Why SGI is failing to attract youth, by a former senior leader

 "I think the reason the big events - the parades and culture festivals and peace festivals and whatnot - arranged by first SGI-USA General Director George M. Williams worked was because they were FOR the SGI-USA members. These events cemented the participants' loyalty and devotion to SGI by providing them with annual events that were the kinds of peak experiences the participants could not get anywhere else. Going to Hawaii; building a floating island with a pyrotechnic volcano; performing in amphitheatres - SGI provided experiences that the membership simply couldn't get anywhere else. Sure, they could chant all stupid-like by themselves - where's the fun in that? WITH SGI, though, they could go on arranged trips to JAPAN! They could wear costumes and march in a marching band in a parade! They could perform...

Mr. Williams said it best:

Throughout the meeting Mr. Williams related President Ikeda’s guidance to establishing our lives in society. 1974 President Ikeda has named Year of Society. Our society (US society) has become the "3 No Society".

• No ideology for people to trust.

• No emotions. But people with Gohonzon really bring these feelings out of their lives.

• No interest. But with us every year you travel, horseback rides, skate or flying across the world. Source

EVERY.

YEAR.

As soon as one event wrapped, the next event was announced. It was always something - and it was always something special.

When Ikeda came swanning in in 1990 and "changed our direction", he canned Mr. Williams and put an END to the special experiences. The SGI-USA membership would no longer have access to these peak experiences. Those were now history.

And SGI-USA's membership TANKED.

What does SGI-USA offer now? A lukewarm social group, an innocuous self-help group. NOTHING.

GREAT leadership, Scamsei, you dolt. You killed it" - Blanche Fromage

Hardening of the arteries everywhere except the brain. How fortunate I am

How unfortunate they who slander the Lotus Sutra and its Supreme Votary, Nichiren.

Response to Zafwan on Quora

"The origin of OM (AUM) is attributed to the concept of Brahma-Atman. Brahma is the Universal Truth, while Atman is the Soul (of the individual). OM is meant to encode the principle that Oneness of Individual with the Ultimate Truth - is the way of salvation.

This is very similar to Nichiren Buddhism, which teaches that Devotion (Namu) or Oneness with the truth of life (MyohoRengeKyo) - is the way of salvation and attaining enlightenment. Both perspectives employ Sound (Chanting) as a sacred path of practice.

• While Brahma refers to the Universal Law of reality - or the Tao - then it is quite comparable with the Mystic Law (Myoho) of the Lotus Sutra.
• The main difference between Hinduism and Buddhism is the concept of Atman or Soul. Buddhism focuses on the concept of Action (Karma) and rejects having a fixed soul. The reason is that one can change own karma but cannot change the fixed soul.
• Karma is created by the individual through the working of the Law of Cause and Effect (Renge). Renge in Nichiren chant encodes the dynamism of Simultaneity of Cause and Effect.
• So one can say that Myoho Renge mirrors Brahma-Atman (but in a more dynamic sense).
• A marriage between the Lotus Sutra and Hinduism presents Vajrayana Buddhism with its mantra: OmManiPadmeHum (“Praise to the jewel in the Lotus”) similar to Nichiren chanting of NamMyohoRengeKyo (“Devotion to the wonderful Law of the Lotus”)

Both chants - as well as the concept of OM - are included within in the Lotus Sutra - emphasising on the sacredness of Sound (through Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who appears in the Lotus Sutra as Bodhisattva Kannon, Perceiver of Worlds Sounds : Avalokitasvara | Dictionary of Buddhism | Nichiren Buddhism Library

The similarities then are many and the essence is very close. But I think that OM (if understood as the universal truth) is more abstract in essence rather than NamMyohoRengeKyo - which is about individuals' devotion (Namu) or individual’s own desire and determination (to be one with the Universal Law).

Another difference is that MyohoRengeKyo encodes the Mystic Law operative in the Ten Worlds of reality (including the worlds of sufferings). To transform the worlds of individual’s sufferings - one has to be in harmony and devotion (namu or Nam) with the Universal Truth.

This inclusion of Transformation of the worlds of reality into enlightenment gives Lotus chanting more expansive (or detailed) dimension, as the Lotus is about transformation (flourishing over mud). But in both practices it is the Sound that is the common to be viewed as sacred.

“Voice makes the Buddha’s work” - Nichiren The Voice Does the Buddha’s Work

Response to Zafwan:

In The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, Ashvaghosha writes: 

"As the World-honored one, considering the inferior intellectual caliber of Shravakas (Men of Learning) and Pratyekabuddhas (Men of Self Realization), taught them only the doctrine of the non-personal atman, [and did not make any further demonstration of the doctrine], the people have in the meantime formed a fixed idea of the transitoriness of the five skandhas, and being terrified of the thought of birth and death, have fanatically craved for Nirvana. 

In order that this clinging may be eliminated, be it clearly understood that the essence of the five skandhas is uncreate, there is no annihilation of them; that since there is no annihilation of them, they are in their [metaphysical] origin Nirvana itself."

