictator of Cuba?) Ikeda has been the charismatic leader of a controversial and often fanatical religious sect. (And let's not forget that Ikeda gave Castro an award on behalf of Soka University, and recently reiterated his praise for Castro's peace efforts! Scroll down to Feb. 8, 2004 at this link to read Ikeda's remarks.)

On top of it all, the video itself is an example of revisionist history. For months, the video was on SGI's web site, but was taken down, edited, and re-posted. What was edited? Remember our good friend Dr. Alfred Balitzer, who once sang the praises of Daisaku Ikeda louder than anyone outside of SGI? He used to be in the G-K-I video, singing the praises of Ikeda as usual, but he was recently cut from the show. Balitzer, as you may remember, was the dean of faculty at Ikeda's Soka University. He was involved with the school being sued for religious discrimination by former professor Linda Southwell.

Dr. Lawrence Carter may be Ikeda's biggest fan and promoter right now -- as Dr. Alfred Balitzer once was. But I've seen how quickly things can change.

____________excerpt quote for reference/research______________________

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 08:58AM by The Anticult.

SGI has stated that all Soka Gakkai's riches are actually, the members' own.

What do you call, cleaning and fixing up SGI community centers, including several historic buildings, while the their top leaders get rich on these real estate holdings? A sane person would call that greed.

Fall on hard times and see if SGI will let a member sleep in one of Ikedas' empty SGI Buddhist center apartments.

"After 33 years with the SGI, I'm done."

"Hi folks, After 33 years with the SGI, I'm done. Not sure if I will chant anymore. I haven't for several weeks. The final moment came for me when chanting at the home of a couple of "senior leaders." It was my first visit to their home. In their altar room, next to the altar was a curio cabinet containing their various SGI awards. Although I have always felt the SGI was tinged with cultishness, it was only in that moment that I realized the depth of it, and that I could no longer continue in the org. There's more to it than that. I'm not angry with myself for staying so long. I'm not sad to leave people I have considered close friends. I feel free in a way I haven't felt since, ironically, I started the practice in 1983. I appreciate reading the experiences of others who have left as I worked to de-indoctrinate myself. -- Jude"

Soka Gakkai's control over the members is a type of abuse

"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."-- BBC World News, October 14th, 1995

SGI's "true believer" model.

"To some extent there is a bit of complicity on the part of the leaders. Most have been practicing for a long time, and in that course of time they have become "indoctrinated" into the way of thinking of SGI. Take the money handling issue for example, to a very senior member the level of trust of the higher-ups is so great that they may actually become insulted when questioned about what NSA/SGI does with the money. They truly believe it is being funneled into building community centers, colleges, etc. That is what makes things so shady because the very people you would look to as watchdogs of your interests are fully bought-into the dogma. I have sat at planning meetings in which a member's concern is repeated by a district or chapter leader and the hombu folks merely shot glances of bemusement or eye-winks at one another and moved onto the next topic. I guess they felt they were acting in "enlightened self-interest" at those times.

To some extent I agree with Anticult. The "True Believer" model is the most efficient and to some extent mitigates the question of leadership motivations since for the most part, there is the assumption that bad behavior never elevates itself to the level of the higher leadership involvement.

The True Believer model means that if a member questions ANYTHING about how SGI is run, leaders question your faith in Buddhism. "Why did we lose our community center?", "Why do we have to have women's division meetings in February?", "What happens to the money I donated?" and "Why can't SGI's finances be independently audited?" are taken as "I don't really believe in this Buddhism." The questions DON'T mean that a person doesn't believe in Buddhism...they are totally SEPARATE from the doctrines of Buddhism. The senior leadership has just chosen to cut off all debate by saying that apples are really oranges. I know members who call this "the wall," as in you might as well be talking to the wall.

