"How is Buddhism best transmitted today?" - Steve

Nichiren explains with brief commentary:

The transmission in the Latter Day is chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo to an authentic Gohonzon. Nichiren Daishonin and we, unlike the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu, don't advocate a model based on "The Patriarchal Transmissions", "The Patriarchal Transmission of the Golden Mouthed Ones", or "The Patriarchal Transmission Through Current Masters."

"One should consider the fact that, if the Buddha had not attained enlightenment in the distant past, there could not have been so many people converted to his teachings." -- The Opening of the Eyes

Thus the Buddha is the source of both the Specific and the General transmission. The Gohonzon, though a text, is the reality of the Buddha.

"The Maka Shikan says: "If one lacks faith in the Lotus sutra he will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of his own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, he will become puffed up with his own arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha." - The Opening of the Eyes

In Shakyamuni's and Nichiren's Buddhism, there is neither an oral nor a patriarchal transmission of the teachings. The Succession Through the Scrolls of the Sutra is the true meaning of exoteric Mahayana Buddhism.

Nichiren Daishonin writes:

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

To disabuse those who would take to heart the teachings of Buddhist elites, conmen, and posseurs, I would like to further cite Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra:

"Putting all this aside, I will point out the truth for the sake of my followers. Because others do not choose to believe it now, they are persons who thereby form a reverse relation. By tasting a single drop, one can tell the flavor of the great ocean, and by observing a single flower in bloom, one can predict the advent of spring. One does not have to cross the water to faroff Sung China, spend three years traveling to Eagle Peak in India, enter the palace of the dragon king the way Nagarjuna did, visit Bodhisattva Maitreya [in the Tushita heaven] the way Bodhisattva Asanga did, or be present at the two places and three assemblies when Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra, in order to judge the relative merits of the Buddha's lifetime teachings. It is said that snakes can tell seven days in advance when a flood is going to occur. This is because they are akin to dragons [who make the rain fall]. Crows can tell what lucky or unlucky events are going to take place throughout the course of a year. This is because in a past existence they were diviners. Birds are better at flying than human beings. And I, Nichiren, am better at judging the relative merits of sutras than Ch'eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises school, Tz'u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school, and Kobo of the True Word school. That is because I follow in the footsteps of the teachers T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. If Ch'eng-kuan and the others had not accepted the teachings of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo, how could they have expected to escape the sin of slandering the Law?

I, Nichiren, am the richest man in all of present-day Japan. I have dedicated my life to the Lotus Sutra, and my name will be handed down in ages to come. If one is lord of the great ocean, then all the gods of the various rivers will obey one. If one is king of Mount Sumeru, then the gods of the various other mountains cannot help but serve one. If a person fulfills the teaching of "the six difficult and nine easy acts" of the Lotus Sutra, then, even though he may not have read the entire body of sutras, all should follow him." -The Opening of the Eyes

Nichiren Daishonin is a far more accomplished Master than any past or present priest or layman.

"The Great Teacher Dengyo was disparaged by the priests of Nara, who said, "Saicho has never been to the capital of T'ang China!" (ibid.)

"The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai trusted and obeyed Shakyamuni and worked to uphold the Lotus school, spreading its teachings throughout China." -- On the Buddha's Prophecy

"In the Tendai school, however, there appeared a priest known as the Great Teacher Miao-lo. Though he lived more than two hundred years after the time of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, he was extremely wise and had a clear understanding of the teachings of T'ien-t'ai..." - Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Who credentialed or certified Tientai, Miao-lo, or Nichiren? Nichiren Daishonin gave himself the Buddhist name Nichi-Ren. Who ordained Shakyamuni Buddha? This nonsense about seeking a living master will stifle your growth and development as a direct disciple of the Original Buddha. It is the evil priestly and monastic agenda to coerce you into accepting them as teachers and offering them alms, rather than the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Their's is not True Mahayana (exoteric Buddhism) which is based on the Succession Through the Scrolls of the Sutra and the authentic writings of Nichiren. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin teach that we are direct disciples of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni. Buddhism is accessible to all with or without a "face to face" transmission.

Nichiren Daishonin states:

"While the Great Teacher Jikaku was in Japan, he made a thorough study of the teachings of both Dengyo and Kobo, and he spent a period of ten years in China studying under the eight distinguished priests, including the Tripitaka Master Pao-yüeh of southern India, learning all the loftiest and most secret doctrines. On this basis, he completed his commentaries on the two sutras. In addition, he prayed to the image of the Buddha, and awoke from dreaming that he had seen the arrow of wisdom strike the sun of the Middle Way. So great was his joy that he requested Emperor Nimmyo to issue an edict acknowledging Mount Hiei as a center of the True Word practice.

Though he was the chief priest of the Tendai school, he virtually became a True Word prelate, declaring that the three True Word sutras were the works that would ensure peace and protection of the nation. It has now been more than four hundred years since he spread these doctrines. The eminent leaders who have accepted them are as numerous as rice and hemp seedlings, and the fervent believers who have embraced them are as plentiful as bamboo plants and rushes.

As a result, of all the temples established throughout Japan by Emperor Kammu and the Great Teacher Dengyo, there is not one that has not become a propagator of the True Word doctrine. Both courtiers and warriors alike invite True Word priests to attend to their religious needs, look up to them as their teachers, confer offices upon them, and place them in charge of temples. And in the eye-opening ceremony carried out at the consecration of wooden and painted Buddhist images, the priests of all the eight schools of Buddhism now use the mudras and mantras of the Thus Come One Mahavairochana and the honored one Buddha Eye! -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Look what happened to Buddhism with men like Jikaku who studied under, "the Eight Distinguished Teachers", every one of them certified, credentialed and ordained. Also, the priestly shackle that some advocate, diminishes one's faith in the Supreme Law affirmed by all Buddhas (Myoho renge kyo). Others studied under men who were heretics or traitors to Nichiren and still others were trained, ordained and/or, certified by modern day disciples of these shameful men. Nichiren continues:

"Question: When it comes to those who maintain that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the True Word teachings, should they try to make use of these commentaries by Jikaku, or should they reject them?

Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha laid down a rule for future conduct when he said that we should "rely on the Law and not upon persons." Bodhisattva Nagarjuna says that one should rely on treatises that are faithful to the sutras, but not rely on those that distort the sutras. T'ien-t'ai states, "That which accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so." And the Great Teacher Dengyo says, "Depend upon the preachings of the Buddha, and do not put faith in traditions handed down orally." -- The Selection of the Time

"Instead of wasting all those supplies and making work for other people by insisting upon traveling all the way to China, they should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines of the Great Teacher Dengyo, who was their own teacher!." -Repaying Debts of Gratitude

"But after he went to China at the age of forty, though he continued to call himself a disciple of Dengyo and went through the motions of carrying on Dengyo's line, he taught a kind of Buddhism that was wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Dengyo." (ibid.)

