"WAGA ICHIMON" (my followers)
"It seems that everyday that goes by, more and more people are converting to provisional buddhist teachings. From this circumstance I conclude that there is currently a movement to destroy Nichiren's teachings. When the Lotus Sutra talks about the three strong enemies, we learn that the person who thinks he is a priest is the biggest enemy. These people arrogantly think they have attained something they have not, or that they know more than Nichiren.
There are more and more people now criticizing Nichiren's devotion and shakubuku methods saying we should revert to the "Shoju" method of propagation, a practice of "accepting and embracing" only acceptable during the Shoho period. As a bodhisattva and disciple of Nichiren, it becomes necessary to refute this terrible slander.
There are now many people that say "We don't hate Nichiren Daishonin and we chant, so this does not apply to us! This is just your idea." "There are thirty-three sects of Buddhism, do you think only you have the right practice?" "Nichiren was wrong to be so severe." "Nichiren lived in Japan, the United States is different." "We want to part from the Japanese and have our own sect" "The Lotus Sutra is a Road Map or a Prescription that we can throw away", "we should accept all" "all are welcome" "the mandala at our Temple is just like the one of Nichiren".
Anyone who thinks any of the above, in my opinion, are a great enemy of the Buddha and Nichiren, and an evil influence on all sentient beings. They and anyone like them are the greatest brigand among brigands, and most beastly of beasts. I am not condemning anyone here to hell, just making a statement that there is a serious intent to change Nichiren's intent.
Even some followers of Nichiren and Nichiju have said, "we don't like attacking other sects, you are wrong condemning others to hell or citing blasphemy". The person and the person's beliefs are inseparable. We attack their incorrect teachings, their incorrect doctrines. As far as this charge however, the same accusers would condemn Nichiren Shonin:
"No matter how much they chant, everybody who has hatred for Nichiren first must fall to the Unremitting Hell; after immeasurable kalpas, having become the disciples of
Nichiren, they shall attain Buddhahood." (Kyoo gozen gosho, Stn, v. 1, 687)
The Lotus Sutra states:
"And so to unbelieving persons, rouse them to accept this law. By so doing, young men of good family, you will acquit your debt to the Tathagatas." Lotus Sutra, Chapter 27, page
440, translated by Kern
Nichiren was an unsurpassed sage who exceeded both Zhiyi and Saicho because he awakened to the Three Great Secret Teachings without a teacher and because he bore the attacks of the three fierce enemies of the Lotus Sutra and confronted great persecutions, such as being struck with swords and staves. "One who perseveres through great persecutions and embraces the sutra from beginning to end is the Buddha's emissary." (ST, 1667)
What greater hatred could there be for Nichiren Daishonin than deliberately substituting a false doctrine for what he really taught? Anyone who hates Nichiren, will also hate Hokke Believers, because believe like Nichiren did.
If Nichiren was, indeed, Jogyo the Messenger sent by the Original Buddha to save us beings of the terrible age, is it not the greatest hatred of the Messenger when any person intentionally garbles, contaminates or replaces that message?
Nichiren no longer exists in a physical body; no one can hurt him in a physical sense as his enemies did when he lived. Nichiren has returned to the Eternal Pure Land to abide in his Original State, the Great Bodhisattva Jogyo.
What remains of Nichiren are his teachings, as he transmitted them in his own lifetime. To destroy these teachings and replace them with different doctrines under
his name is surely more destructive than killing the physical body of the person.
Nichiren Shonin referred to his community as "my followers" (waga ichimon). Nichiren obviously considered them a distinct group, participating in the same faith as himself and willing to share his trials in upholding it. (Nichiren to sono montei, Tokyo, Taiagi Yutaka, p. 96-98)
I see us as being part of Nichiren's community and protecting his teachings.
Nichiren harshly criticized the Medieval Tendai for its esoteric accretions. Later in Nichiren's life he also denounced Shingon.
When Nichiren criticized the Pure Land Sect, he did it especially regarding the Tendai establishment who adopted Honen's Pure Land teachings. Nichiren was persecuted for undermining the Tendai economic base.
