If the Nichiren faith encompassed ONLY the Daimoku, Nichiren wouldn't have spent so much time outlining the other aspects of the Nichiren faith and there would be unity in the Nichiren community. Renegade leaders and priests to be held accountable but not neophyte Bodhisattvas. Those who begin chanting and who are not thoroughly studied in the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren should be encouraged regardless of sect. Those practicing for years having studied diligently and who know the truth of the teachings but willfully alter Nichiren's teachings for their own benefit, whether material or spiritual, must be confronted
As long as there is not a unified doctrine based on the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's writings, there will never be unity. I do what I can to outline Nichiren's doctrines, hoping beyond hope, that his authentic doctrines will eventually be embraced by everyone who chants the Daimoku.
Nichiren was in Japan at a time of many sects of Buddhism that permeated society.
ReplyDeleteTo really understand Nichiren and the 3 Great Secret Laws one has to discover them for themselves.
The power of Daimoku completely transcends petty distinction and theory.
Petty distinctions and theory binds people to the lower lifestates, if they slander others who practices the Daimoku. That is no different from the warped power some schismatic Priests and Leaders held over the heads of sincere believers
Writings of Nichiren - Doctrine 2, pg. 164 (Kanjin Honzon-sho) “Conclusion”
ReplyDelete“ Salvation Through The Odaimoku”
“ For those who are incapable of understanding the truth of the 3,000 existences in one thought, Lord Shakyamuni Buddha, with His great compassion, wraps this jewel with the five characters of Kyo,ho,ren,ge,Kyo and hangs it around the neck of the ignorant in the Latter Age of Degeneration. The four great bodhisattvas will protect such people, just as T’ai-Kung-Wang and the Duke of Chou assisted the young ruler, King Chen, of the Chou dynasty, or the Four Elders of the Shang-Shan attended childEmperor Hui of the Han dynasty in ancient China.”-Nichiren
Adding doctrinal proof to @kelpzoid’s comment.
I would add that Nichiren repeatedly emphasizes, the heart matters most. Nichiren said , though he was not a sage, he was distinguished by his capacity to withstand persecution and his deep compassion for others. The bodhisattva path leads to Buddhahood, therefore it is one.s behavior as a human being that reflects her devotion to faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, upholding the Lotus Sutra.
Both of you take of Nichiren's teachings what resonates with you and you discard the rest. Even regarding the Three Great Secret Laws,
ReplyDeleteDaimoku is but one of the Three Great Laws. The second Great Law (Gohonzon) is the appearance and nature of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, he who Kelpzoind, SGI, and Nichiren shu rejects. If only the Daimoku was crucial to the Nichiren faith, Nichiren would not have written so extensively about Shakyamuni Buddha which SGI and NST rejects:
Soka Gakkai members actually follow Daisaku Ikeda and his teachings and Nichiren Shoshu priests and members follow their High Priests and their teachings. They do not follow the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren. Of course, they have appropriated the name of Nichiren and his teachings for who would follow Daisaku Ikeda or the High Priests if they weren't associated with Nichiren? They are all liars and frauds, every last SGI and Nichiren Shoshu leader, priest, and member save for the neophyte Bodhisattvas who know no better. Here are Nichiren's comprehensive teachings on Shakyamuni Buddha, particularly Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra:
Nichiren's One Original Eternal Buddha Doctrine:
https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/06/nichirens-one-original-eternal-buddha.html
Nichiren's Comprehensive Teachings on Shakyamuni Buddha in Three Parts:
Part1... https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on.html
Part2... https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on_22.html
Part3... https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on_65.html
Please compare Nichiren's teachings with Daisaku Ikeda's teachings:
https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2020/08/some-passages-from-sgi-bible-of.html
You read SGI's Bible of Shakubuku which continue to permeate the SGI, you read what Daisaku Ikeda, the leader of ten million people teaches about the other sects and the exclusive teachings of the Nichiren faith by the High Priests with more than 800,000 members. Yet you spend all your time excoriating me, an independent with no followers (because I point every last person to follow Shakyamuni Buddha of the Original Doctrine, Nichiren, and the Lotus Sutra. You are fools with the nature of Asuras who destroy your castle from within.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why you feel excoriated, Mark-when two beleivers merely referenced Nichiren's teachings on the primacy of the daimoku..??