Although I am merely an ignorant layman, I think that some of our present day priests and so-called mentors should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines of Nichiren Daishonin who they claim as their Buddhist Master. Then they wouldn't be teaching a type of Buddhism that is wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Nichiren. One mentor in particular has shackled his disciples to himself like a sick siamese twin who will eventually end up killing both himself and his sibling.

"At that time, after the great assembly had heard the Buddha speak of the great length of his life-span, incalculable, limitless asamkhyeyas of living beings gained a great advantage. At that time, the World-Honored One declared to the bodhisattva-mahasattva Maitreya: "O Ajita! When I preached on the great length of the life-span of the Thus Come One, living beings to the number of sands in six hundred and eighty myriads of millions of nayutas of Ganges rivers gained acceptance of [the doctrine of] the unborn dharmas. Again, a thousand times this number of bodhisattva-mahsattvas heard and were enabled to take hold of the gateway of the dharanis. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal to the number of the atoms in one world-sphere gained joy in preaching and unimpeded eloquence. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to the atoms in one world-sphere gained the dharani that can be turned to a hundred thousand myriads of millions of incalculable [uses]. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to the atoms in the thousand-millionfold world were enabled to turn the unreceding Wheel of the Dharma. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to the atoms in two thousand middle lands were enabled to turn the pure Wheel of the Dharma. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to the atoms in a minor thousand of lands were destined after eight rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Again, bodhi- sattva-mahasattvas equal to four times the number of atoms under four heavens were destined after four rebirths to gain anuttarasamvak- sambodhi. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to three

times the number of atoms under four heavens were destined after three rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Again, bodhisattva-maha- sattvas equal in number to twice the atoms under four heavens were destined after two rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi."- Lotus Sutra Chapter 17

Nichiren Shonin quotes Nan-yueh:

"The Daigo Shojin Sutra says: 'Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo.'" -- Entity of the Mystic Law

and again:

"Those who practice the Lotus Sutra are pursuing through this single act of devotion the mind that is endowed with all manner of fortunate results. These are present simultaneously and are not acquired gradually over a long period of time. This is like the blossom of the lotus which, when it opens, already possesses a large number of seeds or results. Hence such persons are called the people of the one vehicle." -- The Entity of the Mystic Law

"Thereupon Shakyamuni Buddha rose from the seat of the Dharma, and by great supernatural powers, put his right hand on the heads of the innumerable Bodhisattva-mahasattvas, and said: "For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asamkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you. Propagate it with all your hearts, and make it known far and wide." -- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 22 Transmission

The merit of the Buddha comes directly from the Buddha. After the close of Chapter 22, the replicas of Shakyamuni Buddha never again appear. They went back to their home worlds at the end of this chapter because the Buddha had entrusted Bodhisattva Jogyo and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with carrying out the transmission of the Dharma in this Latter Age. The transmission of Buddhahood come from the Original Buddha Shakyamuni and nowhere else.

Nichiren Daishonin in the "Ho'on Jo" [Repaying Debts of Gratitude], enumerates the Three Great Secret Laws ("san dai hi ho"):

"The first is the object of worship (honzon). 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)..."; Second, there is the high sanctuary of true Buddhism; Third, in Japan, China, India and all the other countries of the world, every person, regardless of whether he is wise or foolish, shall set aside other practices and join in the chanting of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo."

In the "Kanjin Honzon Sho" [True Object of Worship], he says:

"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." In the Senji Sho [Selection of the Time] we read, "It was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important predictions. I believe it was solely the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha, entering my body, who made them."

On the Four Stages of Faith and The Five Stages of Practice Reads,

"Within these chapters of transmission, the four stages of faith and the five stages of practice expounded in the "Distinctions in Benefits" chapter refer to what is most important in the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and are a standard for those living in the time of the Buddha and after his passing.

Ching-hsi writes: "'To produce even a single moment's faith and understanding' represents the beginning in the practice of the essential teaching." Of these various stages, the four stages of faith are intended for those living in the Buddha's lifetime, and the five stages of practice for those living after his passing. Among these, the first of the four stages of faith is that of producing even a single moment's faith and understanding, and the first of the five stages of practice is that of rejoicing on first hearing the Lotus Sutra. These two stages together form a casket containing the treasures of the "hundred worlds and thousand factors" and the "three thousand realms in a single life-moment"; they are the gate from which all Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences emerge."

Nichiren Daishonin goes on to say,

"Answer: This is a very important question, and so I will be referring to the text of the sutra in answering you. In describing the first, second and third of the five stages of practice, the Buddha restricts those at these stages from practicing precepts and meditation, and places all emphasis upon the single factor of wisdom. And because our wisdom is inadequate, he teaches us to substitute faith, making this single word "faith" the foundation. Disbelief is the cause for becoming an icchantika and for slander of the True Law, while faith is the cause for wisdom and corresponds to the stage of myoji-soku.'

And again,

"Answer: Such persons are restricted from practicing almsgiving, the keeping of the precepts, and the others of the five paramitas, and are directed to chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo exclusively. This practice corresponds to the capacity of persons at the stages of "producing even a single moment's faith and understanding" and "rejoicing on first hearing the Lotus Sutra." It represents the true intention of the Lotus Sutra. "

And further along:

"Question: When your disciples, without any understanding, simply recite with their mouths the words Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, what level of attainment do they reach?

Answer: Not only do they go beyond the highest level of the four tastes or the three teachings as well as that attained by practitioners of the perfect teaching set forth in the sutras that precede the Lotus Sutra, but they surpass by millions and billions of times the founders of the Shingon and various other schools of Buddhism-men such as Shan-wu-wei, Chih-yen, T'zu-en, Chi-tsang, Tao-hsuan, Bodhidharma and Shan-tao."

Nichiren Daishonin writes:

"Although Nichiren dwells in such a remote and forlorn retreat [Minobu], within the heart of his fleshly body he holds concealed the secret Dharma of the sole great matter (ichidaiji) transmitted by the Eternal Shakyamuni, master of teachings, on Vulture Peak." -Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro-dono gohenji

The Dharma is not handed down from a master to a disciple, but directly accessible to anyone at any moment via a personal relationship formed with the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra by chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.

From the Object of Devotion For Observing the Mind:

"...the Eternal Lord Shakyamuni's practices undertaken as the cause (for attaining Buddhahood), and his virtues acquired as their effect, are completely contained within the five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. When we receive and hold these five characters, he will spontaneously transfer to us the merit of his causes and effects."

To conclude, when we chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with faith and reverence for the Gohonzon, the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, the Daimoku, and spread the teachings to the best of our abilities, we are Bodhisattvas of the Earth, requiring no intercession by a high priest or SGI president.