Nichiren teaches:

“Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda,” they said, “lived on for twenty or forty years after the passing of the Buddha, preaching the correct teaching. Presumably they conveyed the heart of all the teachings that the Buddha had propounded during his lifetime. Now we find that what these two men emphasized were simply the concepts of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna may be very wise, but are we to suppose that they are superior to Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda? This is our first objection. “Mahākāshyapa obtained his enlightenment through direct encounters with the Buddha. But these two men, Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, have never encountered the Buddha. This is our second objection. “The non-Buddhist philosophers who preceded the Buddha taught that life is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. Later, when the Buddha appeared in the world, he declared that life is marked by suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Now Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna insist that it is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. This being so, we must suppose that, since both the Buddha and Mahākāshyapa have passed away from the world, the devil king of the sixth heaven has taken possession of these two men and is trying to overthrow the teachings of Buddhism and replace them with the teachings of the non-Buddhists. “If that is so, then these men are the enemies of Buddhism. We must smash their skulls, cut off their heads, put an end to their lives, see that they get no more to eat. Let us drive them from the country!” Such were the declarations of the Hinayana believers. And Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, each having only a few allies, were forced day and night to listen to these shouts of calumny, and morning and evening to bear the attacks of sticks and staves. But these two men were in fact messengers of the Buddha. For in the Māyā Sutra, it is predicted that Ashvaghosha will appear six hundred years, and Nāgārjuna, seven hundred years, after the Buddha’s passing. The same prediction is also recorded in the Lankāvatāra Sutra, and of course in the Buddha’s Successors Sutra as well. But the Hinayana believers would not heed these predictions, and instead attacked the Mahayanists blindly and without reason. “Since hatred and jealousy . . . abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” says the Lotus Sutra. Looking at the time of Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, one begins to have a little understanding of what these words of the sutra really mean. Moreover, Bodhisattva Āryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, and the Venerable Āryasimha had his head cut off. These events, too, give one cause for thought."

Perhaps there is no Joy, "TRUE SELF", Permanence, or Purity from Zafwan's SGI practice.

Nichiren's profound encouragement while in frozen isolation.

"A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one day’s practice in the impure world. Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to an hour of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. This is in no way because of Nichiren’s wisdom, but simply because the time makes it so. In spring the blossoms open, in autumn the fruit appears. Summer is hot, winter is cold. The season makes it so, does it not?" 

The Honmon Shoshu "Nichiren" sect too is full of kaka

Nichiren Shonin
Gohonzon Shu

Man-nen-ku-go Dai-honzon
This Nichiren Gohonzon came into the hands of
Nichimoku's disciple Nichigo (1272-1353)
and has remained ever since at
Myohon-ji at Hota (founded in 1342).
The Koso Nempu (Chronology of the Patriarch)
in the Edo period says that it was
originally bestowed on Nikko.

This large black wooden
Dai-Honzon replica
is enshrined at Fujisan Honmonji,
Head Temple of Honmon Shoshu.

The inscription at the bottom of this Great Mandala reads:

Since the Entrance into 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 Object 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 Jogyo comes [or has come forth] forth in the world and for the first time spreads and proclaims it.

To its left is the date: The twelfth [lunar] month of the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274) with the location in the mountains at Hakiri in the Province of Kai, i.e., at Minobusan.

On the Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon & the Three Great Secret Laws

A Fujisan Honmonji Member's Perspective

by Eddy Chai in Singapore

The Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon (made of wood) is the one appearing on the Fujisan Honmonji newsletter (below). A statue made from the ash of Nichiren sits right before it. Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon translates as, "The Great Object of Worship of the Wonderful Original Cause." This name is given by Nichiren himself, and he carved it at the back of the Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon, along with this date: Oct 12th Koan 2nd year [1279].

The Daigohonzon that Nichiren Shoshu claimed Nikko took with him when he left Minobu is not a wooden Honzon. Rather, it is the Man-nen-ku-go Dai-honzon. The Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon was carved by Nichiren Daishonin in the likeness of the Man-nen-ku-go Dai-honzon, which is translated as, "The Great Object of Worship to Save and Protect for Ten Thousand Years." It is Gohonzonshu #16 (top left), inscribed on 3 pieces of paper joined together. It is kept in Hota Myohonji. The name "Man-nen-ku-go Dai-honzon" is its official name, and is written in the Gohonzonshu explanatory notes (bottom of page).

The Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon is the FIRST of the Honmon Three Great Secret Laws, ie. HONMON-NO-HONZON. Hon-in-myo means, "Wonderful Original Cause." Nichiren called this Dai-honzon the "Wonderful Original Cause" for a simple reason: It is the Original Cause of Enlightenment of all Buddhas in the past, present and future. We are the present and also the future. Best of all, it is the "Wonderful Original Cause" because when you have FAITH in it, it sows the seed of Buddhahood in you.

The reason this Dai-honzon is the "Wonderful Original Cause" is because it carries the presence of the Eternal Original Buddha, ie. Myohorengekyo. This is the SECOND of the Honmon Three Great Secret Laws, ie. HONMON-NO-DAIMOKU. If not for the presence of the Eternal Original Buddha, how can this Dai-honzon be called the "Wonderful Original Cause"?

Fujisan Honmonji is where the Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon is enshrined. Therefore, Fujisan Honmonji is the THIRD of the Honmon Three Great Secret Laws, ie. HONMON-NO-KAIDAN. Because it is one of the Three Great Secret Laws, it is not accurate to call Fujisan Honmonji a Fuji School. Fujisan Honmonji translates as, "The Temple of the Original Doctrine at Mount Fuji."

The 'Establishment' of the Honmon Three Great Secret Laws is now complete; without which, Kosenrufu cannot begin. The time for Kosenrufu just started. You will begin to see that this is not the Three Great Secret Laws in principle, as spoken of in previous eras, i.e., before the 'Establishment'. What you can embrace now is the Actual Three Great Secret Laws. Why Actual? Answer: Because the Three Great Secret Laws are NOW established, and available to you as a Unified Entity ; this is Honmon.

Further doctrinally:

"The living embodiment of Aizen & Fudo Myo-ou is Nichiren Daishounin refering to Himself. That is to say, via the Kankenki, Nichiren Daishounin expresses the inner awareness of His identity as the True Buddha through outwardly expressing Himself as the living embodiment of Aizen and Fudo Myo-ou.