This leads me to my point. TienTai and Dengyo practiced the correct way for the Middle Day of the Law, "accept and embrace". We cannot fault them for that. To copy them today is a grave error. Nichiren even went to far as to say that TienTai's theory of Ichinen Sanzen is inappropriate for Mappo. (See Kanjin Honzon Sho). Our Ichinen Sanzen is the transfer or lineage of the last fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra. To follow TienTai's theory, you are following the first fourteen chapters, which was taught by the Historical Buddha for his disciples. We were present at the Ceremony in Open Space. While we don't discard the first fourteen chapters, our lineage is in the transfer from the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni to Jogyo Bosatsu.
Sixty-six monk-disciples of Nichiren, are known or can be identified by name, no fewer than twenty, including, four of the six senior disciples, are know or can be presumed to have been Tentai monks originally. (Nichiren to sono montei, pp 52-53).
When Nichiren went into retirement on Mount Minobu (1274-82), many TienTai monks were converted in the Fuji area by his disciple Byakuren Ajari Nikko, and in several cases they continued to reside at their original Tendai temples, maintaining their position and function within those temple organizations (though this arrangement was not always without friction. (Nichiren to sono montei)
After Nichiren died, communities of devotees began to form around five of the six senior disciples, the sixth Nichiji traveled to Hokkaido and from there to mainland China to
spread the teachings of Nichiren.
As time passed, each group began to move increasingly in the direction of independent organizations, though again, separation from Tendai was not always complete. The most independent lineage, was the Nikko Fuji lineage. Nikko and his disciples distributed documents excoriating the other five for calling themselves "sramanas of Tendai" and Nichiren's teaching, a branch (yoryu) of Tendai Buddhism.(gonan shoha sho, nsz 2:79-80). Also, a number of Nichiren's disciples in the Kamakura did maintain Tendai associations.
A disciple of Nissho, one of the six senior priests, continued to receive the precepts on Mt. Hei. In 1351, Nissho's successor Nichiyu even inscribed a copy of Nichiren's Gohonzon and signed it, "Nichiyu, sramana of Tendai"
We have to sincerely believe in the doctrines of Nichiren and Nichiju. This might mean that we will always have a small number of believers in our Sangha.
The Great Nirvana Sutra confirms that "those who believe in the True Dharma will be like the grains of dirt on a fingernail".
Some will cover their ears and become like covered bowls which cannot accept the truth of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings. They are like the icchantikas who "do not hear,
do not believe, and cannot discriminate." (Great Nirvana Sutra: T.12.724c7 = T. 12.481 b27-28)
It is incomprehensible that the Nichiju tradition that was founded to restore the authentic teachings of Nichiren Shonin, would have turned against the conspicuous truth declared by Nichiren.
At the end of his life, Nichiju-Shonin specifically stated that if anything he had said or written went against Nichiren's essential meaning, his disciples should not accept them as the heart of their teaching. (The Record of Nichiun cited in the Kempon Hokke Seiten (edited by Reverend Tetsujo Kubota), p. 639)
If the orthodox tradition of Nichiju had disregarded the obvious and life-long teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, Nichiju-Shonin would have renounced such dissent.
No one has the right to overrule the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin.
"For the past several decades many people have been deceived. They have misunderstood the teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha. They have forgotten the Right Law, and preferred the teaching which is by no means orthodox." Nichiren, Rissho Ankoku Ron, Page 20, Translated by Senchu Murano
"We should rather eliminate heretical teachings than perform ten thousand prayers." Nichiren, Rissho Ankoku Ron, Page 20, Translated by Senchu Murano
Just like Nichiren and his disciples converted tthe TienTai Priests, we have converted many from the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu. Many of these converts read "Fire in the Lotus" and now think they are an experts on Buddhism.
Although I am an amateur on the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's writings, through my practice of converting hundreds to our Sect, Devils that tried to infect our pure heritage like a parasite have now run to other so-called Nichiren Sects, but they still try to infect our believers with false ideas. We are all over the globe and most of us have not even seen or met each other. How could we not be the original disciples of Buddha? We met at the ceremony in open space, and we all agreed to meet at this ominous time to spread this wonderful and liberating teaching of Buddha and Nichiren." - Bruce Maltz while still a follower of Nichiren and Nichiju
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