Response to a critic

This person who I thought was a friend, admonishes me for admonishing the SGI for their sundry faith and practices because they succeeded in having so many people chant the Daimoku and it is a slander to slander the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. As proof, he cites my kidney disease and tells me that if I change my viewpoint of the SGI, my kidneys would heal.  Here is my response:

I am dismayed. You read what the "influential" SGI says about the votaries and still SAY behind closed doors*, and you criticize me, one man alone without influence for criticizing them. Not only is their behavior amiss but their doctrines. Inserting their Shingon Yui Yoga "mentor disciple" is as bad or worse than the Tientai school inserting Shingon and becoming Mikkyo (Tendai). Their claims that "we are Buddha" is as bad as the Zenmen claiming, "we are Buddha". Nichiren was as close to Buddha as anyone in the history of Buddhism, save for the Buddha himself, and he didn't go around saying, "I am Buddha". Interfaith too, is not Nichiren's exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. You praise them for spreading Nam Myoho renge kyo, I admonish them for destroying Namu Myoho renge kyo. They are no different than Nichiren's errant disciples. Please wake up.

And, by the way, Nichiren at age 61 had chronic diarrhea and probably died from colon cancer. Would you have told him to mend his ways and his colon cancer would have resolved? This is the very last time I will allow you to admonish me.

*For example, SGI's slander in their vile Bible of Shakubuku and the pronouncements of Ikeda that the copies of the Nichiren Gohonzon are worthless and that those in the other Nichiren sects:

"The family which believes in the so-called Nichiren-shu will have children who have deformities, mental retardation or madness." - Daisaku Ikeda in the Manual of Forceful Conversion (Bible of Shakubuku).

"...Therefore, the objects of worship inscribed by those in the Butsuryu and Minobu factions [of the Nichiren Shu sect] are absolutely powerless. They are worthless because they are fake. In fact, they contain the power of evil spirits. That is why they are dangerous." Former SGI president, Josei Toda, Daibyaku Renge, 98, p. 98.

"Members of the Minobu school of the Nichiren sect chant daimoku. They have the Gosho Their recitation of the sutra also includes the Hoben and Juryo chapters. And, in the Shoshinkai, which consists of ex-priests of Nichiren Shoshu , and the portions of the sutra they recite and the daimoku that they chant are identical to the practice we observe. Though their religion may seem the same as ours, they lack the single, unbroken heritage of the law received directly from Nichiren Daishonin. If one's faith is not based on this line of inheritance, it is worthless to embrace any Gohonzon, for no benefit will be forthcoming. That is to say, "Without the lifeblood of faith, it would be useless to embrace the Lotus Sutra." " Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism in Action, vol 3, p 254

Is Nichiren a legitimate religious leader? Is Daisaku Ikeda?

Nichiren was a legitimate scholar priest and the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra. Ikedaism is a corruption of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism. Nichiren performed a bodily reading of the Lotus Sutra, proving the predictions for a faithful votary as outlined in Chapters 13, 15, 16, 20, 21, and 25 of the Lotus Sutra specifically and all chapters generally. Nichiren refused a temple offered him by the bafuku (shogun) unless he converted to Lotus Sutra Buddhism. Has Ikeda ever refused to accept even one honor or award from “slanderers” or monetary donations from the poorest of members. Daisaku Ikeda is among the ten richest men in Asia thanks to the members donations and sale of books to the members. Nichiren desired little, not unlike the Buddha who had only two robes and a bowel. Nichiren’s memory was remarkable, having made thousands of citations despite not having access to a library during his time in exile on Sado Island and for many years on Mount Minobu. Thanks to Nichiren, more than 30 million people chant Namu Myoho Renge kyo and even those who stopped practicing thanks to the behavior of SGI members, at least they chanted Namu Myoho Renge kyo for months or even decades. Too bad they were soured to Namu Myoho Renge kyo thanks to the Soka Gakkai. I am certain the attrition rate in the Nichiren Shu, Honmon Butsuryu Shu, Nichiren Shoshu, Kempon Hooke, Nipponzan Myohoji, and Independents is next to zero. In fact, they are growing because many ex-SGI have gone over to them.

Three of the most evil men in the United States of America

Dan Patrick Lieutenant Governor of Texas; Greg Abbott Governor of Texas; Ted Cruz Senator from Texas.

Anonymous describes the Latter Day Day of the Law.

30 years too late. Its all 30 years too late. The nukeape countries Pronuke energy. Pronuclear weapon leaders. Nuclear military industrial complexes. and millions of minnions. Nuke countrys like USA, Australia, Russia, Canada. Australia is starting to burn up again from high level radioactive residue in soils, drought, global warming, pyrophoric radionuclides in the soil. Every year radioniclide wildfires have been raging , at fukushima, chernobyl, Santa Susana w two meltdowns, Idaho National Laboratory. It is from the pyrophoricity of most all radionuclides. Areas around Mayak and Hanford. Around Los Alamos have massive wild fires. Wildfire areas are growing. They are spreading. They engulphed half of Australia, half of USA, and a third of the Amazon in the past 3 years. Huge swaths, in nuclear polluted Arctic and Siberia regions. Neo liberal creeps redbaiters and warmongers are entrenched with the military industrial complexes of the Western world. Nukeapes entrenched in Russia. Russia wants to build crappy nuke plants in third world countries.

More nuke missiles. Billions and trillions for weapons as people starve, infrastructures erode and the economies suck. A steep race downward to environmental and nuclear oblivion. There are 30,000 tons of hi level nuke waste in huge thin tin metal casks across the USA, the equivalents of 10 million nuclear bombs, stored outside on pads in thin skin cracked-casks. All around the country NM, Texas, Nevada, San Onofre, CA, WA, NM,  Fla and by reactors. If you or I were within 20 feet of 20.pounds of that gamma and beta storm, it will kill us in 20 minutes. Florida has several beat up old reactors as do Texas LA, Miss Carolina etc. 700 percent more hurricanes and more earthquakes. Failure to close embrittled 30 and 40 year old rattle trap reactors will lead to nuclear catastrophe. Radionuclides in trace amounts in the environment increase wild fires 30 fold and increase their radii like the 90,000 acre wildfire at Idaho National laboratory. The ground is saturated with radionuclides.

If even two or three nuke complexes melt down, half the country will get very sick.

Eventually, there will no one, to stop the country from going up in multiple chemical and nuclear explosions and fires .

There will be no drinkable water. All electric grids will be down. 2/3 of the country will be sick and dying, many people and animals bleeding through every pore in their bodies. Totally radiation sick from internal radionuclides and external beta and gamma irradiation.

Half the country will be on fire. Next year 10 extra hurricanes will occur. It will not be civil war that destroys America. Those of us who have survived the Marias, Harveys, blackouts, massive wildfires, know that.