It would be like a Catholic saying "I think Father Joe is using the collection money to buy whiskey!" -- and being told, "If you can say things like that, you obviously don't believe in Jesus Christ!" -- Tsukimoto

Nichiren takes a back seat to Daisaku Ikeda in the pseudo-Buddhism of Soka Gakkai

"When learning about Buddhism it is essential we read the publications of Daisaku Ikeda, Nichiren's writings being solely for reference!" -- SGI-UK Youth Division Leader

Friday, August 28, 2020

The Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine by Tetsujo Kubota

"The Three Great Secret Dharma" refers to:

(1) Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Honzon),

(2) the Title of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Daimoku), and

(3) Precept (Ordination) Platform of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Kaidan).

"Object of Worship" (honzon: "the Principal Revered or Holy One") means the Object of Faith or Belief. Incidentally for a disciple of Nichiren an explanation concerning the "Object of Worship" which goes beyond the Patriarch's teaching is not allowed. The teaching of Nichiren Shonin is absolute.

After founding his sect at age thirty-two Nichiren Shonin spread the teaching in Kamakura. At this time it seems that he worshiped the Title "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" alone with the Hokekyo placed in front of it. After he received the standing image of Lord Shakya at Ito at age forty, that is, after the Ito Persecution for the Dharma, according to the "Letter on the Kings of the Country of the Gods", he installed the image of Lord Shakya and the ten fascicles of the Hokekyo.

According to the "Letter to the Great Assembly of Seichoji" written about this time, he says, "Having written an oath of the utmost sincerity, I, Nichiren, prayed with hands joined, to the Object of Worship..." And the fact that he prayed joined to the hands of the Object of Worship is proof that he was worshiping the statue of Lord Shakya. (It is presumed that behind the statue of Lord Shakya he worshiped the single Title "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" but there is no evidence for this.) Moreover, as he says in his letter to the wife of Daigaku Saburo, "You worship the Seven Characters three times a day" (291), the believers at this time were worshiping the Single Title ("Namu Myoho Renge Kyo"alone).

In the tenth month of the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271) after the Persecution at Tatsunokuchi Nichiren Shonin was kept in custody at the residence of the local chief (jito) of Echi (the modern Atsugi City), Homma Shigetsura. On the ninth, the day before they said he was to be exiled to Sado, he recorded an Object of Worship (gohonzon) with a willow twig. A single Title ("Namu Myoho renge kyo") (with Fudo to the right and Aizen to the left represented by Sanskrit characters, as we face it) and the side inscription "Written at the village of Echi in Homma in the Province of Sagami" with the year, month, and day of its revelation. It is said to have been written using a twig broken from a willow tree.

Throughout the first period after he had gone over to Sado, the Objects of Worship that he wrote had the Title, the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho and also Fudo and Aizen written symbolically in Sanskrit characters, the side inscription "Drawn in the Province of Sado" and the year, month, and day of revelation. There are many examples of this form and it is called the "Hundred-copy Object of Worship of Sado".

In the second month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272) with the great motive that "they will put an end to the inconceivability of Nichiren" he composed "On Opening the Eyes (Kaimoku Sho)" and implied that in terms of his Original State (honji) he was the manifestation of the Bodhisattva Jogyo.

In the fourth month of the next year he composed On the Object Worship of Contemplation (Kanjin Honzon sho ). In this work, which he called "my own great matter", explained in doctrinal terms the substance of the Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine. On the eighth day of the seventh month in that same year he revealed and drew an Object of Worship called the "Mandala First Revealed on Sado" (Sado Shiken Mandara), but regrettably the original autograph has not come down to us. But fortunately a copy still exists, so from this we can understand its arrangement. There is one at the Head Temple Myomanji which the disciple Temmoku received and was given in the sixth month of the following year. (A version on silk) There is a side inscription, "The Shramana Temmoku received and was given [it]. For some reason it does not say, "Bestowed and given [to the Shramana Temmoku"]. The arrangement of this is closest to "Mandala First Revealed on Sado".

