That is not possible failing to follow the Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Here are several passages from authentic Gosho rebuking their view:
"Demonstrating ten great mystic powers the Buddha transferred Namu Myoho renge Kyo to the four great bodhisattvas" (Ibid pg 77)
Somebody transferred something to you Julian. As much as you wish to think it is the power of your own efforts, there is one cause and one effect that only Shakyamuni Buddha was capable of extracting through his own efforts..... Myoho renge kyo.
"People can attain Buddhahood in two ways: By meeting the Buddha and hearing the Lotus Sutra, or by believing in the sutra even though they do not meet the Buddha."
You don't really believe the Lotus Sutra Julian. You defer to the commentaries rather than to the Sutra itself.
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"The Juryo chapter reads: "The time is limitless and boundless -- a hundred thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand nayuta aeons since I in fact attained Buddhahood." Present within our lives is the Lord Shakyamuni who obtained the three enlightened properties of life before gohyaku-jintengo, the original Buddha since time without beginning."
Sorry Julian, not you or Ikeda or your members or your leaders are this Buddha. you can continue to announce it and continue to depreciate the messengers of the Nichiren faith on these boards but you are just fashioning the shackles that will prevent you from receiving the fruit of the Buddha's merits and the Lotus Sutra's benefits.
"You who are my disciples, take this to heart! The Bodhisattvas of the Earth were the first disciples of Lord Shakyamuni when he attained enlightenment in the remotest past, yet they were not faithful to him in India"
Why are we disciples of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni and no one else and he is not our disciple? Why don't you think about it? If we were Perfectly Enlightened, of what use would we have for a master? Of what use did Nichiren have for a master if he was Perfectly Enlightened?
"Shakyamuni is the original teacher for all people as well as their soverign and their parent" (MW vol 1, Admonitions Against Slander, pg 166)
"Shakyamuni is the father, soverign and teacher of all other Buddhas and all gods, of the whole assembly of men and heavenly beings and of all sentient beings." (MW vol 1, Letter to Nikke, pg 257)
"But because of this book by Horen, this Senchaku Shu, the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni is forgotten." (MW vol 2, Rissho Ankoku Ron, pg 23)
"One should know that the Enlightened One, the Buddha, is a Great Teacher for all living beings, a Great Eye for them, a Great Pillar, a Great Helmsman, a Great Field of Plenty." (MW vol 2, Opening of the Eyes, pg 77)
"The doctrines that the Buddha taught over a period of fifty years number eighty thousand...The eight years during which he preached the Lotus Sutra he called the time when he 'now must reveal the truth'. Thus Taho Buddha came forth from the earth to testify that 'All that you have expounded is the truth,' and the Buddhas that are emanations of the Original Buddha gathered together and extended their tongues up to the Brahma-heaven in testimony." (MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 79)
"The Buddhas of the ten directionss gathered in assembly, Shakyamuni Buddha announced that 'all of these are emanations of my being." (MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 141)
"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni." (MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 149)
"Since the Buddha of the Juryo chapter is revealed as the eternal Buddha, it follows that the great bodisattvas such as Monju and Miroku and the great bodisattvas from other realms are in fact disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 150)
We are emanations and disciples of Lord Shakyamuni. Why? Think about it.
"All these beings are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. Since the various Buddhas themselves are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, it goes without saying that their disciples must be disciples of Shakyamuni. And of course the various decties of the sun, moon and stars, who have dwelt in the world from countless ages in the past must likewise be disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 152)
Ditto.
"The Lotus Sutra is nothing other than a scripture that reveals that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment at a time even more distant than gohyaku-jintengo." (MW vol 2, Letter to the Priests of Seicho-ji, pg 268)
"But Shakyamuni [by bestowing upon us the character myo] has granted us as many benefits as if we ourselves had fulfilled all the practices of the six paramitas. This precisely accords with his statement, "Now this threefold world is all my domain, the living beings in it are all my children." (MW vol 3, Letter to Nichimyo Shonin, pg 48-49)
Julian would like to think that he grants himself these many benefits. This is what the SGI teaches. Unfortunately it is not what is taught in the Nichiren faith. The Nichiren faith is superior to the SGI faith? Why? Because it is founded on reality and not pie in the sky wishful thinking as exhibited by Julian, Ikeda, Jim, Kathy and others.
Note also, "bestowing on us", not what we have realized for ourselves. Sorry that Julian has more faith in the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu and even the Zen teachings than the teachings of the Nichiren faith.
"Now the votaries of the Lotus Sutra are the children of Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 3, Ibid, pg 49)
But Julian and the SGI want so bad to be the father they are willing to trash the Nichiren faith do so. This is what is frightening about Harsh, Ikeda, Julian and the rest.
