Wednesday, September 30, 2020
YES!
"The most dishonest, dangerous, meanspirited, divisive and corrupt person to ever occupy the Oval Office." - Tom Friedman
The best analysis of the presidential debate
Bret Stephens There was nothing small about the debate. Watching Trump was like being cornered by some oversize, overbearing drunk at a party who spills his beer on you while insisting that Lee Harvey Oswald is still alive. It was the single most despicable political performance by a sitting president in American history. Trump didn’t debate, because he doesn’t know how to debate: He interrupted, taunted, hectored, bragged and ultimately beclowned himself. The debate will be remembered for the contrast between this grotesque parody of a president and his dignified, well-comported, blessedly coherent challenger. Biden didn’t get to speak as much as he deserved, but when he did — most effectively by looking straight at the camera — he hit home.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Why does this passage NOT refer to Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Shoshu, and Nichiren Shu members, leaders, and priests?
"Therefore, I entreat the people of this country: Do not look down upon my disciples! If you inquire into their past, you will find that they are great bodhisattvas who have given alms to Buddhas over a period of eight hundred thousand million kalpas, and who have carried out practices under Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Hiranyavatī and Ganges rivers. And if we speak of the future, they will be endowed with the benefit of the fiftieth person, surpassing that of one who gave alms to innumerable living beings for a period of eighty years. They are like an infant emperor wrapped in swaddling clothes, or a great dragon who has just been born. Do not despise them! Do not look on them with contempt!"???
Because Soka Gakkai members and leaders are the disciples of Daisaku Ikeda, NOT Nichiren Daishonin. Because Nichiren Shoshu members and priests are disciples of the successive high priests, NOT Nichiren Daishonin. Because Nichiren Shu members and priests are disciples of Nissatsu and Nichiki Shonin, NOT Nichiren Daishonin.
Soka Gakkai are men of incorrigible disbelief
“‘Again there may be those who commit the four grave offenses* or are guilty of the five cardinal sins, and who, though aware that they are guilty of serious faults, from the beginning have no trace of fear or contrition in their hearts or, if they do, give no outward sign of it. When it comes to the correct teaching, they show no inclination to protect, treasure, and establish it over the ages, but rather speak of it with malice and contempt, their words replete with error. People of this kind too I would say are following the path of the icchantika. With the exception of this one group of people called icchantika, however, you may offer alms to all others, and everyone will praise you.’”
*Lying is one of the four grave offenses, especially lying regarding the Buddhist Law
Monday, September 28, 2020
Truthfully, does this passage not describe the Nichiren Shoshu doctrine and priests?
[There are]"those who present what they describe as a separate transmission outside the sutras, disparaging the correct doctrine of the Lotus Sutra. Such persons may surely be said to misunderstand the time. They are like the monk Superior Intent who slandered Bodhisattva Root of Joy, or the Scholar Gunaprabha who behaved with contempt toward Bodhisattva Maitreya, thus inviting the terrible sufferings of the Avīchi hell."
How sad!!!!!
"If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering."
The Nichiren Shu priests are proving to be the second of the Three Powerful Enemies
"The second group consists of monks. These men are arrogant at heart, and though they have little true understanding, they pretend to be very wise and are looked upon by the people of the world as great authorities. When these men see the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, they hate and envy them, treat them with contempt and scorn, and speak evil of them to others as if they were inferior to dogs or foxes. In their opinion, they alone have truly understood the Lotus Sutra."
Listen up Soka Gakkai leaders and members
"But the many are not necessarily worthy of honor, nor the few, deserving of contempt." - Nichiren
This describes perfectly the soka Gakkai members I know
"The people of today look with contempt on the sutra teachings and emphasize only the contemplation of truth, but they are making a great mistake, a great mistake indeed!"
They neglect to journey to the pure land of the Eagle Peak Blog.
"Hence, if the Law that one embraces is supreme, then the person who embraces it must accordingly be foremost among all others. And if that is so, then to speak ill of that person is to speak ill of the Law, just as to show contempt for the child is to show contempt for the parents.
You should realize from this that the people of today speak words that in no way match what is in their hearts. It is as though they were to beat their parents with a copy of The Classic of Filial Piety. When they know that, unseen by others, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are observing them, how can they fail to be ashamed of such actions! The pains of hell are frightful indeed. Beware of them! Beware of them!
When you look at those of superior capacity, do not disparage yourself. The Buddha’s true intention was that no one, even those of inferior capacity, be denied enlightenment. Conversely, when you compare yourself with persons of inferior capacity, do not be arrogant and overproud. Even persons of superior capacity may be excluded from enlightenment if they do not devote themselves wholeheartedly.
One may think fondly of one’s native village, but, paying no visit and with no particular reason to go, one in time gives up the idea of returning. Or one may pine for a particular person, but, with no hope of winning that person’s love and having exchanged no vows, one abandons the thought of waiting. So in like manner we neglect to journey to the pure land of Eagle Peak, though it surpasses in grandeur the palaces of nobles and high ministers, and moreover is quite easy to reach. We fail to behold the gentle and benign figure of the Buddha, who has declared, “I am a father to you,”though we ought surely to present ourselves before him. Should we not grieve at this, until our sleeves are drenched with tears and our heart consumed by regret?"
Debate this Nichiren Shoshu
Absolute Proof that the Nichiren Shoshu/Soka Gakkai doctrine of Nichiren as Eternal True Original Buddha is wrong.
Nichiren Shoshu again talkin' a lot of you know what..
"We will debate anyone blah, blah, blah." Except apparently Mark R. Rogow disciple and believer of the Eternal Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin, the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
We can only hope
That Amy Coney Barrett wakes up and realizes that Donald Trump is a blood drenched madman.
Mark "Ryugan" Herrick
Recently Mark Herrick became a Nichiren Shu Shami (novice priest) at 63 years old. I met Mark in 1995. I was Kempon Hokke and he was Nichiren Shu. He came to my house in Long Island and we had a serious discussion about Buddhism, he with a gentle Nichiren Shu bent and me with a forceful Kempon Hokke bent. In a way, I am sorry he never adopted Nichiren's manner. How could he? Nichiren Shu admits all sorts of miscreant sects among it confederation. Tolerance towards evil is Nichiren Shu. Hopefully, now that he is a "Nichiren" priest, he will wake up from his delusion and correct the wrong thought of the Nichiren Shu. I fear however that he is a company man. I suggest to Mark that he follow Nichiren Shonin rather than Ryuei Shonin, the deranged.
Why is the Lotus school superior to all other Buddhist schools and the Succession is through the scrolls of the Lotus Sutra?
"Each school declares its own sutra to be superior, all other sutras being dismissed as inferior, and on this basis labels itself the correct school. But their arguments are based merely upon the words of the teachers and not upon the Buddha’s teaching. Only the Lotus Sutra was proclaimed superior by the Buddha himself when he expounded the simile of the five flavors, likening them to the teachings of the five periods. He also declared that of all the various sutras that he “has preached, now preaches, and will preach,” in terms of the path of attaining Buddhahood, none could rival the Lotus Sutra. These statements are in truth the Buddha’s own golden words.