On Sado the Saint himself kept the image of Lord Shakya enshrined:

"When I was in the Province of Sado between mountains and wilds far away from a village was a samadhi place (gosammaisho: a cremation ground or graveyard) called Tsukahara. There was a hall with a single room and four walls in that place. In the roof the boards did not meet and four walls were ruined. In the rain it was like being outside and the snow Piled up inside. There was no Buddha [image]. Neither was there a single reed tatami mat. However, I set up [the statue of] the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya which I have kept from the beginning and grasped the Hokekyo in my hand, put on a straw raincoat and held up an umbrella, yet for four years no person appeared and they gave me no food." ("Reply to the Bhikshuni Myoho", STN, v. 2, 15)

He kept and guarded this image of Lord Shakya after he entered Minobu as well. ("On the Matter of Forgetting the Sutra Which He Kept") Furthermore, he bestowed mandalas on believers.

"Although this mandala in terms of its written characters is five characters or seven characters, it is the Teacher of the Buddhas of the Three Ages; it the certifying text of the attainment of Buddhahood by all women. It becomes a torch on the paths of the underworld; it becomes an excellent horse on the Mountain of Going Forth in Death. It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens. It is like Mount Sumeru on earth. It is the ship for the Sea of Birth-and-Death. It is the Guiding Teacher for the Attainment of Buddhahood." (On Offering to the Mandala of the Sublime Dharma, STN, v. 1, 698)

The Saint, himself an exile and, what is more, in the countryside on an isolated island, was not able simply to obtain Buddha images and perform the "Eye-opening" dedication. In this respect a mandala could be drawn as soon as paper, ink, and writing brush were to be had and also was easy to transport. Moreover, there was nothing more welcome for lay donors than the mandala, which was in the Saint's very own hand.

In the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274) Nichiren Shonin entered Minobu and the laudatory text of the Mandala which he wrote out in the twelfth month of the same year is as follows:

"Since the Extinction of the Great Enlightened World Honored One there have passed in succession more than two thousand two hundred and twenty years. Even so among the Three Countries of India, Han [China] and Japan, there has not yet been this Great Obiect of Worship (dai honzon). Either they have known but not yet spread it or they have not known it. Our Compassionate Father, by means of the Buddha Wisdom, has hidden and retained it, leaving it for the Latter Age. At the time of the last five hundred years, the Bodhisattva Jyogyo come forth in the world and for the first time spreads and proclaims it."

What we should note on this Mandala is:

(1) The fact that the mandala is called the Object of Worship (honzon). There are those among one group of scholars who "say that the Mandala is not the object of Worship but assert as the Object of Worship the statue of the Buddha. However, the Saint himself said "the Mandala is the Object of Worship (honzon)".

(2) "Namu Tensho Hachiman to sho butsu" (Adoration to the Buddhas, Amaterasuomi-kami, Hachiman and so on) means he reveals the Original State (honji) of the national gods of Japan.

(3) He calls himself "the Bodhisattva Jogyo". The Saint was a person of humility and had only implied this in On Opening the Eyes (Kaimoku sho), the letter of the Revelation of the Person. It is on this Object of Worship that he first says this. The one other place he refers to this is only when he says through the mouth of Shijo Yorimoto, "His Reverence Nichiren Shonin is the Bodhisattva Jogyo, Messenger of the Lord of the Three Worlds, the Father and Mother of All Beings, the Tathagata Shakya." (The Deposition of Yorimoto, STN,v.2, 1358)

With the passage of time in the Bun'ei (1263-1274), Kenji (1275-1277), and Koan (1278-1282) periods the Saint inscribed the Mandalas at various times in all sorts of forms, the Abbreviated Style, the Quintessential Style and the Expanded Style. The Abbreviated Style consists of the Title ("Namu Myoho renge kyo"), the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho with the Two Spell Kings (Myoo), Fudo and Aizen, in Sanskrit characters. The Quintessential Style means he added the Four Bodhisattvas Converted by the Original Buddha. The Expanded Style means the whole of the Ten Realms are included.