People will.be too sick and disabled to move or eat, much less shoot anyone else. There will be catastrophic attrition and death, leading to more chemical plants blowing up. More power outages. More nuke reactors blowing up. Hi level nuke waste fires across the USA. The USA is already inundated with radionuclides - internally, in our water , in our landfills. Americans are so stupid.

New deadlier resistant California strain of Covid-19 virus

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-02-23/california-homegrown-coronavirus-strain-looks-increasingly-transmissible-and-dangerous 

More from Anonymous, performing a type of forceful practices.

"Millions in gulags, in American private and state prisons. Mostly black, many for victimless crimes. No economic planning. Libertardian-Ayn Rand fascists and devils who claim they believe in freedom yet love private prisons. Not civil libertarians at all . They are racist, Ayn Rand-fascists, teapatiers Republican-nazis . The whole lot are, Lying, hypocritical-racist scum. Bobo-gulpers and hypocrites. China has its problems but, it had sense enough, to limit its population growth. Gutter propagandists of the worse sort kill and, lie in murica,  500,000 dead in murica from covid. They spew vicious red baiting propaganda about China. Scum that want nuclear war with China. China has 350 nuke bombs. The USA has over 7000 nuclear weapons."

The causation of evil in America by anonymous

10,000 dollar power bills in Texas during outage because of Enron and power based on demand. Texas households face massive electricity bills, some as high as $17K, after winter storm | The Hill: Some Texans say they're getting massive electric bills following the winter storm that caused chaos throughout the state this past week. NBC News reports that some Texans are getting bills as high as $10,000, while local ABC News affiliate WFAA in Dallas says one man's bill shows him owing more than $17,000. Charged: Officials create ‘fictional gang’ to punish Phoenix protesters abc15.com/news local-news/investigations protest-arrests politically charged officials create fictional gang to punish phoenix protesters. This is worse than any Chinese authoritarian could ever conceive of doing and, i am no fan of Chinese authoritarianism. So called, trump stooge-libertarian nuclearists and Enron, etc privatized power from Enron and privatized utilities are responsible for the Texas blackout and, water freeze-catastrophe. The STP nuke reactors are completely scrammed.. ready to explode. The Texas AG tried to keep Trump president. All water and power off . Even in hospitals. The most corrupt, evil backwards place in murica.

Ayn Rand fascists and American Republican racists are only in favor of freedom and justice for rich-white people. Ayn rand fascists, are Not civil libertarians. They are not for civil liberties for all Americans only the captains of industry and property owners as Ayn Rand said. She worshiped psychopathic killers..... The fascist-racist pigs like Ted Cruz, will  not be happy about the end of Limbaugh or Trump because they are cowards and killers and narcissists. The KKK predominates Texas Repuklicans.. Alex Jones is financed by Stone and Trump.  He is calling for martial law and Texas secession..He helped instigate the DC murderous rampage. Jones helped hire Murderers, in the case of the kenosha and the seditious Capital murders..The seditionists in DC were rich and financed by rich corrupt Texans and others.Texas has the most above ground nuke waste in the country now. The DC seditionists  were white supremacist millionaire, businessmen, retired military white supremacist cops. Liars and posers and prowar, pronuclear goons. All fascist gulpers. Not spiritual beings. Hollowed out killers sociopaths and,psychopaths.. Like Mitch McConnelland their #1 minority party fascist enablers, who blocked the reestablishment of the rule of law and Democratic principles in America.They encourage the cowardly nuclear fascist, murderers on their blogs in politics, on fox news, on their hideous websites.They dwell on China and Iran because, they want more nuclear weapons and nuclear war.

They will not talk about their own nuclear messes . More plutonium plants. Hanford, Santa Susana, INL, 94 shitty old reactors ready to blow. Tens of thousands of tons on hi-level waste, in big thin tin cannisters in Texas, Nevada, San Onofre, by every reactor. In NM Nevada Utah, Idaho, WA, CA, most states. They let 500,000 die from COVID. The Repuklicans destroyed Texas infrastructure through years of neglect and Enron. YES BEGINNING with corrupt George w Bush and ENRON! He did the illegal second invasion of Iraq. Killed a million people and babies. Texas Karma. 

Their ongoing corruption. Thousands of citizens in houses, freezing to death with no water or electricity. Thousands in nursing homes, hospitals, in the streets dying.The pathologicals, dwell on the Falun Gang cults in China, and extremist cult epoch magazine while America builds more nuke bombs and, pushes  its reactor  and, nuclear waste accumulation, to nuclear oblivion. America continues to irradiate the world to death, building more bombs, keeping dangerous reactors open. America is accumulating and, improperly storing apocalyptically deadly nuclear waste. 200 million bucks Biden gave to the Egyptian dictator Al-sisi. Trillions to keep nuke-subs, nuke cruise missiles, and nuke carriers. To keep  bases all over the world, while Americans starve and freeze to death. The Japanese continue to cover up and lie about Fukushima even after a 7.3 earthquakes hits Japan in Feb 2021 Japan, Russia, France, UK, USA, continue  with the evil nuclear deceptions and abominations. It is good  the fascist devils Limbaugh and Trump are gone. Trump should be in jail.

A belated Happy Birthday to Nichiren, February 16th, 1222.

 

"All that is important is whether a belief is in accord with the scriptures."

"The truth of Buddhism has nothing to do with the opinion of the majority. All that is important is whether a belief is in accord with the scriptures. And, further, the golden words of the Buddha have already informed us that in the age of the Latter Day of the Law those who uphold the Right Dharma would be few in number. Thus the Nirvana Sutra says that "those who uphold the Right Dharma are as few as the grains of earth on a fingernail, and those that slander the Dharma are as numerous as the earth in of all the ten directions".

We are disciples of the Buddha since countless kalpas in the past.

"...We see from the sutra that only these four bodhisattvas had been the disciples of Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, since numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past; from the time he had first aroused the aspiration for and attained enlightenment, they had never followed any other Buddha, nor had they required the instruction of the theoretical and essential teachings.

Thus T’ien-t’ai says, 'The great assembly witnessed the Bodhisattvas of the Earth alone making this pledge.' He also states, “[The Buddha said of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth,] ‘These are my disciples, destined to propagate my Law.’ Miao-lo says, 'The children propagate the Law of the father.' And Tao-hsien states, “The Law embodied therein [in the Lotus Sutra] is the Law that was realized countless kalpas in the past, and therefore it was entrusted to persons who had been the Buddha’s disciples from countless kalpas in the past.' Thus these five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo were entrusted to these four bodhisattvas." - On Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sin

The four-line verse (Namu Myoho renge kyo).

 "The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states: 'Even if a person were to fill the whole major world system with the seven treasures as an offering to the Buddha and the great Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas and Arhats, the benefits gained by such a person cannot match those gained by accepting and upholding this Lotus Sutra, even just one four-line verse of it! The latter brings the most numerous blessings of all.'” -- Nichiren

SGI calls their dung "sandalwood" but when burned, it only gives off the stench of dung

"You may pile up dung and call it sandalwood, but when you burn it, it will give off only the odor of dung. You may pile up a lot of great lies and call them the teachings of the Buddha, but they will never be anything but a gateway to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude.