Therefore, when people declare that their own sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra, or that their own school is superior to the Lotus school, they are like persons of inferior rank calling someone of high rank a commoner, or retainers whose families have for generations been in the service of a certain lord turning against him and declaring him to be their servant. How can they escape grave retribution?
On the other hand, the assertion that the various other sutras rank below the Lotus Sutra is not based upon the words of the teachers, but is plainly stated in the text of the sutra itself. In this respect, it is like a ruler asserting that he is superior to his subjects, or a samurai calling a commoner a person of low rank. What penalty could this possibly bring? This sutra, the Lotus, represents the true intention of the Buddha and the prime concern of T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo." - How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Only a copy of a Nichiren Gohonzon or one transcribed by his disciple (not one transcribed by a falsifier of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism).
Whose Gohonzon is valid?
From the Myoho Mandara Kuyo Ji by Nichiren Daishonin to a female believer, "I have written the Myoho Renge Kyo Gohonzon and consecrated it for you" (translated by Senchu Murano)
In the Gosho The Selection of the Time, Nichiren says of the conditions of his day, "And in the ceremony carried out at the consecration of Buddhist images or paintings, the 'opening of the eyes,' the priests of all the eight sects of Buddhism now use the mudras and mantras associated with the eyes of the Buddha Dainichi!' (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 3, p. 156)
In his collected writings, the Daishonin refers to the eye-opening ceremony or to offerings for the eye-opening, in seventeen places.
In most of these instances, he raises the issue for the purpose of refuting the validity of eye-opening ceremonies conducted with Shingon rites, teaching instead that the eye-opening ceremony should be conducted with the Lotus Sutra.
For instance, he says: "In performing the eye-opening ceremony for painted or wooden Buddha images, the only authority to rely on is the Lotus Sutra and the Tendai sect.... It is the power of the Lotus Sutra that makes it possible to infuse such paintings and statues with a -soul- or spiritual property. This was the realization of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai. In the case of living beings, this doctrine is known as attaining Buddhahood in one's present form; in the case of painted and wooden images, it is known as the enlightenment of plants and trees." (MW-6, 161-2)
The principle of the enlightenment of plants and trees makes it possible for statues or paintings made of trees or plants to become infused with the life of the Buddha; and this principle is clarified only by the doctrine of ichinen sanzen, which is contained in the Lotus Sutra and must be performed by a believer of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni.
The Daishonin states that images of the Buddha whose eyes have been 'opened' by the heretical Shingon teaching 'have been rendered soulless and sightless' (MW-2, p. 265) and, worse still, 'have been possessed by the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, bringing ruin upon their own worshipers' (ibid). He further states, 'Demons occupy [such Buddha images] and deprive people of their lives....Moreover, devils enter those images and deprive people of benefits' (MW-4, p. 35)
If your Gohonzon has had it's eyes opened, not by a believer in the Eternal Buddha but by a believer in the false-premise of the Eternal Nichiren or Eternal mentor Ikeda, then your Gohonzon is not valid.
The Daishonin says that eye-opening ceremonies conducted by priests who do not follow the Lotus Sutra actually summons demons and the devil king to inhabit the Buddha images. Elsewhere in the Gosho (in 'On The Enlightenment of Trees and Plants'), the Daishonin discusses eye-opening ceremonies for memorial tablets (toba). There, too, he teaches that unless ceremonies are based on the Lotus Sutra and the doctrine of ichinen sanzen, neither will any trees and plants attain Buddhahood, nor will any true opening of the eyes take place. .
Nichiren says in the Nanjo-hyoe-shichiro-dono-gosho, "Shakyamuni is our father our teacher and our lord. Only Shakyamuni Buddha has three attributes concurrently. No other Buddha does."
Lotus Sutra Chapter 5: "I see all living beings equally. I have no partiality for them. There is neither `this one' not `that one' to me. I transcend love and hatred. I am attached to nothing. I am hindered by nothing. I always expound the Dharma to all living beings equally. I expound the Dharma to many in the same way as I do to one."
Lotus Sutra Chapter 2: "I once vowed that I would cause all living beings to be as I am. That old vow of mine has now been fulfilled. I lead all living beings into the Way to Buddhahood."
It can be said that the Gohonzon is also the "spirit," "nature," or "heart" of the Lotus Sutra. As Bodhisattvas we have a kind of spiritually efficacious response, "A penetration effected, everywhere there is a response." I believe that is what is meant by this passage from the Opening of the Eyes:
"One should consider the fact that, if the Buddha had not attained enlightenment in the distant past, there could not have been so many disciples who were converted and instructed by him. The moon is not selfish with its reflection, but if there is no water, then its reflection will not be seen. The Buddha may be very anxious to convert all people, but if the connection he shares with them is not strong enough, then he cannot exhibit the eight phases of a Buddha’s existence..."
He also writes,
"The three bodies are as follows: first, the Dharma body of a Thus Come One; second, the reward body of a Thus Come One; and third, the manifested body of a Thus Come One. These three types of bodies of a Thus Come One are invariably possessed by all Buddhas. If we use the moon as an illustration, we may say that the moon itself is comparable to the Dharma body, its light to the reward body, and its reflection to the manifested body. Just as a single moon has these three different aspects, so a single Buddha possesses the virtues of these three different bodies."
Similarly, the Buddha stated:
"A thousand pools of water,
Moons in a thousand pools;
A moon can be reflected in as many pools of water as there are; if there are ten thousand pools, there are as many moons. The moon in the pool represents the "spiritual" being of Buddha. It is also nature and thoughts. Although there is the appearances of a thousand moons reflected in a thousand pools, there is only one moon.
The Gohonzon does not exist except in response to the circumstances created by us living beings. Nichiren's Gohonzon is identical with the Original Eternal World of Buddha. When the Buddha sees a Hell Realm, for example, no matter where in the universe of the many trillion of quadrillions of worlds, he dispatches a transformation body to teach and relieve the suffering of the living beings there. With these words, “Living beings are numberless. I vow to save them all,” and “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.”, the Buddha has fulfilled his vows.
The number of worlds that the Eternal Buddha returns to is completely beyond calculation or comprehension, because his reduplicated bodies exist for the sake of the limitless beings who are drowning again and again in the sea of suffering.
From the Jeta Grove, Shakyamuni said: "You know only what can be found within eighty thousand great aeons, but beyond that you know nothing. You are like people inside a house who are able to see everything within the walls but nothing outside of them. Over eighty thousand aeons ago, this old man was a firewood-gatherer who met a tiger in the mountain wilds one day. Frightened, he exclaimed `Namo Buddha' and as a result he was able to return home ." If we had not recited many Namo Buddha's or Namu Myoho Renge Kyo's in the past, we would not be here now, able to attain Buddhahood in our present body.