When we view the more than one hundred twenty extant autograph specimens of the Mandala, there are various sorts, those of the first part of the Bun'ei period all having "Namu" affixed to the various deities and those of the Koan period having it affixed only to the Four Holy Ones (the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho, the Four Bodhisattvas, Jogyo and the others, Shariputra and so on), those where there are the Branch Body Buddhas (Bun'ei) and those where there are not (Koan) and so on. Former Teachers have divided them into the Unrevised (Bun'ei and Kenji periods) and the Revised" (Koan period), separated them into those Following Others' Intentions (zui ta I) (Bun'ei and Kenji periods) and those Following His Own Intentions (zui ji I) (Koan Period), and classified the Bun'ei era as the Practice Period, the Kenji era as the Adjustment Period, and the Koan era as the Perfection (or Completion) Period. (Note)* "Revised": the word "Revised" means to "redo something incomplete". And so there are scholars who say we must not use the word "Revised", viewing Nichiren Shonin in the same way as a unenlightened worlding. However, is not the fact that the Saint studied and thought these out something superlative?uubot

The so-called Taisekeji Succession (or Transfer) Documents part 1

If the so-called transfer documents from Nichiren to Nikko were at Taisekiji, why did [Nichiko] Hori Shonin, acclaimed as the most outstanding Buddhist scholar in modern Nichiren Shoshu history, in the “Essential Writings of Fuji School Vol. 1, p. 33, say that he had to rely on the copies of “Seven Teachings on the Gohonzon” and “On the Birth of the Original Buddha” that were not kept at Taisekiji Temple?

Nichiko "Shonin" writes,:

“I copied the copies made by Nichizan of Awa Province”

Rev. Tetsujo Kubota, from Kempon Hokke Shu, makes the following points:

Taisekiji claims that in the ninth month of the fifth year of Koan (1282) at Minobu and on the thirteenth day of of the tenth month at Ikegami, Nikko received succession documents from the Great Saint. Taisekiji boasting, calls these the “Two Successions” (Nika sojo). But these two are forgeries. On the contrary, they hurt the reputation of their own patriarch Nikko. We will give the reasons below:

(1) If Nikko had been given the approval by the Great Saint of these “Two Successions”, he would have naturally performed the duties of Chief Officiant at the time of Nichiren Shonin’s funeral. However, the forward echelon had Nichiro and the rear echelon Nissho; Nikko was on the left side of the rear echelon.

(2) If the “Two Successions” were true, there would have been no necessity for choosing Six Senior Monks and so on and if he had chosen them he would have made Nikko first. The Six Senior Monks were said to be not in order but they are listed in order of having become Nichiren's disciples.

(3) In the “Two Successions” it says, “The ruler of the country establishes this Dharma (Truth) and erects the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan) at Mount Fuji.

However, according to the “Matters that the Whole Fuji Following Is to Know” (Fuji isseki monto Zonchi no koto), a credible record of Nikko, Nikko says,

“The previous teacher did not set which province and which place. But the general rule of the Buddha Dharma is to choose the very best place to erect the temple.

And that being so, Mount Fuji in Suruga is the most famous mountain in Japan. Therefore, they should erect it here.”

Thus the “former teacher” Nichiren did not fix any place where they should build the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan).

From this fact the “Two Successions” are forgeries.

(4) As to Nikko’s departure from Minobu, had the Two Successions been genuine, he would have certainly rejoiced to go to Fuji. However, in reality, as recorded, he felt regret.

For the above reasons the “two Successions” are bare‑faced forgeries. Even in the Nikko lineage thoughtful people deny the “Two Successions”.

Next, let us try to consider the division of Nichiren’s mementoes. In contrast to Nissho, who received “the Annotated Hokekyo” and Nichiro who received an “Object of Worship: one Standing Statue of Shakya”, Nikko received only “a Horse (one); saddle; tabi; hat; kosode”; etc.