Aizen & Fudo Myou-ou are the 2 personas located on the left and right of the Hon-in-myou Daihonzon respectively. They are the twin Laws (of the True Buddha) that guide all existence and bring order to the world. Aizen (ie. affection) represents the Buddha Law, and Fudo (ie. immovable) is the King Law. The former is the showering of the Buddha Law. The latter deals with the delivery of that Law. The Kanjin Honzon-sho states: “When the occasions requires shakubuku, the Four Bodhisattvas appear as Wise Kings who admonish and censure foolish kings, and when it is time for shoju, they appear as Priests to maintain and spread the Correct Law.”

Dainichi Nyorai (Great Sun Tathagata) in the context of the Kankenki, is not the provisional Vairochana (“Birushana 毘盧遮那”) per se preached by the Shingon Sect. The Dainichi Nyorai (大日如来) of the Kankenki is the alternate name for Oohi-rume-no-muchi (大日霊貴). That is to say, the full title of Dainichi Nyorai is Amaterasu-oohi-rume-no-muchi-daijin (天照大日霊貴大神) which is shortened to Tensho Daijin (天照大神); the Sun God. Tensho (天照) is the alternate pronunciation of Amaterasu (天照), meaning, “Heavenly Radiance” whose symbol is the Sun with 16 rays.

The “Nichi” (日) of Nichiren (日蓮) is the same “Nichi” as Dai (Nichi) Nyorai (大日如来). Nichi (日) means Sun. Calling Himself “Nichiren” is meant to show the direct link (連 ) from Amaterasu-oohi-rume-no-muchi to Himself. In other words, Amaterasu-oohi-rume-no-muchi is the prior form of Nichiren. From Amaterasu-oohi-rume-no-muchi-daijin (ie. Tensho Daijin) to Nichiren, the transmission of Myou-hou-ren-ge-kyou is represented by the Sacred Jewel; the Divine Seal of “An-Deingiru”, the Sky God of Tenjiku (天竺).

The statement: “Nichiren confers to the New Buddha” refer to a future third manifestation of the Sun God after Nichiren Daishounin. Put together, Dainichi Nyorai (ie. Amaterasu-oohi-rume-no-muchi), Nichiren, and the New Buddha are the Three Bodies revealed in the Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra as the Good Doctor (Ro-I 良医), the Father (Bu 父), and Messenger (Kenshi 遣使). The same Three Bodies appear also in the Hon-in-myou Daihonzon as the “Great Awakened World Honored One” (Dai-kaku-seson 大覚世尊), the Merciful Father (Ji-bu 慈父), and Bodhisattva Jogyo (上行普蕯).

Merciful Father is of course Nichiren Daishounin. And the Messenger is Bodhisattva Jogyo.

Now, what is the meaning of the Sun mentioned here? Is it the scorching sun in the sky, or what? The Sun (ie. Nichi) is actually a synonym for the True Buddha: Nichiren Daishounin. The radiance of the Sun is the Honmon no Daimoku (ie. The Good Wave Motion) shining forth from the Sun (ie. The Life of Nichiren Daishounin in the Hon-in-myou Daihonzon).

The Good Wave Motion (Hou 法) is the vibration (ie. hadou) within fundamental mass (Myou 妙) that supports Life. It is the Excellent Medicine for the Ten Thousand years of Mappo.

I hope I don't bore you, but I hope you do get to learn more about the Honmon Three Great Secret Laws. In these times of "doctrinal conflicts," truly, this is the One & Only Law that emerged to deliver us all. If you have questions, it'll be my pleasure to answer them."

My response:  How can they make claim to "The One Principle Object of Worship for all mankind" and make such a glaring mistake about the Identity of the Eternal Buddha? It is impossible.

Mark

Rebuttal to "We are the true disciples of Nichiren".

SGI is not a follower of Nichiren. SGI practices interfaith. SGI models itself on the Shingon principle of Yuiga-Yoga or Guru-Yoga. As Shingon, SGI depreciates Shakyamuni Buddha. As Zen, there is a follow no-matter-what patriarchal hierarchy. SGI rejects all Nichiren priests who are not obsequious to SGI.

President Toda taught in his Lecture on the Sutra: “With this silent prayer, we express our sincere thanks to the Second High Priest Nikko Shonin, the founder of Head temple Taisekiji. Hossui-shabyo: Hossui is the Law or Buddhism metaphorically compared to clean water. Shabyo means “transfer. Now suppose here are two glasses, one of which is filled with water. The water is transferred from one glass into the other. The quality of the water remains unchanged through this transfer even though the shapes of the glasses may differ. Simililarly, the Hossui of Nichiren Daishonin was handed down from Nikko Shonin to Third High Priest Nichimoku Shonin. However, its geneuine purity was not changed in the least. This solemn tradition has been strictly maintained by the successive high priests of Nichiren Shoshu. YUIGA YOGA: This means that the life of Nikko Shonin equals that of Nichiren Daishonin. A Gohonzon called the “Tobi” (Flying) Mandala” is enshrined at Butsugenji Temple in Sendai City in Northeast Japan. It was inscribed co-operatively by the Daishonin and His immediate successor Nikko Shonin. This fact evidences what yuiga yoga signifies.” –Josei Toda as quoted in: From “Lectures on the Sutra” Third Edition, 1968 Seikyo Press.