Nichiren teaches:
"When water is clear, the moon is reflected. When the wind blows, the trees shake. Our minds are like the water. Faith that is weak is like muddy water, while faith that is brave is like clear water. Understand that the trees are like principles, and the wind that shakes them is like the recitation of the sutra."
Our Gohonzon too is like a clear pool of water that reflects the World of Buddha. When we gaze at the Gohonzon with strong faith, our eyes fixed, we see the world as the Buddha sees it, the land of eternally tranquil light.
The prime focus is to have a pool of water that does not distort the World of the Eternal Buddha.
The prime focus is to have a pool of water that does not distort the World of the Eternal Buddha.
When we chant to our Gohonzon, the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni manifests in our body, and he encourages us because we have firmly resolved to attain Buddhahood.
The Object of Worship for this Latter Day
"Now that we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, an object of devotion should be made of the original Buddha flanked by his original attendants, since, according to the Buddha’s golden words, this is the most appropriate time. Because this age corresponds to the predicted time, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth will appear soon and establish an object of devotion of the four bodhisattvas. Now is truly the proper time. That is why the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai longed for this age, saying, “In the last five-hundred-year period, the mystic way will spread and benefit humankind far into the future,” and why the Great Teacher Dengyō yearned for this time, saying, “The Former and Middle Days are almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand. Now indeed is the time when the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra will prove how perfectly it fits the capacities of all people.”
Why we (as Nichiren) are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha and not Daisaku Ikeda, the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu, nor the Nichiren Shu priests?
"But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, then the bodhisattvas Sunlight and Moonlight, who attend the Thus Come One Medicine Master of the eastern region, and the bodhisattvas Perceiver of the World’s Sounds and Great Power, who attend the Thus Come One Amida of the western region, along with the disciples of all the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions, and the great bodhisattvas who are disciples of the Thus Come One Mahāvairochana as they are shown in the Mahāvairochana and Diamond Crown sutras—all of these beings are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings. Since the various Buddhas themselves are emanations of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, it goes without saying that their disciples must be disciples of Shakyamuni. And of course the various deities of the sun, moon, and stars, who have dwelt in this world since the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, must likewise be disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha."
Superior practices and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth are those who have severed themselves from fundamental darkness
"When Bodhisattva Superior Practices appeared from beneath the earth, the other bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, Manjushrī, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Medicine King, though they had severed themselves from the first forty-one of the forty-two levels of ignorance, had not yet severed themselves from the last one, or fundamental darkness. Hence they were in effect ignorant persons, and consequently failed to understand that this bodhisattva, Superior Practices, had been summoned so that he might widely propagate Namu-myoho-renge-kyo of the “Life Span” chapter in the Latter Day of the Law."
The most powerful mantra
"The mantras associated with the Buddhas Mahāvairochana, Medicine Master, and Amida and Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds are of the same nature. Though in the various sutras containing these mantras they are said to be like a great king, Mount Sumeru, the sun and moon, good medicine, a wish-granting jewel, or a sharp sword, they are as far beneath the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra as mud is beneath the clouds.
Not only are they vastly inferior, but all of them have lost their respective inherent functions. When the sun comes up, the light of the crowds of stars is completely eclipsed; when bits of iron are placed near a magnet, they lose their property. When a great sword is exposed to even a small fire, it ceases to be of any use; when cow’s milk or donkey’s milk comes into the presence of lion king’s milk, it turns to water. A pack of foxes will forget all their tricks if they meet up with a dog; a band of dogs will all quake with fright if they encounter a small tiger.
In the same way, if one chants Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, then the power of the words Namu-Amida-butsu, the power of the mantras invoking Mahāvairochana, the power of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and the power of all the Buddhas, all the sutras, and all the bodhisattvas will without exception vanish before the power of Myoho-renge-kyo."
More on our protection.
"The Lotus Sutra is none other than the scripture that reveals that Shakyamuni became a Buddha numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. It also predicts that Shāriputra and the other disciples will become Buddhas in the future. Those who do not believe the sutra will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Not only did Shakyamuni himself declare all this, but Many Treasures Buddha also testified to its truth, and the Buddhas of the ten directions extended their tongues by way of verification. Furthermore, the Lotus Sutra teaches that the votary of this sutra will receive the protection of the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, the bodhisattvas Manjushrī and Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, and the ten demon daughters. Thus there is no other way to attain Buddhahood. It is in the true Lotus Sutra that matters of the past and future are spoken of correctly."
Why does Kuan Yin, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the Cries of the World, protect and worship us?
Nichiren teaches:
"Among those who propagate this sutra in the Latter Day of the Law, who compares with Shāriputra, Mahākāshyapa, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, Wonderful Sound, Manjushrī, and Medicine King? Persons of the two vehicles [such as Shāriputra] had destroyed all the illusions of thought and desire, thus freeing themselves from the six paths. Bodhisattvas [such as Perceiver of the World’s Sounds] had eradicated forty-one of the forty-two levels of ignorance and were like the moon on the fourteenth night before it reaches fullness. Nevertheless, Shakyamuni Buddha refused to entrust the mission of propagation to any of these people and gave it instead to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Thus these bodhisattvas are the ones who had thoroughly forged their resolve."
and in another writing:
"Amida Buddha and the other various Buddhas were determined to make compassionate vows. For this reason, though they felt ashamed to do so, they made their appearance in this sahā world, Amida Buddha proclaiming his forty-eight vows, and Medicine Master Buddha, his twelve great vows. Perceiver of the World’s Sounds and the other bodhisattvas who live in other lands also did likewise.
When the Buddhas are viewed in terms of the unchanging equality of their enlightenment, there are no distinctions to be made among them. But when they are viewed in terms of the ever-present differences among their preaching, then one should understand that each of them has his own realm among the worlds of the ten directions, and that they distinguish between those with whom they have already had some connection, and those with whom they have no such connection.
The sixteen royal sons of the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence each took up residence in a different one of the lands of the ten directions and there led their respective disciples to salvation. The Thus Come One Shakyamuni, who had been one of these sons, appeared in this sahā world. We ordinary people, too, have been born into the sahā world. Therefore, we must not in any way turn away from the teachings of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. But people all fail to realize this. If they would look carefully into the matter, they would understand that [as the Lotus Sutra says] “I [Shakyamuni] am the only person who can rescue and protect others,” and that they must not cut themselves off from the helping hand of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni.
For this reason, all the living beings in this sahā world, if they detest the sufferings of birth and death and wish to have an object of devotion to which they can pay respect, should first of all fashion images of Shakyamuni Buddha in the form of wooden statues and paintings, and make these their object of devotion. Then, if they still have strength left over, they may go on to fashion images of Amida and the other Buddhas.