We may tell by looking at Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” that Nikko himself felt dissatisfied by this division of mementoes:

“In place of the Buddha which Daikoku Acharya seized away….” To write that the distribution of mementos was “seized away” is not reasonable.

Now in Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” he says,

“Is not the Doctrine of Nichiren Shonin the doctrine that, though it is the Tathagata Shakya who is the Original Teacher Who First Gave Rise to the Mind of Enlightenment for the sake of the beings of the Three Worlds, they abandon Him and rely on the Buddha Amida, and so become people who commit the Five Rebellious Sins and fall to the Unremitting Hell?” and so he reverences the Buddha Shakya as the Original Teacher. Or again Nikko states in reverence “the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of Namu Myoho renge kyo who is the Fundamental Intention (honkai) for Nichiren Shonin’s coming forth in the world”.

In the current Taisekiji branch of the lineage of Nikko’s disciples (Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai) they assert that Shakya is a “husk Buddha” and Nichiren is the Original Buddha, “Shakya is like a husk of a cicada and it is Nichiren who is the Original (True) Buddha”. The origin of that assertion is from a reaction to the distribution of mementoes: The image of the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya which Nichiren Shonin kept all his life that went to Nichiro’s lineage.

By the way, after the Great Saint’s decease, the second and third battlelines (generations) in each lineage began to spread the teachings in each region at the risk of their very lives, but, by contrast, as the generations went on from the third to the fourth generation they followed self-interest and asserted that their own lineage had Nichiren Shonin’s special teaching and precious objects and were the orthodox succession and gradually they came to proclaim different doctrines and set up conflicting theories.

From an accumulation of several letters and excerpts from the Manual of Nichiren Buddhism by Rev. Senchu Murano:

Taisekiji Temple preserves the so-called “Two Transfer Documents.”

According to the Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, published by Nichiren Shoshu International Center in 1983, these documents are:

1. “Nichiren Ichigo Guho Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren at Minobu in September 1282

This document says that Nichiren transferred the entirety of his teachings to Nikko and entrusted him with the mission of propagating true Buddhism.

2. “Minobusan Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren on October 13, 1282.

This document says that Nichiren appointed Nikko as the High Priest of Minobusan Kuonji, and proclaimed that all the disciples of Nichiren should follow Nikko.

The documents are listed as the “Minobu Sojo” and the “Ikegami Sojo” in the Nichiren Shu Shugaku Zensho, Volume II.

Both documents appear for the first time in the “Kyakugojikkajo”, written by Nikkyo (1428-1489) in 1480. The contents of these two documents are different from those preserved at Taisekiji Temple today. This is proof that several forgeries had already been made by the time of Nikkyo. Nichido (1283-1341), the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple, clearly states in his “Nikkyo Shonin Goden Soan" (The Biography of Nikko) that Nikko stayed at Minobu for three years, not six as falsely reported.

Minobu Sojo bears the statement that the Hommon no Kaidon should be established at Fujisan Hommonji. Fujisan Hommonji is another name for Nishiyama Hommonji, which was founded by Nichidai (1294-1394), who had been ousted from Kitayama Hommonji due to a succession dispute. It appears the Minobu Sojo may have been forged by a chief priest of Nishiyama Hommonji. At one time, Nishiyama Hommonji was on friendly terms with Taisekiji. Therefore, Taisekiji had no objection to keeping the document although the place of the Kaidan was assigned to Nishiyama Hommonji, and not to Taisekiji. The two temples became hostile to each other after Taisekiji produced the Ita Honzon. Incidentally, the dictionary published by Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sojo that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.

Nichi-u the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple said this honzon was transferred from Yashiro to Taisekiji, therefore making Taisekiji the only temple which preserves the most legitimate honzon.