Please note that no where in the Lotus Sutra or the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, can we find the concepts or words, YUIGA YOGA but in Tendai/Shingon esotericism, this is a core principle. Central to Lamanism, an offshoot of Shingon, are the Four Treasures and the most important Treasure is the Treasure of the Guru. The other Three Treasures are subsumed within the Treasure of the Guru. This is known as Guru Yoga. The same goes for the SGI, whether it is implicit or implied. When SGI members or leaders chant Namu Myoho renge kyo, they are revering their Sensei. While they chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with their voices, they chant Namu Sensei in their hearts.

Makiguchi and Toda read the Lotus Sutra according to the distorted teachings of the Taisekaji priests who adopted the two related Zen and Shingon concepts respectively: The Transfer of the Water of the Law; and Yuiga Yoga or the Oneness of living Master and Disciple. The SGI has adopted these distorted Zen and Shingon viewpoints, in contrast to the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin which state, “This Sutra”.

More proof of SGI’s transgressions are Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings that mirror those of his deluded Sensei, Josei Toda. Ikeda once taught, “The basis of Nichiren Shoshu is the Lifeblood recieved only by a single person. To faithfully follow the High Priest of the bequethal of the Lifeblood is the correct way for priests and laybelievers. If one is mistaken about this single point, then everything will become insane.” And now he declares, “Following the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai is the basis of the Lifeblood of faith”.

Doctor Daisaku Ikeda, ironically, was born into a household whose ancestors reside in Mitsugonin, a temple of the Shingon sect. It is a slanderous place which was established in accordance with Shingon formalities. The Shingon patriarch, the Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei too, despite his wisdom and strong practice, was mistaken about the teachings of Buddhism. Shan wu-wei was persecuted. Christ too was persecuted and his teachings are far less insidious than Shan-wu-wei’s, Makiguchi’s, or Ikeda’s. Their teachings resemble little the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni’s [Lotus Sutra] and Nichiren Daishonin’s. Visions and “visionaries”, not firmly grounded in the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni [Lotus Sutra] and the Daishonin, reside in the realm of delusion.

Lastly, wherever SGI founds itself, the world edges evermore towards destruction, particularly, Japan.

Response to Threefold Lotus Kwoon

Nichiren teaches in On Repaying Debts of Gratitude:

“Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda,” they said, “lived on for twenty or forty years after the passing of the Buddha, preaching the correct teaching. Presumably they conveyed the heart of all the teachings that the Buddha had propounded during his lifetime. Now we find that what these two men emphasized were simply the concepts of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna may be very wise, but are we to suppose that they are superior to Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda? This is our first objection. “Mahākāshyapa obtained his enlightenment through direct encounters with the Buddha. But these two men, Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, have never encountered the Buddha. This is our second objection. “The non-Buddhist philosophers who preceded the Buddha taught that life is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. Later, when the Buddha appeared in the world, he declared that life is marked by suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Now Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna insist that it is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. This being so, we must suppose that, since both the Buddha and Mahākāshyapa have passed away from the world, the devil king of the sixth heaven has taken possession of these two men and is trying to overthrow the teachings of Buddhism and replace them with the teachings of the non-Buddhists. “If that is so, then these men are the enemies of Buddhism. We must smash their skulls, cut off their heads, put an end to their lives, see that they get no more to eat. Let us drive them from the country!” Such were the declarations of the Hinayana believers. And Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, each having only a few allies, were forced day and night to listen to these shouts of calumny, and morning and evening to bear the attacks of sticks and staves. But these two men were in fact messengers of the Buddha. For in the Māyā Sutra, it is predicted that Ashvaghosha will appear six hundred years, and Nāgārjuna, seven hundred years, after the Buddha’s passing. The same prediction is also recorded in the Lankāvatāra Sutra, and of course in the Buddha’s Successors Sutra as well. But the Hinayana believers would not heed these predictions, and instead attacked the Mahayanists blindly and without reason. “Since hatred and jealousy . . . abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” says the Lotus Sutra. Looking at the time of Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, one begins to have a little understanding of what these words of the sutra really mean. Moreover, Bodhisattva Āryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, and the Venerable Āryasimha had his head cut off. These events, too, give one cause for thought."

Response to an SGI Study Department leader...See

Very true: 

"In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth. Such persons, who honestly discard expedient means, put faith in the Lotus Sutra alone, and chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, will transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering into the three virtues of the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. The threefold contemplation and the three truths will immediately become manifest in their minds, and the place where they live will become the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching, who is both inhabiting subject and inhabited realm, life and environment, body and mind, entity and function, the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies—he is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren. Such persons embody the true entity of Myoho-renge-kyo; this is all due to the meritorious workings that the spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it display. Could anyone venture to doubt it? Indeed it cannot be doubted!" 

BUT
SGI is not a follower of Nichiren. SGI practices interfaith. SGI models itself on the Shingon principle of Yuiga-Yoga or Guru-Yoga. As Shingon, SGI depreciates Shakyamuni Buddha. As Zen, there is a follow no-matter-what patriarchal hierarchy. 

President Toda taught in his Lecture on the Sutra: “With this silent prayer, we express our sincere thanks to the Second High Priest Nikko Shonin, the founder of Head temple Taisekiji. Hossui-shabyo: Hossui is the Law or Buddhism metaphorically compared to clean water. Shabyo means “transfer. Now suppose here are two glasses, one of which is filled with water. The water is transferred from one glass into the other. The quality of the water remains unchanged through this transfer even though the shapes of the glasses may differ. Simililarly, the Hossui of Nichiren Daishonin was handed down from Nikko Shonin to Third High Priest Nichimoku Shonin. However, its geneuine purity was not changed in the least. This solemn tradition has been strictly maintained by the successive high priests of Nichiren Shoshu. YUIGA YOGA: This means that the life of Nikko Shonin equals that of Nichiren Daishonin. A Gohonzon called the “Tobi” (Flying) Mandala” is enshrined at Butsugenji Temple in Sendai City in Northeast Japan. It was inscribed co-operatively by the Daishonin and His immediate successor Nikko Shonin. This fact evidences what yuiga yoga signifies.” –Josei Toda as quoted in: From “Lectures on the Sutra” Third Edition, 1968 Seikyo Press. 