Yet when the people of this world today, being unpracticed in the sacred way, come to fashion or paint images of a Buddha, they give priority to those of Buddhas other than Shakyamuni. This does not accord either with the intentions of those other Buddhas, or with the intentions of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni himself, and is moreover at variance with secular propriety.
The great king Udayana, when he carved his image of red sandalwood, made it of no other Buddha, and the painting offered to King One Thousand Stupas was likewise of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. But people nowadays base themselves upon the various Mahayana sutras, and because they believe that the particular sutra they rely on is superior to all others, they accordingly relegate Shakyamuni Buddha to a secondary position."
Since that is true and since Shakyamuni Buddha has special qualities not possessed by other Buddhas, there is no place for a separate enshrinement of other Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
Nichiren teaches along this line:
"This sahā world occupies the lowest position among all the worlds of the ten directions. Among these worlds, it holds a place like that of a prison within a nation. All the persons in the worlds of the ten directions who have committed any of the ten evil acts, the five cardinal sins, the grave offense of slandering the correct teaching, or other terrible crimes and have been driven out by the Buddhas, Thus Come Ones, of those worlds, have been brought together here in this sahā land by the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. These people, having fallen into the three evil paths or the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering and there duly suffered for their offense, have been reborn in the realm of human or heavenly beings. But because they still retain certain vestiges of their former evil behavior, they are inclined to easily commit some further offense by slandering the correct teaching or speaking contemptuously of persons of wisdom. Thus, for example, Shāriputra, though he had attained the status of an arhat, at times gave way to anger. Pilindavatsa,11 though he had freed himself from the illusions of thought and desire, displayed an arrogant mind, while Nanda, though he had renounced all sexual attachment, continued to dwell on the thought of sleeping with a woman. Even these disciples of the Buddha, though they had done away with delusions, still retained their vestiges. How much more so must this be the case, therefore, with ordinary people? Yet the Thus Come One Shakyamuni entered this sahā world with the title “One Who Can Endure.” He is so called because he does not berate its people for the slanders they all commit, but shows them forbearance.
These, then, are the special qualities [possessed by Shakyamuni Buddha, qualities] that the other Buddhas lack."
More proof of what I say:
"But when I open the Lotus Sutra and reverently peruse it, I see that even the bodhisattvas Manjushrī, Maitreya, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Universal Worthy, who had reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, were scarcely able to uphold so much as a single phrase or verse of this sutra, because the sutra itself states that it can “only be understood and shared between Buddhas.”
Nichiren went on to say:
"Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies. Therefore, even Universal Worthy and Manjushrī were hardly able to expound so much as a single phrase or verse of it. How much more difficult then must it be for us, who are no more than ordinary people living in this latter age, to embrace even one or two words of this sutra!"
Though we may be poor and lowly and no better than a beggar, still, we are able to preach a word or phrase of the Lotus Sutra unlike the Great Bodhisattvas of the past....
"The bodhisattvas Medicine King, Medicine Superior, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Great Power, on the other hand, were envoys of the Buddha during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law. Because their turn has already passed, they can no longer benefit people as they did in those ancient times. Just observe what happens when prayers are offered to them at present! All such prayers go unanswered. Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, it is the turn of the bodhisattvas Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the others."
and in another writing:
"Now, the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra says that Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, attained Buddhahood numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago, and that the cause that made this possible was the practice he had carried out at that time. Since then he has manifested emanation bodies throughout the worlds of the ten directions and preached all the sacred teachings of his lifetime to teach and convert people as numerous as the dust particles of the land. When we compare the number of disciples in the essential teaching with that of disciples in the theoretical teaching, the former is like the ocean, and the latter, like a drop of water, or the one, like a great mountain, and the other, like a speck of dust. What is more, a bodhisattva of the essential teaching is far p.361superior to any bodhisattva of the theoretical teaching, including Manjushrī, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, or any of the others who gathered from the worlds in the ten directions. The difference between them is even greater than that between Shakra and a monkey. Are you saying that besides these bodhisattvas, the persons of the two vehicles who obtained their enlightenment by destroying their illusions, Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, the four wheel-turning kings, and the immense flames of the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering—all beings and all things in the ten directions are inherent in the Ten Worlds and in the three thousand realms of our own lives? Even if you say that this is what the Buddha taught, I still cannot believe it."{
and in still another
"It was under such circumstances that the four bodhisattvas emerged from the earth. When Bodhisattva Manjushrī, whose teaching the Thus Come One Shakyamuni was the ninth to inherit and who is the mother of the Buddhas of the three existences, and Bodhisattva Maitreya, who will succeed Shakyamuni Buddha after his next rebirth, stood beside these four bodhisattvas, they seemed to be of no significance whatsoever. They were like humble mountain folk mingling in the company of nobles and high ministers, or like apes and monkeys seating themselves beside lions." - Nichiren
In this last passage, we may include Bodhisattva Perceiver of the Cries of the World. I say this, not to defame her. I say to this to explain why we receive her protection. Because she worships us.
Nichiren concludes:
"The mantras associated with the Buddhas Mahāvairochana, Medicine Master, and Amida and Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds are of the same nature. Though in the various sutras containing these mantras they are said to be like a great king, Mount Sumeru, the sun and moon, good medicine, a wish-granting jewel, or a sharp sword, they are as far beneath the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra as mud is beneath the clouds."
These are the reasons why no separate enshrinement of Kuan Yin was allowed by Nichiren.
In conclusion, Nichiren teaches:
"The bodhisattvas Medicine King, Medicine Superior, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Great Power, on the other hand, were envoys of the Buddha during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law. Because their turn has already passed, they can no longer benefit people as they did in those ancient times. Just observe what happens when prayers are offered to them at present! All such prayers go unanswered. Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, it is the turn of the bodhisattvas Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the others."
Amazing prophetic passages from Reply to the Priest Takahashi as true today as it was in Nichiren's day.
"But the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the eighty thousand sacred teachings and the core of the Lotus Sutra, he neither entrusted to Mahākāshyapa or Ānanda, nor transferred to great bodhisattvas such as Manjushrī, Universal Worthy, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, Maitreya, Earth Repository, or Nāgārjuna. Even though these great bodhisattvas hoped that he would do so and requested it of him, the Buddha would not consent. He summoned forth a venerable old man called Bodhisattva Superior Practices from the depths of the earth,2 and then, in the presence of the Buddha Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions, from within the tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni entrusted the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to him.
The reason for this was as follows. All the beings who would live after the Buddha’s passing would be the children of the Buddha, and he felt compassion for all of them equally. But, just as it is customary for a physician to prescribe medicine according to the particular ailment he is treating, so for the first five hundred years after his passing, the Buddha decreed that Mahākāshyapa, Ānanda, and others should give all living beings the medicine of the Hinayana sutras. For the following five-hundred-year period, he decreed that the bodhisattvas Manjushrī, Maitreya, Nāgārjuna, and Vasubandhu should bestow upon all living beings the medicine of Mahayana sutras such as the Flower Garland, Mahāvairochana, and Wisdom sutras. And for the period of the Middle Day of the Law, a thousand years after his passing, he decreed that Bodhisattva p.606Medicine King, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and others should bestow upon all living beings the medicine of the remaining teachings, with the exception of the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra.