SGI lies pile up one after another: "The Five Senior priests burned Gosho that were not in classical Chinese."; "the babies of those who leave the SGI will be born deformed and mentally defective."; "Nichiren is the True Buddha and Shakyamuni is a provisional Buddha"; "the prime point of the Lotus Sutra is the mentor-disciple relationship"; "interfaith is the practice for this age"; the list goes on and on.

The Law as friend

"Answer: In this latter age there are true good friends to be found. They are none other than the Lotus and Nirvana sutras.

Question: It is very common for a person to act as a good friend. But is there any proof that the Law can be such a friend?

Answer: It is common enough for a person to act as such a friend. But in this latter age, no true friend is to be found, and thus there is ample proof that the Law can act as such a friend.

Great Concentration and Insight says: 'At times following a friend, and at times following the sutra scrolls, one hears the one true teaching of enlightenment that has been described above.'

The meaning of this passage is that one should take the sutra scrolls as one’s good friend.

The Lotus Sutra states: 'If when the Lotus Sutra is propagated throughout Jambudvīpa there are those who accept and uphold it, they should think to themselves: This is all due to the authority and supernatural power of Universal Worthy!'

This passage means that when ordinary people in this latter age put faith in the Lotus Sutra, they are relying upon the power of their good friend Universal Worthy.

The sutra also says: 'If there are those who accept, uphold, read, and recite this Lotus Sutra, memorize it correctly, practice and transcribe it, you should know that such persons have seen Shakyamuni Buddha. It is as though they heard this sutra from the Buddha’s mouth. You should know that such persons have offered alms to Shakyamuni Buddha.'

Reading this passage, we can see that the Lotus Sutra is none other than Shakyamuni Buddha himself. For persons who do not have faith in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha has passed into extinction. But for those who put faith in the sutra, although Shakyamuni Buddha may seem to have passed into extinction, he is still present in the world." - On the Protection of the Nation

"Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people."

“The sutra states, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,” and “If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.” A commentary says, “Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.” Another commentary says, “In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.” Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not even I can save you in your next life.”

The late Howie Grunthal (revised)

Howard Grunthal was one of my best friends. He was born in 1956. In retrospect, physically, he looked like Nichiren Daishonin, round face, large bodhisattva ears and even slight oriental eye folds although he was German-jew through and through. I introduced him to the SGI. He had many mental and emotional problems and an IQ around 160. I remember the day he got his Gohonzon in Long Island City. He was so happy for the first and only time in his life. He became a YMD (young men's division) in the SGI who tried his very best to live up to the expectations of his leaders and to introduce as many people as he could into the SGI. He would pick up all the young men in his 1969 Mercury Comet and we were stuffed in there like sardines.

We had some good times, swimming at his apartment complex swimming pool and going down to Downey's Irish Tavern after chanting and "shakabukuing" every one we could, smoking a little weed, and downing twenty cent Schaeffer beers. We were after all 19 years old.

Howie wasn't very good with the women. He was quite engaging, talking to the ladies for hours but because of his mental condition, trichotillomania, alopecia and looking like Nichiren Daishonin, he was quite frustrated. Also, despite his enormous IQ, he wasn't a very good student. He couldn't concentrate very well. We went to Lehman College together and he really helped me with with my first wife, another student, encouraging her to go out with me. I think he had a secret crush on Dolores but was too much of a gentleman and friend to let on.

He really tried his best to overcome his problems through the SGI. Seeking guidance dozens of times as he was prescribed by his leaders. But they were very tough on Howie who was both a gentle and tortured soul and they knew nothing about abnormal psychology but acted as if they knew the causes and conditions of Howie's problems better than his psychotherapist. They often told Howie that he no longer needed his psychotherapist or meds because all he needed was the Daimoku, President Ikeda's guidance, and more YMD activities. He was so sincere that despite his disabilities he became a YMD group chief and his leaders pushed Howie to do more activities.

Then one day, Howie accidently severely damaged his Gohonzon. He was doing spring cleaning in his room and he removed it from the butsudan (altar box) to clean the butsudan and it accidently fell into the detergent pail. He brought it to his leaders who weren't very sympathetic. They told him he would have to chant for at least a year to get another Gohonzon. If he was tortured before he damaged his Gohonzon, after he damaged it, and with all the SGI stories about what happens to those who lose or damage their Gohonzons, he really decompensated. And his leaders, despite his continued monumental effort with the practice, were never the same towards Howie.

Shortly thereafter, Howie took his butsudan and threw it out his 14th story window and he followed it to the ground. The SGI is an evil organization made up of people who maintain they have attained what they have not. The snot-nosed leaders who can barely get their own lives together run around teaching other people how to overcome their problems with not an ounce of real life training and preparation and not an ounce of compassion. Everything is for Ikeda and the SGI at the expense of the individual.

New leak at Fukushima due to latest earthquake

https://www.yahoo.com/news/water-leaks-indicate-damage-fukushima-133747374.html 

Jesus has abandoned the evil Texas, many left to suffer

 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/us/texas-winter-storm.html

On the other hand, the Buddhist gods, including Jesus, will never abandon those who chant Namu myoho renge kyo. Chant Namu Myoho renge kyo for peace and security in this life and a fortunate birth in the next. Please also chant for the sake of our nation, Texas, and our families.

The Eighth World of Self Realization. Is Marcin a Pratyekabuddha?

 

Have you ever heard these teachings in the Soka Gakkai?

"In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. NOT RELYING ON PERSONS means not relying on persons OTHER THAN THE BUDDHA, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushrī or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier." - Repaying Debts of Gratitude

"To illustrate, suppose that a person is standing at the foot of a tall embankment and is unable to ascend. And suppose that there is someone on top of the embankment who lowers a rope and says, “If you take hold of this rope, I will pull you up to the top of the embankment.” If the person at the bottom begins to doubt that the other has the strength to pull him up, or wonders if the rope is not too weak and therefore refuses to put forth his hand and grasp it, then how is he ever to get to the top of the embankment? But if he follows the instructions, puts out his hand, and takes hold of the rope, then he can climb up.

If one doubts the strength of the Buddha when he says, “I am the only person who can rescue and protect others”; if one is suspicious of the rope held out by the Lotus Sutra when its teachings declare that one can “gain entrance through faith alone”; if one fails to chant the Mystic Law which guarantees that “such a person assuredly and without doubt [will attain the Buddha way],” then the Buddha’s power cannot reach one, and it will be impossible to scale the embankment of enlightenment.