Please note that no where in the Lotus Sutra or the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, can we find the concepts or words, YUIGA YOGA but in Tendai/Shingon esotericism, this is a core principle. Central to Lamanism, an offshoot of Shingon, are the Four Treasures and the most important Treasure is the Treasure of the Guru. The other Three Treasures are subsumed within the Treasure of the Guru. This is known as Guru Yoga. The same goes for the SGI, whether it is implicit or implied. When SGI members or leaders chant Namu Myoho renge kyo, they are revering their Sensei. While they chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with their voices, they chant Namu Sensei in their hearts. 

Makiguchi and Toda read the Lotus Sutra according to the distorted teachings of the Taisekaji priests who adopted the two related Zen and Shingon concepts respectively: The Transfer of the Water of the Law; and Yuiga Yoga or the Oneness of living Master and Disciple. The SGI has adopted these distorted Zen and Shingon viewpoints, in contrast to the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin which state, “This Sutra”. 

More proof of SGI’s transgressions are Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings that mirror those of his deluded Sensei, Josei Toda. Ikeda once taught, “The basis of Nichiren Shoshu is the Lifeblood recieved only by a single person. To faithfully follow the High Priest of the bequethal of the Lifeblood is the correct way for priests and laybelievers. If one is mistaken about this single point, then everything will become insane.” And now he declares, “Following the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai is the basis of the Lifeblood of faith”.

 Doctor Daisaku Ikeda, ironically, was born into a household whose ancestors reside in Mitsugonin, a temple of the Shingon sect. It is a slanderous place which was established in accordance with Shingon formalities. The Shingon patriarch, the Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei too, despite his wisdom and strong practice, was mistaken about the teachings of Buddhism. Shan wu-wei was persecuted. Christ too was persecuted and his teachings are far less insidious than Shan-wu-wei’s, Makiguchi’s, or Ikeda’s. Their teachings resemble little the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni’s [Lotus Sutra] and Nichiren Daishonin’s. Visions and “visionaries”, not firmly grounded in the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni [Lotus Sutra] and the Daishonin, reside in the realm of delusion. 

Lastly, wherever SGI founds itself, the world edges evermore towards destruction, particularly, Japan.

The similarity of Shingon (Son of Heaven) and Christianity (God)

"Later, in the reign of Emperor Hsüan-tsung, the Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei journeyed to China from India, bringing with him the Mahāvairochana and Susiddhikara sutras. In addition, the Tripitaka Master Chin-kang-chih appeared with the Diamond Crown Sutra. Moreover, Chin-kang-chih had a disciple named the Tripitaka Master Pu-k’ung.

These three men were all Indians who not only came from very distinguished families but were in character quite different from the priests of China. The doctrines that they taught appeared highly impressive in that they included mudras and mantras, something that had never been known in China since the introduction of Buddhism in the Later Han. In the presence of this new Buddhism, the emperor bowed his head and the common people pressed their palms together in reverence.

These men taught that, whatever the relative merits of the Flower Garland, Profound Secrets, Wisdom, Nirvana, and Lotus sutras might be, they were all exoteric teachings, the various preachings of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. The Mahāvairochana Sutra that they had newly introduced, on the other hand, represented the royal pronouncements of the Dharma King Mahāvairochana. The other sutras were the multiple sayings of the common people; this sutra was the unique pronouncement of the Son of Heaven. Works such as the Flower Garland and Nirvana sutras could never hope to reach as high as the Mahāvairochana Sutra even with the help of a ladder. Only the Lotus Sutra bears some resemblance to the Mahāvairochana Sutra.

Nevertheless, the Lotus Sutra was preached by the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and thus represents merely the truth as spoken by a commoner, while the Mahāvairochana Sutra represents the truth as spoken by the Son of Heaven. Hence, although the words resemble each other, the persons who spoke them are as far apart as the clouds in the sky and the mud on earth. The difference between them is like the moon that is reflected in muddy water on the one hand and in clear water on the other. Both alike are reflections of the moon, yet the nature of the water that catches the reflection is vastly different." - On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Storytelling for the otters

  "You be good boys and girls and obey your parents"

 

Response to The Re-invention of Nichiren in an Era of Globalization: Remapping the Sacred

In your essay, The Re-invention of Nichiren in an Era of Globalization: Remapping the Sacred, you have been too kind to the Soka Gakkai. The principle "scripture" of the Soka Gakkai is the Human Revolution, New Human Revolution and New New Human Revolution. Nichiren was a scriptural Buddhist, relying on the sutras and to a lesser extent on the commentaries, if and when the commentaries were firmly based on the Sutras, especially the Lotus and Nirvana Sutras. Nichiren's disciples and believers don't pick and choose Nichiren like a Chinese buffet customer, 'I'll take the spare ribs but I don't like the salty fish." We accept Nichiren and his teachings as written since Nichiren was clear and not subject to interpretation. (taking into account his authentic writings).