Once the Latter Day of the Law has begun, however, with regard to the Hinayana sutras, the Mahayana sutras, and the Lotus Sutra that were entrusted to Mahākāshyapa, Ānanda, and others; to the bodhisattvas Manjushrī, Maitreya, and others; and to Medicine King, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and others, though the words of these sutras will remain, they will no longer serve as medicine for the illnesses of living beings. That is to say, the illnesses will be grave, and the medicine, weak. At that time, Bodhisattva Superior Practices will make his appearance in the world and bestow the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo upon all the living beings of Jambudvīpa.
Then the people will all look upon this bodhisattva as an enemy. They will be like so many monkeys faced with a dog, or like demons eyeing human beings with spite. They will treat him as if he were Bodhisattva Never Disparaging of the past, who was not only cursed and hated by all people but was attacked with staves, rocks, and tiles, or as if he were the monk Realization of Virtue, who was nearly put to death.
At that time, Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda will hide on Eagle Peak3 or disappear into the Ganges River, and Maitreya and Manjushrī will withdraw to the inner court of the Tushita heaven5 or retire to Mount Fragrant.6 Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds will return to the western region, and Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, to the eastern region.8 Although there will be persons who practice the various sutras, since no one will be there to guard or protect them, they will be unable to benefit themselves or others. Although there will be persons who chant the names of the various Buddhas, the heavenly gods will be unable to protect them. Instead they will be as helpless as calves separated from their mothers, or pheasants sighted by hawks.
At that time, the great demons from the worlds of the ten directions will come crowding into the continent of Jambudvīpa and will take possession of the four categories of Buddhists, causing them to inflict injury on their parents or to do away with their brothers and sisters. In particular, these demons will enter into the hearts of those monks and nuns throughout the nation who appear to be wise or seem to be diligent in observing the precepts, and through them will practice deception upon the ruler of the nation and his ministers.
At that time, when under the protection of Bodhisattva Superior Practices a person bestows just the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, the five characters of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, upon all the people, those four categories of Buddhists and other prominent monks will hate him as if he were their parents’ enemy, a foe from a previous existence, a sworn enemy of the imperial house, or a person bent on revenge.
At that time, great changes will take place in the heavens. Eclipses of the sun and moon will occur, great comets will streak across the sky, and the earth will quiver and shake as if it were a waterwheel. After this will come the disaster of domestic rebellion, in which the ruler of the nation, his brothers, and the other great men of the nation will be attacked and killed. Next will come the disaster of invasion from abroad, in which the land will be attacked by a neighboring nation, the people will be taken prisoner or commit suicide, and all the people throughout the country, whether high or low, will suffer great tribulation.
All of this will come about solely because the person who is propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra under the protection of Bodhisattva Superior Practices is abused, struck, exiled, and threatened with execution. We read in the sutra that Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings inscribed an oath in the presence of the Buddha at the assembly where the Lotus Sutra was being preached, vowing that if anyone should show enmity toward the votary of the Lotus Sutra they would chastise that person with even greater vehemence than if he were the sworn enemy of their own father and mother.
Now when I, Nichiren, having been born in this country of Japan, hold up the bright mirror of both the Lotus Sutra and all the other sutras to the faces of all the persons in Japan, I see that matters differ not in the slightest from what the sutras predict. Just as the Buddha foretold, great changes are taking place in the heavens and disasters are occurring on earth.
For some time now I have known that this nation is destined for destruction. I knew that, if I reported this to the ruler, and if it were still possible that the nation might be preserved in peace and safety, then he would surely ask me to clarify the meaning of my words; but if the nation were indeed doomed, then the ruler would refuse to heed my advice. And if he refused to heed my advice, I knew that I would most likely be condemned to exile or execution. Yet the Buddha has warned us, “If, while understanding this matter, you still hesitate to risk your life and therefore do not declare it to the people, then you are not only my enemy but the deadly enemy of all living beings and are bound to fall into the great citadel of the Avīchi hell.”
At this point I became troubled as to how to proceed. If I spoke out with regard to this matter, there was no telling what might become of me. My own safety was of little concern, but suppose that my parents, siblings, and perhaps even one other person out of a thousand or ten thousand should follow me. They, too, would surely be hated by both the ruler and the common people. And if they were so hated, then, not having a full understanding of the Buddhist teachings, they would find it difficult to endure the attacks of others. Though they had supposed that, by practicing the Buddha’s teachings, they would gain peace and security, in fact they would find that, because they had embraced this teaching, they were beset by great hardships. In that case they would then slander this teaching as a distorted one and therefore fall into the evil paths. How pitiful that would be!
But if, on the other hand, I failed to speak out on this matter, then I would not only be going against the vow I made to the Buddha, but I would become the deadly enemy of all living beings and be condemned without fail to the great Avīchi hell. Thus, though I had pondered which course of action to take, I made up my mind to speak out.
I felt that, once I had begun to speak out, it would not do to falter or desist along the way, and so I spoke out with ever increasing vigor. Then, just as the Buddha’s words in the sutra predict, the ruler grew hostile and the common people began to attack me. And because they treated me with enmity, heaven grew enraged, the sun and moon displayed great changes in their behavior, and huge comets appeared. The earth shook as though it would turn over, internecine strife broke out, and they were attacked by a foreign country. All happened just as the Buddha had predicted, and there is no doubt that I, Nichiren, am the votary of the Lotus Sutra."
Friday, September 25, 2020
Why do they believe the High Priest of the Nichiren Shoshu and not the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren?
Uncommitted Nichiren Believer, thinking of returning to the Nichiren Shoshu: I have never seen a quote anywhere in the gosho where he uses this to refer to a priest who upholds the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching of Shakyamuni and denies the efficacy of other sutras.
Mark: "At that time this sutra will be preached throughout the continent of Jambudvipa. In that age there will be evil monks who will do violence to this sutra and destroy it's unity, losing the 'color, scent and flavor ' of the True Law that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this sutra, but they will ignore and put aside the vital principles that the Buddha 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 the end, tear off the end and put it at the begining, put the end and the beginning in the middle and the begining at the middle or end. You must understand that these evil monks are the companions of the devil." (MW vol 2, Opening Of The Eyes).
Uncommitted member: Right, his own views if he wants to claim that other sutras are superior to the Lotus Sutra or disregard the true object of worship. None of which the high priest has done. If the high priest ever says the gohonzon is not real or that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to any other, or even that any other is equal to the Lotus Sutra. This has not happened.