BUT…in the “Fuji-isseki-monto-zonji-no-koto” by Nikko, it states that Honzons should not be engraved on a plank, because it would belittle the value of handwriting.

Quite interestingly, the dictionary published by the Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sojo that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.

These forgeries were made not by Nikko, but by some of his successors who wished to justify their school by claiming that it was orthodox while other branches of Nichiren Buddhism were not."

Kyoshi Myogo, the fusion of subject and object (of worship) through faith.

Question: "I have been struggling most recently with how Nichiren approached the question of the subject-object dynamic. In a round about way, its related to my flopping around on the Dharmakaya concept. Basically, I am wondering if the Dharmakaya can be understood as a sort of transcendent subjective (I realize that I am being very clumsy with the treatment of the subtle concepts).

I recalled the concept of the fusion of objective reality with subjective wisdom (jp kyochi myogo) and found in the SGI dictionary that the concept is set forth in Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra - one of Chih-i's commentaries on the Lotus Sutra. Basically, it is a description of the enlightened state, in my understanding, where the subjective is fused with objective reality.

It is my understanding that Nichiren taught that one is able to achieve this fusion when one chants.

I was wondering if anyone could elaborate on this idea or if anyone has any knowledge of how Chih-i explains the concept. Thanks"

Answer: Were you only able to become one with the Law while chanting, it would be impossible to benefit people or surmount life's hardships or persecutions. A person is one with the Law and equal to the Three Bodied Tathagata Shakyamuni when one lives the Lotus Sutra whether chanting, converting others, or doing the laundry. There is a reason the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren teach that faith is first and foremost. If it were only possible to become the Buddha while chanting, we would only opt to chant and would be no better than the forest dwelling monks or those who practice Zazen or Vippisana for hours on end. We chant to become the Buddha to benefit the living.

3000 Worlds in a Momentary Existence is intimately tied to The Fusion of Subject and Object. You are what you eat is another expression of an understanding of Fusion of Subject and Object, if not taken literally. From the very first, we were all taught you become what you devote (Namu) yourself to. 3000 Worlds in a Momentary Existence of Life and the Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds explains the Fusion of Subject and Object. There are two ways to look at the Ten Worlds and their mutual possession. The first is that everyone possess all ten. The other way is that everyone gravitates to one or several of the worlds. From moment to moment, those who are in the Lower Six Worlds are transformed, principally by conditions into remaining in the Lower Six while those in the Four Higher Worlds transform themselves principally through causes requiring great effort through will power consciousness (Ichinen).

If we look at the objects of worships of the beings in the ten worlds, we see that the objects (environment, strong belief, or aspiration) perfectly match the subjects. Likewise, the environment mirrors one's predominant World or Worlds. As an example, a 600 lb morbidly obese man's object is food. He is nearly always thinking about food, talking about food, procuring food, or eating food. Whenever he sees food, whether on TV or in a restaurant, he experiences hunger and even while eating giant portions of food he is never satieted. The man's house is a mess with plates and half eaten bowls of food scattered all over his house, the sink stacked with dishes, and an extra jumbo sized refrigerator. The man's heart, liver, and muscles are immersed in fat. This man spends most of his life in the World of Hunger. This man has attained the Kyochi Myogo (Fusion of Subject and Object) of the World of Hunger.

A Buddha's object is his teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Three Bodied Tathagata possessing the Law Body, Namu Myoho renge kyo (Gohonzon). He is always thinking of the Law, the Buddha, and 'By what shall I cause the masses of beings to enter the Supreme Way and rapidly attain Buddhahood." Whenever he sees a person, through his words and behavior, he teaches the Law. His abode is the Land of Eternal Quiescent Light. He glows with the radiance of the Thus Come One. This man spends most of his time in the World of Buddhahood. This man has attained the Kyochi Myogo of the World of Buddhahood.

What would Nichiren say?