"All that you (Shakyamuni Buddha) have expounded is the truth." (MW vol 3, Ibid pg 51)
Not what Mark or Julian or Nikken or Ikeda expound.
"The Lord Shakyamuni assembled Taho Buddha as well as the other Buddhas, who were his own emanations, from throughout ten directions and left one great medicine-the five characters of Myoho renge Kyo-for the people of the Latter Day." (MW vol 3, The Munadala of the Mystic Law, pg 58)
You are at best an emanation or disciple of Shakyamuni Julian. I am satisfied with my status,. You are attatched to your ego and the ego of Ikeda and the rest of the SGI.
"Lord Shakyamuni treasured this Gohonzon in mind...He revealed it in the Juryo chapter..." (MW vol 3, Reply to Nii-Ama, pgs 64-65)
MW vol 3, pg 79. The selection of the Time-directly under the title is written: Nichiren, disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha.
"Yet it was not I, Nichiren who made these important pronouncements. Rather it was in all cases the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha that had entered into my body. And at having personally experienced this I am beside myself with joy." (MW vol 3, Ibid, pg 171)
You and I may one day be as fortunate as Nichiren. Until then, a bit of humility and a touch of reality would be in order.
"Shakyamuni Buddha, the World Honored One, declared, 'I am the foremost throughout the threefold world." (MW vol 3, Ibid, pg 176)
Not you Julian.
"When I was about to be beheaded, the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni took my place."(MW vol 3, The Supremacy of the Law, pg 199).
"However, they are alike in that they all abandoned Shakyamuni Buddha," and in the next paragraph it states, "If there is anyone among my followers who is weak in faith and goes against what I, Nichiren, say, he will meet the same fate as did the Soga family." (MW vol 3, The Supreme Leader of the World, pg 237)
Will you meet the same fate as they? Will I?
"I have been ceaselessly praying for your sake to the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha and the gods of the sun and moon." (MW vol 3, Ibid)
Not praying to Ikeda and the SGI.
"Our teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 4, The Learned Shan-wu-wei, pg 64)
"They are monks and nuns by virtue of the Lord Shakyamuni." (Ibid, pg 65)
Not merely by virtue of their own power.
"There are three reasons why Shakyamuni Buddha rather than any of the other Buddhas has a relationship with all the people of the world of the saha world. First of all, he is the World Honored One, the soverign of all the people of this saha world...
The second reason is that Shakyamuni Buddha is the father and mother of all the persons in the saha world. It is proper that we should first of all pay filial respect to our own father and mother...
The third reason is that Shakyamuni is the original teacher of all persons in the saha world." (Ibid, pgs 65-66)
Why is Nichiren making a distinction here between Shakyamuni and the people or do you think that he is not making a distinction here? Do you think you are equal to the Gohonzon while slandering the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren by replacing them with an inferior teaching?
"I alone can save them." (Ibid, pg 69)
So said Shakyamuni Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. Did Nichiren try to refutethis point? Then why do you?
"For this reason, all the persons in this saha world of ours, if they detest the sufferings of birth and death and wish to have an object of veneration to which they can pay respect, should first of all fashion images of Shakyamuni Buddha...and make these their object of worship." (Ibid, pg 69)
"Shakyamuni Buddha our father and mother, who is endowed with the three virtues of soverign, teacher and parent, is the very one who encourages us, the people driven out by all the other Buddhas, saying, 'I alone can save them'. The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky. Though we were to pluck out our two eyes and place them before him as an offering until there were more eyes there than stars in the sky, though we were to strip off our skins and spread them out by the hundreds of ten thousands until they blanketed the ceiling of heaven, though we were to give him our tears as offerings of water and present him with flowers for the space of a hundred billion kalpas, though we were to offer him our flesh and bloodfor innumerable kalpas, until our flesh piled up like mountains and our blood overflowed like vast seas, we could never repay a fraction of the debt we owe to this Buddha!" (Ibid, pg 71-72)
You Julian are so stingy and arrogant you can only muster thanks for yourself.
"All that you [Shakyamuni Buddha] have expounded is the truth." (MW vol 4, Teaching, Practice and Proof, pg 120)
"First, in Japan and in the entire world, the object of worship should uniformly take the Master of Teachings Lord Shakyamuni of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship"( Repaying Debts of Gratitude)
"I have dedicated my life to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra, extending compassion to all living beings and rebuking slanders of the Law." (MW vol 5, A Sage and an Unenlightened Man, pg 107)
No need to do as Nichiren did according to the SGI and Julian.