Mark: Let us look at the High Priest's words:
[Nikken] "It is in this Gosho, the Opening of the Eyes, that the Daishonin reveals the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, as the Buddha of all teachings non-Buddhist doctrines and Buddhist doctrines. Of the Buddhist doctrines, he is the Buddha of the Hoben teachings, the doctrines of truth, the theoretical teaching and the essential teaching. And within this essential teaching, he is the Buddha of the True Cause, the depths of the fundamental core of the essential teaching. "
[Me] Why do the Nichiren Shoshu members believe the high priest and not the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin?
Nikken goes on to say in his lecture on the Opening of the Eyes:
"This is why he states in the beginning, There are three categories of people that all men and women should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher and the parent.² Here he instructs us to open our eyes to this fact. In the end of the Opening of the Eyes, he writes, I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, father and mother to all the people of Japan.²(Shinpen, p. 577; M.W., Vol. 2, p.212).
[Me] The Lotus Sutra teaches that the Eternal Shakyamuni is the sovereign, teacher and parent to all the people of the world, not just the little island nation of Japan. There are kings that govern over small countries, over medium sized countries, and over large countries. Nichiren Daishonin taught, "If you mistake the general for the specific, even in the slightest, you will fail to attain Buddhahood".
Nikken continues: "Here, the Daishonin explains that he is the sovereign, teacher and parent."
Mark: Of Japan.
Nikken: "Thus, he conclusively reveals that he is the person who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent and who will save all mankind."
Mark: But he doesn't say this. The Eternal Shakyamuni of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra says this. Here are the Daishonin's teachings on this very point.
"Since the Buddha of the Juryo chapter is revealed as the eternal Buddha, it follows that the great Bodhisattvas such as Monju and Miroku, and the great bodhisattvas from other realms are in fact disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. If, among all the numerous sutras, this Juryo chapter should be lacking, it would be as though there were no sun and moon in the sky, no supreme ruler in the nation, no gems in the mountains and rivers, and no spirit in man." (MW, V2, pg. 150)
"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." (Noppa, pg. 176, Kaimoku Sho)
"Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha." (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)
"Since Shakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations........" (Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.176).
"But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment countless aeons ago,.......etc. (MW V.2, p. 151)
Not only is there no mention of Nichiren as "True buddha in the Kaimoku Sho but in the Kanjin honzon Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, not in one single place, does Nichiren mention that he is the "True" Buddha:
"...Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies and attained Buddhahood n the eternal past......(ibid. P.94)
"...the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakaymuni who resides within our minds."(p.94)
"Shakyamuni 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." (P.100)
"The "honzon", at the scene of this transmission of "Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo" from the Eternal Buddha to His Original Disciples that is....suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni's Saha-world, is a stupa of treasures, in which Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho sit to the left and right of "Myo Ho Renge Kyo". (P.102)
"Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Shakyamuni Buddha as He preached Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana sutras, but statues and portraits of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra were never made. Now, in the beginning of Mappo, is it not the time that such statues and portraits are made?" (P.104)
The Hoon Sho (translated by Taikyo Yajima) states:
"All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni (Original and Eternal Buddha) revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the object of worship (honzon)." (P. 198)
The Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16, states, "Then he sent a messenger back to his children, telling them that their father has passed away." In the Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren refers to this phrase, "The phrase, 'send a messenger back,' in the 'Duration of the Life of the Buddha' chapter, which I have just cited, refers to those bodhisattvas who were called out from
underground."
Here we have clear proof that Shakyamuni is the Father of all people of the world and Nichiren is the messenger.
"On Practicing According to the Preaching" (Nyosetsu shugyo sho STN, v. 1, 733 1, 2), "I Nichiren, received the Buddha s Edict and was born in this land . ."
In the Kito Sho (STN v.1, 676 1,4) Nichiren Daishonin calls him "the compassionate Father, the Buddha Shakya" and in the same work says, "the Buddha Shakya alone combines the three principles of Lord, Teacher, and Sovereign," (STN, v. 1, 677 I, 4)
Thus we see that the Daishonin's pronouncement in the Gosho, regarding his position as sovereign, teacher and parent is relative, while Lord Shakya's pronouncement in the Lotus Sutra is absolute.
Before you make a rash decision to rejoin the Nichiren Shoshu, please chant and study a lot. Those evil monks are not worthy of having you as a disciple.
We may appear to be icchantika but we are actually Great Bodhisattvas. The priests of the Nichiren Shoshu, especially the High Priest may appear to be a Great Bodhisattva but he is really an icchantika. Nikken was the Second of the Three Powerful Enemies, Ikeda is the Third of the Three Powerful Enemies. Joining either of them makes you the First of the Three Powerful Enemies. Ponder well your decision. Ponder it well.
Nichiren's and our teacher is superior to Soka Gakkai's Sensei
"It is thanks to OUR teacher that we can know who our parents are; it is owing to Shakyamuni Buddha that we can distinguish black from white." -- Nichiren Daishonin praising his mentor, Shakyamuni Buddha.
Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter has been mentor since the infinite past and Nichiren is mentor for the Latter Day. Daisaku Ikeda is a Johnny come lately mentor who should be rebuked because he leads his disciples into the Lower Worlds. Nichiren leads his disciples to the Four Noble Worlds.
How not to interpret the Lotus Sutra
"As an expression of my deep appreciation for having President Ikeda as my mentor...I realized that spiritual death means not having a true practice that is directly connected to the mentor." - Greg Wolpert, SGI Board of Directors
How should one interpret the Lotus Sutra? As Nichiren interprets the Lotus Sutra...an example
“The World-Honored One in his great mercy makes use of a rare thing, in pity and compassion teaching and converting, bringing benefit to us. In numberless millions of kalpas who could ever repay him? Though we offer him our hands and feet, bow our heads in respectful obeisance, and present all manner of offerings, none of us could repay him. Though we lift him on the crown of our heads, bear him on our two shoulders, for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands reverence him with all our hearts; though we come with delicate foods, with countless jeweled robes, with articles of bedding, various kinds of potions and medicines; with ox-head sandalwood and all kinds of rare gems, construct memorial towers and spread the ground with jeweled robes; though we were to do all this by way of offering for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands, still we could not repay him.” -- Lotus Sutra Chapter 4
“Shakyamuni Buddha our father and mother, who is endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, is the very one who encourages us, the people driven out by all the other Buddhas, saying, ‘I alone can save them’. The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky. Though we were to pluck out our two eyes and place them before him as an offering until there were more eyes there than stars in the sky, though we were to strip off our skins and spread them out by the hundreds of ten thousands until they blanketed the ceiling of heaven, though we were to give him our tears as offerings of water and present him with flowers for the space of a hundred billion kalpas, though we were to offer him our flesh and blood for innumerable kalpas, until our flesh piled up like mountains and our blood overflowed like vast seas, we could never repay a fraction of the debt we owe to this Buddha!” -- Nichiren
Soka Gakkai mentor hates the internet because of their honest information about his cult
"My concern is that people may turn into mere passive receptors of programmed images. Recent research in neuroscience has confirmed that active faculties--such as the ability to think critically, to make decisions, to love and sympathize, to believe in something--tend to grow weaker when we are subjected to such one-way flows of information." -- Daisaku Ikeda talking about the internet
SGI would rather not participate in our dialogue or any real dialogue on the internet. We are open to a spirited dialogue with them and all others. SGI's blogs and "forums" are either inactive or strictly moderated. That is not dialogue. This forum, for the most part, is not moderated. So have your say!