Lack of faith is the basic failing that causes a person to fall into hell. Therefore, the sutra states, “If with regard to this sutra one should harbor doubt and fail to believe, one will fall at once into the evil paths.” - Questions and Answers on Embracing the Lotus Sutra

It is OK to recite any chapter of the Lotus Sutra according to Nichiren

"Therefore, when it comes to the Lotus Sutra, it is praiseworthy to recite any chapter you have placed your trust in, WHICHEVER chapter that may be.

The Kalpa of Decrease

"Now in this latter, evil age, great evil arises less from secular wrongdoing than in connection with the doctrines of the religious world. When people today, who are unaware of this, endeavor to cultivate roots of good, events that lead to the ruin of the world occur all the more. Although superficially it may seem to be an act of good to provide support to the priests of the Tendai, True Word, and other schools of the present age*, in reality it is a great evil surpassing even the five cardinal sins and the ten evil acts." - The Kalpa of Decrease

*and today, it is such evil permutations of the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren, the SGI, the Nichiren Shoshu, and the Nichiren Shu.

"Question: What is the cause that brings about these various major and minor disasters?"

"Answer: The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, “Because those who go against the good Law are respected and favored and those who practice the good Law are subjected to suffering and punishment.” The Lotus Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and Golden Light Sutra all say in effect, “Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, the stars and constellations, along with the winds and rains, all fail to move in their proper seasons.” The Great Collection Sutra states, “When the teachings of the Buddha truly become obscured and lost . . . The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching.” The Benevolent Kings Sutra warns, “Once the sages have departed, then the seven disasters are certain to arise.” It also says, “Though it is not in accordance with the laws or regulations, they will bind the monks and treat them like condemned criminals. At that time the destruction of the Law will not be far off.” And in another place it states, “Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, will in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, or the other princes, and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, will listen to and put faith in such doctrines.” -  Choosing the Heart of the Lotus Sutra

Latest on Fukushima after strong earthquake yesterday

 

Nichiren they are NOT

 

Anonymous on the Nuclear Crisis

 AnonymousFebruary 13, 2021 at 8:30 PM

It is a good idea to chelate radionuclides which are internal.emitters out of your body, if u live.in the.USA or west.west.coast.


Over 170 million americans drink radioactive tap water. Probly a lot more and there is I131 and cs137 , plutonium in the water around Fallon Nevada which has one.of the.highest cancer rates in the USA.because they detonated nuclear bombs in their water supply and fracked nuclear waste into the ground in the sixties. Anywhere around nuclear complexes are contaminated to lo hell. There is also depleted uranium.in all over the usa from munition testing. Plutonium like amerecium 244 in all land fills from cheap smoke detectors the government allows to be pawned off on America to cut the amount of high level nuclear waste accumulating at reactors across the USA.

https://www.ewg.org/research/170-million-us-drink-radioactive-tap-water-trump-nominee-faked-data-hide-cancer-risk

The worst radionuclide internal emitters from high level nuclear reactor waste are, the strontium90.cesium 137, iodine 131 uranium 236 and.plutonium 239.. Prussian blue can to be used carefully to get cs137 out. NAC a staple of all medical oxicologists as an antioxident and radioguard. Taking iodine tablets helps.

The LDP leaders, in Japan,  will tell you nuclear power is the cleanest and that it is too cheap to meter. That is, while lying through their teeth bout Fukushima.

THIS IS HOW AWFUL EVEN LOW LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE IS
Watch "Video released of explosion at low-level radioactive waste facility" on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VHylGDOvwU&feature=youtu.be

They do know what is buried there. Liars. It is pieces of the old closed san onofre reactor, from san Diego. They have since moved the waste to tooele by SLC.  This is so-called low level waste.

Nuclear weapons and nuclear power go hand in hand. Trump consolidated the largest nuclear armament jumps in history with a nuclear space force. Abrogating nuclear treaties. Tactical nuclear weapons on submarines. A hypersonic nuclear missile race with Russia that led to an accidental nuclear explosion in Russia. A new plutonium pit factory in Carolina. Trump escalated what Bush and Obama started, tremendously. He almost used a nuke on iran. That would have been the start of nuclear war. Biden is a tool of the nuke monsters and war profiteers. Biden is doing nothing to wind things down w Iran.

Nuclear weapons and nuclear power share several common features. The long list of links includes their histories, similar technologies, skills, health and safety aspects, regulatory issues and radiological research and development. For example, the process of enriching uranium to make it into fuel for nuclear power stations is also used to make nuclear weapons. Plutonium is a by-product of the nuclear fuel cycle and is still used by some countries to make nuclear weapons.


Trump is horribly mentally ill. If he had stayed in power, there would be criminalized anarchy and, probably a nuclear war. So many people, support that. They are all insane. I cannot trust people like that anymore. TRUMP HAS TO FACE JUSTICE AND RETRIBUTION. JAIL-FINES . MURDERER,  NUCLEAR MANIAC. IF REACTORS GO OFF UNDER BIDEN HE SHOULD FACE THE SAME FATE.

The Japanese have poisoned the Pacific.  They want to dump millions of more gallons of the radioactive water into the Pacific. THE WORLD IS TIRED OF THE PRONUCLEAR LIBERAL.DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND KOMEITO IN JAPAN, THE WORLD IS TIRED OF NUCLEAR FACIST PUTIN IN RUSSIA AND THE NAZIS WHO ARE RUNNING UKRAINE INTO ANOTHER MAJOR CHERNOBYL STYLE NUCLEAR REACTOR  CATASTROPHE.

The UNITED STATES would be going up in flames if trump continued in power. Crime would be far worse THAN ANYONE COULD IMAGINE LIKE HONDURAS WITH MS13 GANGS AND PARAMILITARYS TERRORIZING THE COUNTRY. THINGS ARE Very bad right now. TRUMP FOR SURE, WOULD HAVE SET OFF A NUKE WAR.

Powerful Category 7.3 Earthquake Rocks Fukushima

Nearly one million people without power. We'll never know the truth of the setback for the decommissioning of the three melted down reactors. SGI false religion's misfortune marches on.