"Silence is complicity" - Nichiren

How many times do I have to refute and remonstrate with the Soka Gakkai? Another several thousand times? The Nichiren Shoshu? Another several hundred? The Nichiren Shu? Many dozen times? The Honmon Butsuryu Shu? Twenty or so times? What would Nichiren say?

How to preach the Lotus Sutra according to the Daishonin

"According to the above passage of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, in this latter age the persons who are lacking in good roots are many, and those who possess them are few. Therefore, many people are doubtless destined to fall into the evil paths in their next existence. And if they are destined for the evil paths in any case, then one should preach the Lotus Sutra to them forcefully and thereby allow them to create a “poison-drum relationship” with the sutra. Hence there can be no doubt that this latter age is the proper time in which to preach the Lotus Sutra to all people, thus enabling them to create a reverse relationship with it by slandering it."

"I know I am on the right path" -- SGI leader

"How could a blind man know if he were on the right path when even a fully sighted man caught in the thicket of wrong views is sure to lose his way?" -- Nichiren

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The Bodhisattva Never Despise for Soka Gakkai members

"In the past there was a buddha
Styled King of Majestic Voice,
Boundless in divine wisdom,
Leader of all creatures;
Gods, men, dragons, spirits
All paid homage to him.
After this buddha's extinction,
When the Law drew near its end,
There existed a bodhisattva
Whose name was Never Despise.
At that time the four groups
Were devoted to [material] things.
The Bodhisattva Never Despise
On approaching them
Would address them thus:
'I may not despise you;
You are followers of the Way
And will all become buddhas.'
When they had heard it, they
Contemned or reviled him.
Bodhisattva Never Despise
Bore it all patiently.
When his sins were expiated
And his end was drawing near,
He heard this sutra
And his organs were clarified.
By his transcendent power
He prolonged his period of life
And again, to all the people,
Widely preached this sutra.
The groups [formerly] devoted to things
All received from this bodhisattva
Instruction and perfection,
Being led to abide in the Buddha-way.
Never Despise, his lifetime ended,
Met with countless buddhas,
And through his preaching of this sutra
Obtained inestimable happiness.
Gradually perfecting his merits,
He soon accomplished the Buddha-way.
The Never Despise of that time
Is really I myself.
The four groups of that time,
Attached to [earthly] things,
Who heard Never Despise say,
'You are to become buddhas,'
And who because of this
Met with countless buddhas
Are the bodhisattvas of this assembly,
The host of five hundred,
And also the four sections
Of pure believers, men and women,
Who are now before me
Listening to the Law.
I, in my former lives,
Exhorted these people
To hear and receive this sutra,
The peerless Law,
And revealed and taught it to men,
That they might abide in nirvana.
Age by age have [I]
received and kept
This so [wonderful] a sutra.
During myriads of kotis and kotis of kalpas
Of inconceivable reach,
Rare are the times that have heard
This Law-Flower Sutra.
During myriads of kotis and kotis of kalpas
Of inconceivable reach,
Buddhas, world-honored ones,
At rare times preach this sutra.
Therefore let his followers,
After the Buddha's extinction,
On hearing such a sutra as this,
Not conceive doubt or perplexity.
But let them wholeheartedly
Publish abroad this sutra,
And age by age meeting buddhas,
They will speedily accomplish the Buddha-way."

Why does the absolute pacifist have a love affair with the murderous Napoleon Bonaparte

What Daisaku Ikeda fails to teach:

"Three hundred thousand men fought on this murderous day of Sept. 7th with an unexampled implacability. Eight hundred canon vomited forth death into the ranks of the two armies. This battle to which the Russians have given the name Borodino and which the French call the battle of La Moscova is one of the most murderous battles which were ever fought...." -- Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Court of the First Empire, Volume 3 By Claude François baron de Méneval

Suck up to the rulers like Daisaku Ikeda or admonish them like Nichiren?