Nichiren corrects the SGI mentor and leaders
"Fortune is being born at the same time as Daisaku Ikeda and learning how to engrave the mentor disciple relationship into our lives so that it is a living, powerful source of energy and wisdom in our lives." -- Jamie Lee Silver
"Regarding the Lotus Sutra’s text, meaning and intent, the sutra’s intent is the most important to grasp. The intent lies in arousing faith in the mentor’s teaching to lead all to attain Buddhahood."-- SGI leader's guidance
"The oneness of mentor and disciple is the very heart of the Lotus Sutra and the essence of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, yet the priests try to destroy and cast aside this most crucial element. This is a characteristic of devilish functions, known as “robbers of life.”
To reject the oneness of mentor and disciple is to reject the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds; it constitutes an attack on the fundamental equality of all human beings. The true nature of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood is revealed here for all to see." (Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra by Daisaku Ikeda, 160–61)
"When one has had the rare good fortune to be born a human being, and the further good fortune to encounter the teachings of Buddhism, how can one waste this opportunity? If one is going to take faith at all, then among all the various teachings of the Mahayana and the Hinayana, provisional and true doctrines, one should believe in the one vehicle, the true purpose for which the Buddhas come into the world and the direct path to attaining enlightenment for all living beings." -- Nichiren
"With regard to the three bodies of a Buddha, the Universal Worthy Sutra states: “A Buddha’s three types of bodies are born from this correct and equal sutra, which is the great seal of the Law that assures entry into the sea of nirvana. It is from this sea that a Buddha’s three types of pure bodies are born. These three types of bodies are fields of good fortune for human and heavenly beings and are highest among those worthy of alms.”"Regarding the Lotus Sutra’s text, meaning and intent, the sutra’s intent is the most important to grasp. The intent lies in arousing faith in the mentor’s teaching to lead all to attain Buddhahood."-- SGI leader's guidance
"The three bodies are as follows: first, the Dharma body of a Thus Come One; second, the reward body of a Thus Come One; and third, the manifested body of a Thus Come One. These three types of bodies of aThus Come One are invariably possessed by all Buddhas. If we use the moon as an illustration, we may say that the moon itself is comparable to the Dharma body, its light to the reward body, and its reflection to the manifested body. Just as a single moon has these three different aspects, so a single Buddha possesses the virtues of these three different bodies."
These doctrines of the five types of vision and the three bodies are not expounded anywhere outside of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai has said, “The Buddha consistently possesses the three bodies throughout the three existences. But in the various teachings, he kept this secret and did not transmit it.” In this passage of commentary, the phrase “in the various teachings” refers not only to the Flower Garland, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom sutras, but to all sutras other than the Lotus Sutra. And the phrase “he kept this secret and did not transmit it” means that, throughout the entire body of scriptures outside of the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, concealed and avoided expounding it. Therefore, in performing the eye-opening ceremony for painted or wooden Buddha images, the only authority to rely on is the Lotus Sutra and the T’ien-t’ai school." -- Nichiren
"Now I, Nichiren, was born as a human being, something difficult to achieve, and I have encountered the Buddha’s teachings, which are but rarely to be met with. Moreover, among all the teachings of the Buddha, I was able to meet the Lotus Sutra. When I stop to consider my good fortune, I realize that I am indebted to my parents, indebted to the ruler, and indebted to all living beings." -- Nichiren
Please note, he says nothing about the fortune of meeting his mentor Dozenbo. However, from his other writings we know that Nichiren's "parents' are not only his birth mother and father but Namu Myoho renge kyo [mother] and Shakyamuni Buddha [father].
"I DEEPLY appreciate your sending a letter to this distant place. It is extremely rare to be born as a human being. Not only are you endowed with human form, but you have had the rare fortune to encounter Buddhism. Moreover, out of the Buddha’s many teachings you have encountered the daimoku, or the title, of the Lotus Sutra and become its votary. Truly you are a person who has offered alms to a hundred thousand million Buddhas in his past existences!" -- Nichiren
The "Daimoku", not the mentor.
"...On the other hand, I rejoice at whatever good fortune enabled me to be born in the last five-hundred-year period and to read these true words of the sutra." -- Nichiren
The "words of the Sutra", not the mentor.
“What an occasion for rejoicing! Though born into an evil age that is stained with the five impurities, we have been able to see and hear the true words of the one vehicle. We read that a person who has planted roots of good fortune [under Buddhas] equal in number to the sands of the Hiranyavatī or the Ganges River is able to encounter this sutra and take faith in it. Now you have aroused the mind that rejoices in faith. Thus without a doubt, just as a box and its lid fit together, so will your own faith evoke the Buddha’s compassionate response, and the two will unite as one.” -- Nichiren
"...Zengi and the others of our group have met with great good fortune because of karmic bonds and have been privileged to hear these extraordinary words..." -- Nichiren
"The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “If there is someone who seeks the Buddha way and for the space of a kalpa presses palms together in my presence and recites numberless verses of praise, because of these praises of the Buddha he will gain immeasurable blessings. And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra, one’s good fortune will be even greater.”
The point of this passage is that one will gain greater blessings by giving alms to the votary of the Lotus Sutra, who in the evil world of the latter age is so intensely hated, than by giving alms to the Buddha for a whole medium kalpa. And if you should wonder who is making such a wild statement, it is none other than Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, himself. Whether you doubt or believe him is up to you." -- Nichiren
Instead, SGI castigates the Sutra's votaries and lauds and extols the Muslims, Christians, Jews,
Brahmins, their mentor, and themselves while condemning and denouncing the teachings of the True Votary Nichiren. This is no different than condemning and denouncing the Great Man himself.
"Therefore, if a woman has the good fortune to encounter this sutra, though she might strip off her skin to use as paper, draw her blood for ink, break her bones for a pen, and shed tears of blood to wet the inkstone, and with these transcribe the words of the sutra, she could never repay the debt she owes it. How much less could she hope to do so, then, through donations of clothing, gold and silver, cows and horses, or fields and farmlands, however numerous these might be?" -- Nichiren
"Therefore the Nirvana Sutra says: “If, after I have entered nirvana, there are monks who observe the precepts that accord with the customs and manners of their respective areas, are correct in all their modes of behavior, and guard and protect the correct Law, when they see someone attempting to destroy the Law, they should immediately oust him, reproach him, and subject him to punishment. And you should understand that if they do so, they will reap such good fortune that it is beyond all calculation.” -- Nichiren
"The Lotus Sutra says, “The Lotus is the foremost!” It also says, “A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings.” And it also says, “[And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra], one’s good fortune will be even greater.”