Questions and Answers on the Various Schools of Buddhism

https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/174 

Nichiren on the root and origins of illusions

"...The root and origin of illusions is a failure to understand the Buddha who has been enlightened since the far distant past." - On the Ten Worlds

Nichiren believers, divided in spirit, can accomplish little

“...If there are those who possess differing ideas concerning the three treasures, then truly you should know that these people can no longer hope to take refuge in, or rely upon, the three pure treasures. They will never gain benefit from any of the precepts, and in the end, they will fail to obtain the fruits of the voicehearer, the cause-awakened one, or the bodhisattva.” This passage is clearly referring to [the essential point of ] the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra..." (The Third Doctrine)

"If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable..." -  Nichiren

"Spiritual, But Not Religious" Identities in U.S. Faith-Based Activism: Case Studies in the Nipponzan Myohoji Order and the Catholic Worker Movement the Dissertation of Katharine Hester Cross

https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/96313/Cross_KH_D_2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

"Myō is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and hō, to its manifestations. Renge, which means lotus flower, is used to symbolize the wonder of this Law. If we understand that our life at this moment is myō, then we will also understand that [all] life is the Mystic Law. This realization is the mystic kyō, or sutra." - Nichiren

Soka Gakkai is fake Buddhism according to the Great Teachers

 

The few may be superior to the many

"The sage said: “How foolish you are! Your attachment to this belief that one should abandon the few in favor of the many towers higher than Mount Sumeru, and your conviction that the narrow should be despised and the broad honored is deeper than the vast ocean. In the course of our discussion, I have already demonstrated that something is not necessarily worthy of honor simply because it is many in number or despicable simply because it is few. Now I would like to go a step farther and explain how the small can actually encompass the great, and the one be superior to the many." - A Sage and an Unenlightened Man

Two passages from the Lotus Sutra Chapter 23 [The Story of the Bodhisattva Medicine King]

"Again, if anyone offers a three-thousand-great-thousandfold world full of the seven precious things in homage to buddhas, great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats, the merit this man gains is not equal to the surpassing happiness of him who receives and keeps but a single fourfold verse [Namu Myoho renge kyo] of this Law-Flower Sutra."

"Star Constellation King Flower! This sutra is that which can save all the living; this sutra can deliver all the living from pains and sufferings; this sutra is able greatly to benefit all the living and fulfill their desires. Just as a clear, cool pool is able to satisfy all those who are thirsty, as the cold who obtain a fire [are satisfied], as the naked who find clothing, as [a caravan of] merchants who find a leader, as children who find their mother, as at a ferry one who catches the boat, as a sick man who finds a doctor, as in the darkness one who obtains a lamp, as a poor man who finds a jewel, as people who find a king, as merchant venturers who gain the sea, and as a torch which dispels the darkness, so is it also with this Law-Flower Sutra; it is able to deliver all the living from all sufferings and all diseases, and is able to unloose all the bonds of mortal life."

"Among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering." -- Nichiren

"Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?

Japan today is filled with followers of Jikaku, Chisho, and Kobo— there is not a single person who is not a slanderer of the Law. "Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?"Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?

If we stop to consider the situation, it is very much like what prevailed in the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Great Adornment or the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha All Bright King. In the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King, even though people repented of their wrongdoings, they still had to suffer for a thousand kalpas in the Avichi hell. What, then, of the situation today? The True Word teachers, the followers of the Zen school, and the priests of the Nembutsu show not the slightest sign of repentance in their hearts. Can there be any doubt that, as the Lotus Sutra says, they “will keep repeating this cycle for a countless number of kalpas” ?

Because Japan is a country where the correct teaching is slandered, heaven has abandoned it. And because heaven has abandoned it, the various benevolent deities who in the past guarded and protected the nation have burned their shrines and returned to the Capital of Tranquil Light.

Now there is only I, Nichiren, who remain behind, announcing and giving warning of these things. But when I do so, the rulers of the nation treat me like an enemy. People by the hundreds curse me and speak ill of me, attack me with staves and sticks, swords and knives. Door after door is closed to me, house after house drives me away. And when the authorities find that even such treatment does not stop me, they intervene in the matter. Twice they sent me into exile, and once, on the twelfth day of he ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), they very nearly cut off my head.

The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, “Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, marauders will appear from other regions, and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder.”

The Great Collection Sutra states: “There may perhaps be various kings of the Kshatriya class who act in a way contrary to the Law, causing anguish to the voice-hearer disciples of the World-Honored One. Perhaps they may curse and revile them or beat and injure them with swords and staves, or deprive them of their robes and begging bowls and the other things they need. Or perhaps they may restrain and persecute those who give alms to the disciples. If there should be those who do such things, then we will see to it that their enemies in foreign lands rise up suddenly of their own accord and march against them, and we will cause uprisings to break out within their states. We will bring about pestilence and famine, unseasonable winds and rains, and contention, wrangling, [and slander]. And we will make certain that those rulers do not last for long, but that their nations are brought to destruction.”

As these passages from the sutras indicate, if I, Nichiren, were not here in Japan, then one might suppose that the Buddha was a teller of great lies for making such predictions, and that he could not escape falling into the Avichi hell.

On the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei, I stood in the presence of Hei no Saemon and several hundred others and declared, “Nichiren is the pillar of Japan! Doing away with Nichiren is toppling the pillar of Japan!”

The passages of scripture I have quoted indicate that, if the rulers, heeding the slanders of evil monks or the vicious talk of others, should inflict punishment on persons of wisdom, then warfare will immediately break out, great winds will blow, and attackers will appear from foreign lands. In the second month of the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272), fighting did in fact break out between two factions of the ruling Hojo family; in the fourth month of the eleventh year of Bun’ei, there were violent winds; and in the tenth month of the same year, the Mongol forces attacked Japan. Has not all of this come about because of the treatment that has been given to me, Nichiren? This is exactly what I have been predicting from times past. Can anyone be in doubt about the matter?

The errors preached by Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho have for many long years been spread about the country, and then, on top of them, have come the confusions propagated by the Zen and Nembutsu schools. It is as though, in addition to adverse winds, one should be visited by huge waves and earthquakes as well. With all this, the nation has been brought to the verge of destruction. In the past the grand minister of state usurped the power of government, and after the Jokyu Disturbance the imperial court ceased to exercise its rule and the seat of authority shifted east to Kamakura. But these were no more than internal disturbances; the nation as yet had not faced invasion from abroad.

Moreover, though at that time there were those who slandered the Law, there were also a few people who continued to uphold the correct doctrine of the Tendai school. And in addition, at that time no wise person had appeared who would attempt to remedy the situation. As a result, things were relatively peaceful.

If the lion is sleeping and you do not wake him, he will not roar. If the current is swift but you do not pull against it with your oar, no waves will rise up. If you do not accuse the thief to his face, he will remain unruffled; if you do not add fuel to the fire, it will not blaze up. In the same way, though there may be those who slander the Law, if no one comes forward to expose their error, then the government will continue for the time being on its regular course, and the nation will remain undisturbed.

For example, when the Buddhist teachings were first introduced to Japan, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. But later, when [Mononobe no] Moriya began burning Buddhist statues, seizing priests, and putting the torch to Buddhist halls and pagodas, then fire rained down from heaven, smallpox broke out in the nation, and there were repeated military clashes.

But the situation now is far worse. Today those who slander the Law fill the entire country, and I, Nichiren, attack them, strong in my determination to uphold what is right and just. We battle no less fiercely than the asuras and the god Shakra, or the Buddha and the devil king.