"I Nichiren, humble person though I am, have recieved Lord Shakyamuni's royal command and come to this country of Japan." (MW vol 5, The Pure and Far Reaching Voice, pg 143)
"Shakyamuni Buddha is the lord of all buddhist teachings, the leader and teacher of all human beings." (Ibid, pg 143)
But Julian thinks he is equal or above Shakyamuni and is therefore stingy with his praise to the World Honored One. He rather praise his own achievments while downplaying those of the Buddha. Why? Becuase this is the SGI way.
"Shakyamuni Buddha and the written words of the Lotus Sutra are two different things but their heart is one. Therefore, when you cast your eyes upon the words of the Lotus Sutra you should consider that you are beholding the living body of the \Buddha Shakyamuni." (Ibid, pg 147)
But Julian's Enlightenment is Perfect. What need does he have to gaze at the living body of Shakyamuni Buddha? According to him, he is the perfect manifestation of the living body of the Law? The root cause of his arrogance and stupidity is that he gazes not at the living body of Shakyamuni but the living body of the greatest slanderer (to date) in Mappo, Daisaku Ikeda. Is there any doubt why he has developed the delusions he has?
"However the Buddha recognizes each character as a golden Lord Shakyamuni.' This is the meaning of the statement that '[one who is able to hold this Sutra] thereby holds the Buddha's body'. Those who practice Buddhism but adhere to distorted views destroy this loftiest of Sutras." (MW vol 5, Reply to Soya Nyudo, pg 164)
Those with distorted views are the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu
"The Son of Heaven utters not a single word in vain' and 'the words of the Dharma King contain no falsehood'. A wise ruler will never lie, even if it should bring about his ruin. How much less would Shakyamuni Buddha ever speak falsely!" (MW vol 5, Good Fortune in ThisLife, pg 185)
That is why Nichiren never said about Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni said this but meant that. That is why the Kempn Hokke never says either Shakyamuni(in the Lotus Sutra) or Nichiren says this but meant that.
"Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies." (MW vol 5, Letter to Myomitsu Shonin, pg 196)
We too will be perfectly endowed but for the moment, we are imperfectly endowed. That is why we practice the Buddhism of the sowing so we can become perfectly endowed(not that we already are).
"Shakyamuni, the Lord of Teachings, is the foremost sage in the saha world." (Ibid, pg 199)
But Julian says Mark is mistaken not to think that he is the foremost sage. Julian is not even the foremost sage in Devonshire let alone the Saha world.
"As we see from these passages of scripture, Shakyamuni, with his Buddha eye, observed the situation that would prevail at the begining of the Latter Day of the Law. If, when the age has arrived, there were to be no persons of the type the Buddha describes then the World-Honored One would be guilty of false and baseless talk. [And if that were to be the case, then] who would put faith in the theoretical and essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, and in the doctrine of the eternally inherent Buddha Nature." (MW vol 6, Reply to Lord Hakiri Saburo, pg 40)
Here, is not Shakyamuni predicting the advent of the Nichiren Shoshu and the SGI who distort and misrepresent the teachings?
"Shakyamuni summoned the four bodhisattvas and entrusted them with the five characters of Myoho renge Kyo." (MW vol 6, Rebuking Slander ofthe Law, pg 60)
"We see from the Sutra that only these four bodhisattvas had been the disciples of Shakyamuni, the Lord of Teachings, since the remote past." (Ibid, pg 62)
Because Original is first, the Four Great Bodhisattvas are the disciples of Shakyamuni. And then Julian and then Mark and then Ikeda, and then......
"The sons will disseminate the Law of the Father." (Ibid, pg 62)
Julian and the SGI is like Ajatashatru who would displace their own father. The difference is that Ajatashatru has already renounced his earlier erroneous beliefs while Julian believes ever more and even attempts to propagate them further.
"The Shakyamuni of the Juryo Chapter has never been depicted in any mountain temple or monastery anywhere." (Ibid, pg 63)
Why depict or praise Gohonzon, "I am Gohonzon", according to Julian and the SGI.
"The nation of Japan today has turned its back on the Lotus Sutra and cast aside Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 6, Letter To Ichinosana Nyudo, pg 99)
No one more so than Ikeda and the SGI.
"Shakyamuni Buddha is the Parent of all living beings in this world." (Ibid, pg 100)
"The Lord Buddha Shakyamuni is the enlightened teacher for all living beings in the country of ours. It is thanks to our teacher that we can understand who our parents are. It is owing to Shayamuni that we can distinguish black from white." (Ibid, pg 100)
Not owing to ourselves and our less than Perfect Enlightenment.
"It will be hard indeed to find anyone who can preach the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches in the Latter Day of the Law of Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW vol 6, Three Tripitaka Masters, pg 118)
How prophetic!!!!