“Moreover, I know the depth of the obligation owed to one’s ruler far better than you do. If you really wish to show that you understand your debt of gratitude, then you should admonish the ruler from the depths of your heart and forcefully advise him. To follow his orders even when these are contrary to what is right is the act of an utter sycophant and the height of disloyalty.

“King Chou of the Yin dynasty was an evil ruler, and Pi Kan, his loyal minister. When Pi Kan saw that the king was going against what was right in ruling the nation, he vigorously admonished him. As a result, Pi Kan’s breast was ripped open, but after his death, King Chouwas overthrown by the king of the Chou. To the present day, Pi Kan has been known as a loyal minister, and King Chou as an evil ruler.

“When Kuan Lung-feng admonished his sovereign, King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty, he was beheaded. But King Chieh has come to be known as an evil ruler, and Kuan Lung-feng as a loyal minister. We are taught that, if one admonishes one’s sovereign three times and still one’s advice is not heeded, then one should retire to the mountain forests. Why do you nevertheless remain silent while the ruler commits misdeeds in your full view?"

“I have gathered together a few examples of worthies of ancient times who did in fact retire from the world to dwell in the mountain forests. Open your obstinate ears and listen a moment! During the Yin dynasty, T’ai-kung Wang hid himself in a valley called P’o-ch’i; in the Chou dynasty, Po I and Shu Ch’i secluded themselves on Mount Shou-yang; Ch’i Li-chi of the Ch’in dynasty retired to Mount Shang; Yen Kuang of the Han dynasty lived in a solitary lodge; and Chieh Tzu-sui of the state of Chin became a recluse on Mount Mien-shang. Are we to call these men disloyal? Anyone who would do so is a fool. If you understand what it means to be loyal, you will admonish your sovereign, and if you want to be filial, you must speak up."

55 year SGI member excommunicated for enshrining a copy of a Nichiren Gohonzon

"Since we enshrined the Denpo Gohonzon 5 months ago, after taking down SGI's Nichikan Gohonzon a serene atmosphere has pervaded throughout the house hold and in our daily life and many benefits have been flowing like what the SGI Gohonzon was supposed to do.

The 3 great secret laws is definitely working through this Gohonzon. I told this to 2 senior SGI-A leaders today who came to our house to take back their SGI Gohonzon before excommunicating my wife that had been a member for 55 years. The first half was in Okinawa the 2nd here in the land down under Australia.

You were right when you said this will happen.

Fancy being excommunicated over having an authentic complete Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, how bizarre is that

They were insistent that it is more important to have faith in the Ten World Gohonzon that is within than the outward image of Gohonzon and that the other worlds that are missing in the Gohonzon exist in the worlds that are there in the Gohonzon. Mutual possession of the ten worlds kind of thing but with a few of the worlds missing, if you know what I mean

They said Nichikan was a great Priest who made right the wrongs of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood that's why they chose his Gohonzon

They did sansho before the Denpo Gohozon when they arrived and before they left, they said all Gohonzon's are equal.

Nichiren said on first day of the tenth month of the second year of Kōan (1279) "Buddha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyō, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great persecutions I faced during this period are well known to you all. (On Persecutions Befalling the Sage)

If you look at the charts of the progression of the Gohonzon there was a significant change, in that, for the first time, Devadatta appeared in the Gohonzon. The true presentation of the oneness of good and evil is now complete and ready for transformation by Myoho Renge Kyo.

Society is the crooked shadow of the crooked body of the various sects of Buddhism

"To uphold these men's teachings instead of the Lotus Sutra is like exchanging a gem for a pebble or trading sandalwood for common lumber. Because Buddhism has now become thoroughly confused, the secular world has also been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body and society like the shadow. When the body is crooked, so is the shadow. How fortunate that all my disciples who follow the Buddha's true intention will flow naturally into the ocean of all-encompassing wisdom! But the Buddhist scholars of our time put their faith in teachings expounded according to the people's capacity and are therefore doomed to sink into the sea of suffering."