Don't fear the reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are

Come on baby, don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet
40, 000 men and women everyday, Like Romeo and Juliet
40, 000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness
Another 40, 000 coming everyday, We can be like they are

Come on baby, don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Love of two… More

 

The Fourteen Slanders or fourteen evil causes and their recompense

"However, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra. There are various stages in the practice of this sutra [and various forms of slander exist accordingly]. Let me sum them up by quoting from volume five of The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra”: “In defining the types of evil, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra states briefly, ‘Expound among the wise but not among the foolish.’ One scholar enumerates the types of evil as follows: ‘I will first list the evil causes and then their effects. There are fourteen evil causes: (1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges."* -- Nichiren Daishonin

The fourteen slanders are elucidated in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra:

Also, Shariputra,
to persons who are arrogant or lazy
or taken up with views of the self,
do not preach this sutra.
Those with the shallow understanding of ordinary persons,
who are deeply attached to the five desires,
cannot comprehend it when they hear it.
Do not preach it to them.
If a person fails to have faith
but instead slanders this sutra,
immediately he will destroy all the seeds
for becoming a buddha in any world.
Or perhaps he will scowl with knitted brows
and harboring doubt or perplexity.
Listen and I will tell you
the penalty this person must pay.
Whether the Buddha is in the world
or has already entered extinction,
if this person should slander
a sutra such as this,
or on seeing those who read, recite,
copy, and uphold this sutra,
should despise, hate, envy,
or bear grudges against them,
the penalty this person must pay—
listen, I will tell you now:
When his life comes to an end
he will enter the Avichi hell,
be confined there for a whole kalpa,
and when the kalpa ends, be born there again.
He will keep repeating this cycle
for a countless number of kalpas.
Though he may emerge from hell,
he will fall into the realm of beasts,
becoming a dog or jackal,
his form lean and scruffy,
dark, discolored, with scabs and sores,
something for men to make sport of.
Or again he will be
hated and despised by men,
constantly plagued by hunger and thirst,
his bones and flesh dried up,
in life undergoing torment and hardship,
in death buried beneath tiles and stones.
Because he cut off the seeds of buddhahood
he will suffer this penalty.
If he should become a camel
or be born in the shape of a donkey,
his body will constantly bear heavy burdens
and have the stick or whip laid on it.
He will think only of water and grass
and understand nothing else.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
Or he will be born as a jackal
who comes to the village,
body all scabs and sores,
having only one eye,
by the boys
beaten and cuffed,
suffering grief and pain,
sometimes to the point of death.
And after he has died
he will be born again in the body of a serpent,
long and huge in size,
measuring five hundred yojanas,
deaf, witless, without feet,
slithering along on his belly,
with little creatures
biting and feeding on him,
day and night undergoing hardship,
never knowing rest.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
If he should become a human being,
his faculties will be blighted and dull,
he will be puny, vile, bent, crippled,
blind, deaf, hunchbacked.
The things he says
people will not believe,
the breath from his mouth will be constantly foul,
he will be possessed by demons,
poor and lowly,
ordered around by others,
plagued by many ailments, thin and gaunt,
having no one to turn to.
Though he attached himself to others,
they would never think of him;
though he might gain something,
he would at once lose or forget it.
Though he might practice the art of medicine
and by its methods cure someone’s disease,
the person would grow sicker from some other malady
and perhaps in the end would die.
If he himself had an illness,
no one would aid or nurse him,
and though he took good medicine,
it would only make his condition worse.
If others should commit traitorous acts,
plunder, and rob,
blames for such sins
would be unjustly visited on him.
A sinful person of this sort
will never see the Buddha,
the king of the many sages,
preaching the Law, teaching and converting.
A sinful person of this sort
will constantly be born amid difficulties,
crazed, deaf, confused in mind,
and never will hear the Law.
For countless kalpas
numerous as Ganges sands
he will at birth become deaf and dumb,
his faculties impaired,
will constantly dwell in hell,
strolling in it as though it were a garden,
and the other evil paths of existence
he will look on as his own home.
Camel, donkey, pig, dog—
these will be the forms he will take on.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
If he should become a human being,
he will be deaf, blind, dumb.
Poverty, want, all kinds of decay
will be his adornment;
water blisters, diabetes,
scabs, sores, ulcers,
maladies such as these
will be his garments.
His body will always smell bad,
filthy and impure.
Deeply attached to views of self,
he will grow in anger and hatred;
aflame with licentious desires,
he will not spurn even birds or beasts.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
I tell you, Shariputra,
if I were to describe the punishments that fall
on persons who slander this sutra,
I could exhaust a kalpa and never come to the end.

How does Nichiren's viewpoint agree or disagree with Tientai's?

In his Miao-fa lien-hua-ching wen-chu (Textual Commentary on the Lotus Sutra), Tientai states:

"1. The Buddha is one's focus of devotion in the true sense. He is the savior who delivers human beings from their sufferings and fulfills their desires and is also the figurative parent and lord of humankind. Thus one should offer prayer and reverence to him with an attitude of total dedication and of obedience to his teaching. (This is regarded as the "first step" view of the Buddha).

2. When considering the essence of the Buddha objectively, the discriminating person thinks of his Law (that is, of the universal, logical truth of the universe), of justice and benevolence as the basic ideal virtues of humankind, and of selfless compassion as the means of saving all sentient beings.

3. Since the second interpretation alone is not sufficient to sustain a living faith, it must be merged with the first. Thus the third interpretation unites the abstract theory of the first with the concrete practice of the second.

4. When one has at last arrived at a state of profound faith, one has attained unity with the Buddha and is always embraced by him even if one's awareness of the Buddha is not perfect (that is to say, not in complete accord with the union of theory and practice set forth above in the third interpretation). In this fourth interpretation one has already achieved Buddhahood and sees the buddha-nature in all objects and beings one encounters and venerates all those objects and beings as buddhas. It is at this point that the Buddha-land, or paradise, becomes a reality rather than an ideal or goal."