Miao-lo states, “Those who vex or trouble [the practitioners of theLotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles.” And the Great Teacher Dengyō says, “Those who praise him [theGreat Teacher T’ien-t’ai] will receive blessings that will pile up as high asMount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering.”
Again, SGI hates the real Nichiren, the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra. This fact alone condemns them to the Avici Hell.
"However, though persons who commit only one of the five cardinal sins will fall into the hell of incessant suffering, after one medium kalpa has gone by, their guilt will come to an end and they will rise up out of hell. But, though one may never have violated a single precept and may be firm in one’s aspiration for the way and hopeful of good fortune in one’s next existence, if one turns one’s back on the Lotus Sutra, then, as the sutra says, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering and will continue to be reborn there for a countless number of kalpas."
Not only does SGI turn their back on the Lotus Sutra but also it's Supreme Votaries, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. No one could be more fortunate than we who follow Nichiren Daishonin and revere Shakyamuni Buddha.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Deluded self-serving Nichiren Shoshu priest versus Nichiren Daishonin
Deluded Nichiren Shoshu priest:
". . . the Mystic Law is so deep that ordinary people are unable to fathom it. As a result, the full meaning of the teaching can only be transferred through the Heritage of Successive High Priests." [Jiho Takahashi of Seiganzan Myoshinji Temple, Editorial, Myodo, Oct. 27]
Nichiren in The Opening of the Eyes:
"Great Concentration and Insight says: “If one lacks faith [in the Lotus Sutra], one will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of one’s own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, one will become puffed up with arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha.”
Nichiren, in the Hokke Daimoku Sho” (Treatise on the Recitation of the Title of the Lotus Sutra):
“Question: If someone did not know the real meaning of the Lotus-Sutra and did not understand its import, but merely recited the words “Namu Myoho renge kyo” once a day or once a month or once a year or once in ten thousand years or once in a lifetime, without being tempted by evil deeds, great or small, would that person not only avoid the four evil realms but also achieve the stage which there is no return?
Answer: He would.”
another passage from the same Gosho:
“Question: Fire does not burn unless you touch it. Water does not quench thirst unless you drink it. How can recitation of the Daimoku, ‘Namu Myoho renge kyo’, without understanding exempt you from the evil destinies?
Answer: If you pluck a lute string made from the sinews of a lion, all other strings are silenced. If you hear of the refreshing fruit of the plum, saliva moistens your mouth. These are mysteries of the world. How much more mysterious the Flower of the Law! The parrot which chirped the four noble truths was reborn in heaven. Those who remembered the Three Treasures escaped the whale. How much more miraculous is the Title of the Lotus Sutra, the essence of the eighty thousand holy teachings, the eye of all the buddhas! In the Lotus Sutra, where the Buddha dispenses with expedient devices, are the words: By faith you can enter. The Nehangyo, the last sutra preached in the grove of sala trees, says: 'Enlightenment has many causes but all are united in a faithful heart. 'Faith is the basis for entering the Buddha Way.”
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Buddhas and Bodhisattvas vomitting....
More on never acting cowardly
"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 Aryasimha the twenty-fifth successor, had his head cut off."
Be like Nichiren, fear no person
"Nichiren, however, has now made his appearance in the world, he who fears no person whatsoever and who is prepared to cast aside body and life in order to point out the truth. If these men were truly worthy rulers of the nation, they would listen carefully to what he says. They do not listen or heed his advice, however, but, incredible as it may seem, go so far as to contemplate cutting off his head. This is a most astounding matter!
Thus we see that two evils have appeared side by side, the grave error of giving heed to men of great evil, and the grave crime of heaping shame on men of great goodness who uphold the correct teaching. It is as though one were to pay honor and respect to the asuras and shoot arrows at the god of the sun! This is why grave disorders occur now in this country such as have never been known in the past.
But such a situation is not without precedents in history. For example, King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty cut off the head of his minister Kuan Lung-feng, King Chou of the Yin dynasty tore open the breast of his minister Pi Kan, the Second Emperor of the Ch’in dynasty put to death his minister Li Ssu, King Udayana heaped insult on the Venerable Pindola, King Dammira cut off the head of the Venerable Āryasimha, Emperor Wu of the Northern Chou dynasty engaged in controversy with the Dharma Teacher Hui-yüan, Emperor Hsien-tsung of the T’ang dynasty condemned Po Chü-i to exile, and Emperor Hui-tsung of the Sung dynasty branded the face of the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao.
All these rulers not only failed to heed the admonitions of others, but on the contrary vented their wrath on the admonishers. In this life they lost both their kingdoms and their lives, and thereafter they fell into the evil paths. This was because they showed contempt for others, heeded the words of slanderers, and failed to abide by reason."
she is well positioned to teach Ikedaism but not Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism
I don't believe that Virginia Straus Benson, director of the Boston Ikeda Center has ever read the entire Lotus Sutra nor Nichiren's Opening of the Eyes but I'm sure that she is quite familiar with the Ikeda-Toynbee dialogues and Ikeda's Human Revolution. Therefore, she is well positioned to propagate the religion of Ikedaism but to rely on her to propagate the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin in Mappo, is a big mistake.
Nichiren on errors in the application of the Buddhist teachings and his teaching on capacity
"Little waves and a slight wind can hardly do harm to a large ship, but high waves and strong winds can easily overturn a small ship. Similarly, slight irregularities in the secular rule of the sovereign are like little waves and a slight wind and can do little harm to a great nation or a great man. But errors in the application of the Buddhist teachings, like high waves and strong winds that overturn a small ship, can without doubt bring about the destruction of the nation."
"Second is the matter of capacity. One who attempts to propagate the teachings of Buddhism must understand the capacity and basic nature of the persons one is addressing. The Venerable Shāriputra attempted to instruct a blacksmith by teaching him to meditate on the vileness of the body, and to instruct a washerman by teaching him to conduct breath-counting meditation.1 Even though these disciples spent over ninety days in their respective meditations, they did not gain the slightest understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. On the contrary, they took on erroneous views and ended by becoming icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief.nd to instruct a washerman by teaching him to conduct breath-counting.
The Buddha, on the other hand, instructed the blacksmith in breath-counting meditation, and the washerman in the meditation on the vileness of the body, and as a result both obtained understanding in no time at all. If even Shāriputra, the foremost in wisdom among the disciples of the Buddha, failed to understand people’s capacity, then how much more difficult must it be for ordinary teachers today, in the Latter Day of the Law, to have such an understanding! Ordinary teachers who lack an understanding of people’s capacity should teach only the Lotus Sutra to those who are under their instruction."
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