"The Tathagata Shakyamuni, seated in the tower adorned with seven kinds of precious gems, entrusted the five characters of Myoho renge Kyo to Takahashi Nyudo." (MW vol 6, Reply to Takashi Nyudo, pg 124)
"Were it not for Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, how could such blessings as these be bestowed."(ibid)
Julian, Ikeda and the SGI, all puffed up, thinks we bestow these blessings on ourselves.
"The Hokke [Lotus] sect is the sect founded by Shakyamuni." (MW vol 6, How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood, pg 175)
"Therefore [the sect based on] the Lotus Sutra is known as the Buddha-founded sect and is also called the Hokke Sect." (Ibid, pg 175)
"The various other sects were founded by bodhisattvas or teachers in the period after the Buddha had entered Nirvana. Should we now turn our backs upon the Buddha's decree and follow the sects established by the bodhisattvas and teachers? Or should we ignore the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers and follow the sect established by the Buddha." (Ibid, pg 176)
This is exactly what Julian does either out of ignorance or becuase he hates the votaries.
"Now the Latter Day of the Law, is the time when the seven characters of Namu Myoho renge kyo-the heart of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra that Shakyamuni Buddha who had achieved enlightenment in the remote past, along with the bodhisattvas Jogyo, Muhengyo and the others is to propogate-will alone spread throughout the country." (Ibid)
Perfect time to cite the High Priests but all Nichiren mentions is "the others". We are all potentially others as long as we don't distort the message as the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu
"The messenger of the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni has twice been paraded through thestreet." (MW vol 6, A Father Takes Faith, pg 242).
Julian thinks that the messenger is the originator of the message. Nichiren is absolutely not mincing words here. No secret teaching is being inferred and his position as well as ours in relation to Shakyamuni is layed down clearly.
"Therefore, the words of this Sutra are indeed the very soul of Shakyamuni Buddha. And since every single word constitutes the soul of the Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha will protect persons who practice this Sutra as though he were protecting his very own eyes. He will accompany such persons just as a shadow accompanies a body. How then could the prayers of such persons not be answered." (MW vol 7, On Prayer, pg 34)
This is perfectly clear and infinitely more clear than the mistranslated words of the Nichiren Shoshu and SGI translation of Reply to Kyo'o.
"The various Buddhas [other than Shakyamuni], since they are known as World Honored One, may be regarded as Sovereigns. But since they do not make their appearance in this saha world, they are not teachers. Nor do they declare that '...the living beings in it (this threefold world) are all my children'. Thus, Shakyamuni Buddha alone fulfills the three functions of sovereign, teacher and parent." (Ibid, pg 43)
"The Shakyamuni Buddha who lived in a past even more distant than gohyaku-jintengo-became enlightened to the Lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law. Thereafter, in age after age and lifetime after lifetime, he declared that he had attained the way and he revealed the fundamental principle of wisdom and reality." (MW vol 7, The Entity of the Mystic Law, pg 67)
"In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, his original disciples, the five characters of Myoho renge Kyo which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless Kalpas in the past, says elsewhere, 'By now the original vows that I made have already been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them to enter the Buddha way'...This passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni appeared in the world, the secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation." (Ibid, pg 70)
"In the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the Lotus of the Entity." (Ibid, pg 70)
Since the Nichiren Shoshu, the SGI and Julian do not understand this passage they are not the envoys of the Thus Come One.
"The way in which the Lotus emerges from the muddy water is used as a metaphor to explain that when the Thus Come One joins the multitude of listeners, seats himself on a lotus in the same manner as the various bodhisattvas and expounds on the unsurpassed wisdom of the Thus Come One and on the enlightened state of purity, the various voice heavens, hearing this, are able to obtain the secret storehouse of the Thus Come One. Second, the words Myoho renge signify the lotus opening up. (This is a metaphor explaining that) ordinary beings, though exposed to the Mahayana teachings, are timid and fearful in mind and incapable of taking faith in them.
Therefore the Thus Come One 'opens' or reveals his Dharma body in its purity and wonder, awakening in them the mind of faith." (Ibid, pg 71-72)
"In the entire land of Jambuduipa, there has never before been a hall or pagoda that produced the image of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. How could such an image fail to appear now." (MW vol 7, The Unmatched Fortune of the Law, pg 160)
"But he revears Shakyamuni Buddha and puts his faith in the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Hence he is like a snake that grips a jewel in its mouth, or a dragon that bears sacred relics on its head. A wisteria vine by Twining around a pine, may climb a thousand meters into the air and a crane, because it has wings to rely upon, can travel ten thousand miles. It is not their own strength that allows them to do these things." (MW vol 7, On The Urobon, pg 172-173)
"It is not their own strength that allows them to do these things."
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