Who are we?

We are numbered among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth: We are they who chant the Daimoku, revere the Gohonzon, Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin. Some of us practice principally shoju and others shakabuku. Some of us view the Gohonzon as the embodiment of the Daimoku, others as the embodiment of the Oneness of Person [as the Eternal Buddha] and Law, and still others as the embodiment of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni [depending on our inner awakening and mastery of the Lotus Sutra].

We are united through our seeking spirit and through having etched, "Follow the Law and not the person", in our hearts. Most of us are united in the belief that the Gohonzon is the source of our guidance and that we are direct disciples of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin. We are also united in our belief that every Nichiren school and individual has both good and bad aspects that we are free to accept, praise, and propagate or to reject, ignore, or rebuke.

As far as your question about how many true disciples and believers there are, we don't keep statistics because neither the Lotus Sutra nor Nichiren Daishonin exhort us to. We are few but I have anecdotal evidence that we are growing for a variety of reasons: The doctrines of all the various Nichiren schools and their believers are partial, contrived, erroneous and/or distorted while ours are sound; the reality that most Nichiren sect believers follow the person rather than the Law while we follow only the Law; and most Nichiren sects believers are unable to exhibit actual proof of Enlightenment in contrast to Shakyamuni Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, and our disciples and believers. There wouldn't be thirty-five or thirty-six Nichiren sects if they all showed actual proof of Enlightenment.

Annual Christmas Sermon: The Bible and the Lotus Sutra

The ensuing sermon on the comparison between the Lotus Sutra and Christianity (Bible) is paraphrased from the Kempon Hokke Journal and was written by Graham Lamont when he was a member.

Both the Lotus Sutra and the Bible offers salvation through faith.

A bit of background on the Bible before we make the comparison:

An essential teaching of Christianity is the concept of the eternal damnation of the non-believers. The Gospel of  Mark 9:43 talks of a fire that can not be put out. Thessalonians 1:8-10 describes a deity of fiery vengence and the eternal loss of those who fail to accept Christianity. Mark 16:16 talks about how the baptized will be saved while those who aren't will be condemned. Equally as important, the Bible specifically excludes certain people from salvation, even if they humbly repent. The Gospels according to Mathew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30 and Luke 12:10 teach that those who commit the so-called Sin against the Holy Spirit are guilty of an unforgiving sin and may never hope for salvation.

In Hebrews 6:4-8/12:17/10:26-30 we see that no one commiting apostacy (abandonment or defection) of the christian faith can ever hope to gain salvation even, as in the case of Esau in the Old Testament(Genesis) who regrets his desision, is forever cast aside. Many modern day christians have attempted to "interpret" these passges in a more compassionate and gentle light using clever words and arguments, but the "inspired" words of the Bible remains for all to see and read for themselves. Also, at the whim of their deity one is either doomed or saved. One who is doomed by this merciless deity is Pharoah(Romans 9:17-18 citing Exodus 9:16.), Here, the purport of this deity appears to be to demonstrate his sovereign power. Thessalonians 2:11-12 teaches that this god in full awareness makes people believe falsely, in order to condemn them. They are condemned, not temporarily, as a means of teaching or to correct their misguided belief, but rather on a whim to demonstrate his power and to an eternal unremitting hell. Analagously, Romans 9:20-21 states that we should not question the will of god as we are merely clay for the potter. Christianity is so exclusionary! "for many are called, but few are chosen." (Mathew 22:14) Corinthians 9:22 tells the story of Paul of Tarsus. He saves some people but not others and is quite discriminating of who he saves through his many guises.

To those saved by Christianity it smells like sweet perfume, to those condemned it smells like raw sewage. Those who meet Jesus and the Christians and by predestination do not believe are only confirming their own ruination(Corinthians 2:15-16).

The habitual manifestation of vengence characterizes the Jewish as well as the Christian god. This god acts to cause irrevocable and terrible punishment and the very conclusion of the entire Jewish scripture (Isaiah 66:24) is the revelation of Yahweh(the enemies will be displayed in eternal fire and worms in his antechamber.) Mark 9:48 is the Christian equivalent.

The Lotus sutra, the culmination of the Buddha's wisdom states:

"Of those that hear this Dharma there is not one that does not attain Buddhahood" (Lotus Sutra Chapter 2, Tactfullness)

"In a future era If there are good son's or good daughters who hear the "Chapter of Devedatta" of the Myohokkekyo and with a pure mind believes and reverences, not producing doubts and confusion, they shalll not fall to the hells, hungry ghosts, or beasts but be born with the Buddhas of the Ten directions and in the place where they are born they shall constantly hear this sutra; If they are born among humans or gods they shall receive superior and sublime joy.(ibid. Chapter 12, Devedatta)

These two passages are quite clear on the future of those who either merely just hear the Lotus Sutra or of those who pureheartedly believe.

Now, lets turn to those who do not believe. There are passages in the Hokkekyo which teach of the of the terrible punishment of those who fail to believe and of the worst of all the hells, Avici hell, for those who slander the Sutra or the Sutra's adherents. These passages are found in the 3rd Chapter(Parable), the 10th Chapter (Teacher of the Law) and the 20th Chapter (Bodhisattva Never Despise). Despite the superficial similarites to the Christian hell, not even the worst hell (mugen jigoku), Avici, is eternal. True, it is unremitting while in this realm, but one will without doubt reemerge. Therefore, all the Buddhist hells are at worst equivalent to Christian purgatories.