The Golden Light Sutra states, “There will be times when enemies among the neighboring states will begin to think as follows: ‘We must call out all our four types of troops and destroy that country [where the slanderers of the Law live].’ ”

The same sutra also says: “There will be times when the rulers of neighboring states, observing the situation and mobilizing their four types of troops, will make ready to set out for the country [where the slanderers of the Law live], determined to subdue it. At that time we [the great deities] will instruct all the countless, limitless numbers of yakshas and other deities who are our followers to assume disguises and protect these rulers, causing their nemies to surrender to them without difficulty.”

The Sovereign Kings Sutra states the same thing, as do the Great Collection and Benevolent Kings sutras. According to the statements of these various sutras, if the ruler of a state persecutes those who practice the correct teaching and instead sides with those who practice erroneous teachings, then the heavenly kings Brahma and Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings will enter the bodies of the worthy rulers of neighboring states and will attack his state. For example, King Krita was attacked by King Himatala, and King Mihirakula was overthrown by King Baladitya. Kings Krita and Mihirakula were rulers in India who attempted to eradicate Buddhism. In China, too, all those rulers who tried to destroy Buddhism were attacked by worthy rulers.

But the situation in Japan today is much worse. For here the rulers appear to be supporters of the Buddhist teachings, but they assist the priests who are destroying Buddhism and persecute the practitioner of the correct teaching. As a result, ignorant people all fail to realize what is happening, and even wise persons, if they are no more than moderately wise, have difficulty grasping the situation. Even the lesser deities of heaven, I suspect, do not understand. For this reason, the confusion and depravity in Japan today are even greater than those in India or China in the past.

In the Decline of the Law Sutra the Buddha speaks as follows: “After I have entered nirvana, in the troubled times when the five cardinal sins prevail, the way of the devil will flourish. The devil will appear in the form of Buddhist monks and attempt to confuse and destroy my teachings. . . . Those who do evil will become as numerous as the sands of the ocean, while the good will be extremely few, perhaps no more than one or two persons.”

And the Nirvana Sutra says, “Those who thus are able to take faith in works such as this Nirvana Sutra will be as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. . . . But those who are not able to take faith in this sutra will be as numerous as the specks of dirt in all the worlds of the ten directions.”

These passages from the scriptures are extremely apt, considering the times we live in, and they are deeply etched in my mind. Nowadays in Japan one hears people everywhere declaring, “I believe in the Lotus Sutra,” and “I, too, believe in the Lotus Sutra.” If we took them at their word, we would have to conclude that there is not a soul who slanders the Law. But the passage from the sutra that I have just quoted says that in the Latter Day the slanderers of the Law will occupy all the lands in the ten directions, while those who uphold the correct teaching will take up no more land than can be placed on top of a fingernail. What the sutra says and what the people of the world today say are as different as fire is from water. People these days say that, in Japan, Nichiren is the only one who slanders the Law. But the sutra says that there will be more slanderers of the Law than the great earth itself can hold.

The Decline of the Law Sutra says that there will be only one or two good persons, and the Nirvana Sutra says that the believers can fit into the space of a fingernail. If we accept what the sutras say, then in Japan Nichiren is the only good person, the one who fits into the space of a fingernail. Therefore, I hope that people who are seriously concerned about the matter will consider carefully whether they want to accept what the sutras say, or what the world says.

Someone might object that the passage in the Nirvana Sutra speaks about the votaries of the Nirvana Sutra being as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail, while I am talking about the Lotus Sutra. I would reply to this as follows.

The Nirvana Sutra itself says, “[When this sutra was preached . . . the prediction had already been made] in the Lotus Sutra [that the eight thousand voice-hearers would attain Buddhahood].” The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, “The Nirvana Sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and saying that it is the ultimate.” The Nirvana Sutra is calling the Lotus Sutra the ultimate. Therefore, when followers of the Nirvana school state that the Nirvana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra, it is the same as calling a retainer a lord or a servant a master.

To read the Nirvana Sutra means to read the Lotus Sutra. For the Nirvana Sutra is like a worthy who rejoices to see another holding his sovereign in esteem even when he himself is treated with contempt. Thus the Nirvana Sutra would despise and regard as its enemy anyone who tried to demote the Lotus Sutra and praise the Nirvana Sutra instead.

With this example in mind, one must understand the following point. If there are likewise those who read the Flower Garland Sutra, the Meditation Sutra, the Mahavairochana Sutra, or some other sutra, and they do so thinking that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to those sutras, then they are doing violence to the very heart of those sutras. One must also understand the following point. Even though one reads the Lotus Sutra and appears to believe in it, if one thinks that one may also attain the way through any other sutra as well, then one is not really reading the Lotus Sutra.

For example, the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang wrote a work in ten volumes entitled The Treatise on the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra in which he praised the Lotus Sutra. But Miao-lo criticized the work, saying, “There are slanders in it— how can it be regarded as sincere praise?”

Chia-hsiang was in fact an offender against the Lotus Sutra. Thus, when he was defeated by T’ien-t’ai and served him, he no longer lectured on the Lotus Sutra. “If I were to lecture on it,” he said, “I could not avoid falling back into the paths of evil.” And for seven years, he made his own body a bridge [for T’ien-t’ai to walk on].

Similarly, the Great Teacher Tz’u-en wrote a work in ten volumes entitled Praising the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra in which he praised the Lotus Sutra, but the Great Teacher Dengyo criticized it, saying, “Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart.”

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. Even men like Chia-hsiang and Tz’uen were actually slanderers of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. And if such can be said of them, it applies even more to men like Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, who displayed open contempt for the Lotus Sutra.

There are those like the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang, who ceased giving lectures, dispersed the group of disciples that had gathered around him, and even made his body into a bridge for T’ien-t’ai. But in spite of these actions, the offense of his earlier slanders of the Lotus Sutra was not, I expect, so easily wiped out. The crowd of people who despised and abused Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, although they later came to believe in his teachings and became his followers, still carried the burden of their former actions and had to spend a thousand kalpas in the Avichi hell as a result." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

On Stupid Persons

"And so, when I, neither hesitating to speak out nor fearing others, tell them frankly that they are stupid persons who have misunderstood the true meaning of the Buddhist teachings, and that they are slanderers of the Law; when I deliver a sharp rebuke to them, mindful of the Buddha’s golden words "then that monk is betraying Buddhism" and trusting in the passage of scripture that reads, "We will be envoys of the World Honored One, facing the assembly without fear"; when I do this, censuring those who 'suppose they have attained what they have not attained, being proud and boastful in heart,' then how can they fail to turn upon me with hatred and jealousy?" - The Teachings in Accordance With the Buddha's Mind}

Mostly, I get kicked off the forums when I call others stupid. With SGI members who suppose to have attained what they have not, when I call them stupid persons, they call into question my behavior. I usually smile and go on realizing that they in fact are indeed stupid persons. 

It is the Latter Day of the Law. We can expect to come into contact with many stupid and evil persons. Stupid Buddhists are the most stupid of all because they should know better.