".... they received great agonies; having ended their punishment, they again met the Bodhisattva Jofukyo (Fukyo) teaching and converting to Supreme Enlightenment."(Chapter 20)

Nichiren affirms too, that those who persecute him will fall into the Avici hell but then will become his disciples and attain Buddhahood. Redemption will come to even those who oppose the Lotus Sutra. What a grand and awe inspiring vision the Buddha paints in this, the summit of his fifty years of preaching!
            

These teachings are of sublime significance in the context of the entire Buddhist canon, particularly of the Mahayana. Only the Hokkekyo allows the practitioner to fulfill the first of the Four Great Vows of the Bodhisattva (vows which all Bodhisattvas on their spiritual path have promissed to uphold): "beings are innumerable: I vow to save them all." The Buddhism as taught in the other sutras does not enable the practitioner to realize this vow because all of these sutra exclude, in one way or another, one or another class of beings. Some of these sutras exclude those of the Two Vehicles of Hinayana, others exclude evildoers, others those of incorrigeable disbelief (icchantikas), and others women. Even Amida in the Pure Land Sutras (Muryoju Sutra in particular), the so-called savior of the evil people of our age, excludes slanderers of the Dharma or those who commit the five cardinal sins. The Fugen Sutra, the concluding sutra of the Lotus sutra, affirms that the very subjects of the salvation of the Lotus Sutra are blasphemers and those who commit the five cardinal sins. The Lotus Sutra (and the Hikekyo or Flower of Compassion Sutra)) teaches that it is Shakyamuni Buddha who in a former life vowed to accept the beings rejected by the other Pure Lands of the ten directions declaring, "I alone can save them" (Chapter of the Parable).

Christianity, as a religeon that rejects certain sinners, is even more noticeable than those of the provisional sutras of Buddhism, let alone the Lotus Sutra. As seen in the first post above, not only are those who reject Christianity but also those who fall away and even those who utter a single word against the "Holy spirit". not able to achieve salvation but are doomed to eternal damnation. Even though John 3:17 declaresgods intention to save all, the Bible adds an exclusionary clause for unbelievers(John 3:18) which says they are condemned.

The "worst case scenario" is a very useful concept in comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Christianity. Therefore, the comparison between the cases of Devedatta and Judas Iscariot is most instructive. Both of these men represent the epitomy of evil, not only in the sense of worldly evil but more importantly, in the sense of spiritual evil. This evil that pits itself against the very root of salvation itself, the very source figure of salvation in their respective traditions (Christ in Christianity and the Buddha in Buddhism). Devedatta attempts to kill the Buddha and corrupts the morals of King Ajatashatru (Buddhism's rough equivalent to Oedipus. He kills his father, marries his mother, and also attempts to kill the Buddha). Devedatta then fakes his repentance while again planning to murder the Buddha. Judas, possessed by the devil, betrays Jesus leading to Jesus crucifixtion and murder. Devedatta, it is taught, ends up falling into a crevice during an earthquake while Judas is said to have either committed suicide or bursted open (Matthew 27:5 Acts 1:17-18). The ensuing spiritual fates of the two are very different, however.

Judas is destined from the start to be lost.(John 17:12). He is to be condemned before he even acts, "that it would have been better for him never to have been born" even though he later feels remorse. This concept in Christianity is known as meta-melomei (Mathew 27:3). He is predestined "beforehand he is made to do what he does" (John 13:21-30) and his horrendous fate is declared in Mark 14:21, Luke  22:21-22 and Matthew 26:24-25. Again, using clever and disengenuous reasoning, some Christians state that he is really saved by the famous Biblical prayer of Jesus to forgive those who no not what they are doing (Luke 23:24). This is absurd because Judas knew very well the teaching of Jesus and knew perfectly well what he was doing.

As far as Devedatta is concerned. despite his evil and insufferible punishment, we see that Devedatta is promised to attain Supreme Enlightenment as the Tathagata Tenno(Devaraja). Judas is never summoned back in the Christian scriptures and is doomed to hell eternal. Devedatta, the avowed enemy of the Buddha who was well versed in the entire Buddhist Canon (as was Judas in the Christian teachings), and abandoned for more than forty years by every sutra, in the Lotus Sutra, is "summoned back" to become a Buddha.

There is a rational concept in the Buddhism, ko itsu rei sho (mentioning one to illustrate all). This is applicable to this WORST case in Buddhism, that of Devedatta. Since Devedatta has attained (or will attain) to Supreme Enlightenment, matricidal and patricidal murderers, blasphemers, unbelievers, etc. will attain to emancipation by the teaching of the Lotus Sutra let alone us ordinary rabble. In the Lotus Sutra, both slander (unbelief) and belief (in Namu myohho renge kyo) both plant the seeds of Buddhahood. A Sutra passage (?) cited by Chan-jan in referring to the unbounded merit of the Lotus Sutra states, "Hearing the Dharma, bringing forth irreverence and contempt and falling into hell are superior to making offerings to Buddhas numbered as the sands of the Ganges." He goes on to state that one may make an offering to a Buddha without so much as hearing a lesser teaching let alone the Hokkekyo but merely having heard this supreme teaching one will surely attain Buddhahood even if one slanders it.

Who is most in need of salvation, which being or class of beings: the ones who readily accept and embrace the path to "redemption" or those who resist, refuse, are perverse or refractory? To put it another way, who is more in need of salvation those who are inclined to good or those who are inclined to evil? Which religeon abandons the incorrigeable disbeliever and wrongdoer? Which religeon saves the most worthless, corrupt and cowardly? Which religeon truly "forgives" its worst enemies?