ReplyDeleteThe daimoku encompasses all 3 great secret Laws, after all, and matters of doctrine are incomprehensible to many who cherish chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Perhaps there are 'karmic impediments" to be overcome for those(today) who are no more acquainted with the concepts of Buddhist doctrines than many of Nichiren's original followers?
You sound just like and are mistaken as SGI PART 1:
ReplyDeleteSGI Senior Leader and former friend Eric Toro writes:
"True happiness is true happiness. Because of this fact I find your doctrinality and motive outlandish and mostly irrelevant. True Buddhism has nothing to do with doctrinality and courses of distinction.
True Buddhism is simply faith and practice in calling forth the Buddha nature in ones own life, hearing it, listening with intent, taking to mind, reciting, contemplating, recalling and declaring to others.
This practice is simply wondrous beyond compare. With this practice the mind and body come to know their true form. This is because the mind / body / environment is the actual form of the Universal Law. And this universal law is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
You would appear to want to usurp this and take this truth from us in the SGI. A foolish and ridiculous quest indeed. In fact it is very strange, very strange.
But rather, let me offer Peace and Blessings to You and Your family and hoping the New Year allows you to accumulate that much more blessings of the Lotus Sutra. "
NMRK[/QUOTE]
You sound just like and are as mistaken as SGI PART 2:
ReplyDeleteResponse:
I have a few comments Mr. Etoro. Nothing is more important to Nichiren than a correct doctrine. I suggest you plug in "doctrine", "doctrines", "doctrinal", etc. in the SGI Library major works search engine and read the more than NINE HUNDRED references to doctrine. Here are some examples:
"They are persons who have abandoned a great doctrine and instead chosen lesser doctrines. If we judge from examples in the past, they will probably suffer for countless kalpas in the three evil paths. It is persons such as these that T’ient’ai meant when he said, “If they encounter an evil friend, they will lose their true mind.” (On the Four Stages of Faith).
"They cling to incomplete doctrines and are attached to receiving alms and being treated with deference; they recognize only false doctrines, distance themselves from good friends, approach with familiarity such slanderers who delight in attachment to the teachings of the lesser vehicle, and do not believe in the great vehicle. Therefore they slander the Law of the Buddhas."
Part 3:
ReplyDeleteA person of wisdom should not fear enemy households, snakes, the poison of fire, the god Indra, the roll of thunder, attacks by swords and staves, or wild beasts such as tigers, wolves, and lions. For these can only destroy one’s life, but cannot cause one to fall into the Avichi hell, which is truly terrifying. What one should fear is slander of the profound teaching as well as companions who are slanderers, for these will surely cause one to fall into the frightful Avichi hell. Even if one befriends evil companions and with evil intent spills the Buddha’s blood, kills one’s own father and mother, takes the lives of many sages, disrupts the unity of the Buddhist Order, and destroys all one’s roots of goodness, if one fixes one’s mind on the correct teaching, one can free oneself from that place. But if there is someone who slanders the inconceivably profound teaching, that person will for immeasurable kalpas be unable to obtain emancipation. However, if there is one who can cause others to awaken to and take faith in a teaching such as this, then that person is their father and mother, and also their good friend. This is a person of wisdom. After the Thus Come One’s passing, that person corrects false views and perverse thoughts, and causes people to enter the true way. For that reason, he has pure faith in the three treasures, and his virtuous actions lead others to enlightenment.” (The Problem to be Pondered Night and Day)
"It is a rare thing to be born as a human being. And if, having been born as such, you do not do your best to distinguish between the correct doctrine and the incorrect so that in the future you may attain Buddhahood, then you are certainly not fulfilling your true worth as a human being." (On Prayer)
Not sharing Nichiren's doctrines on the Lotus Sutra and Eternal Buddha, the SGI member's happiness, which is based on provisional teachings, can only be considered an ephemeral happiness.
Nichiren quotes Tientai: "To liberate oneself from the [three-fold] world by means of the provisional [teachings] is called an ephemeral liberation." (Third Doctrine)
and
"...T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo are commenting on this passage. In this passage of the sutra, all the teachings, from the Flower Garland Sutra, which was expounded immediately after the Buddha’s enlightenment and which combines both specific and perfect teachings, to the fourteen chapters that comprise the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, are termed “inferior teachings.” Those who delight in them are called people “meager in virtue and heavy with defilement,” and the liberation achieved through them is shown to be an ephemeral liberation." (ibid. Third Doctrine)
The peaceful practices of the Soka Gakkai, engaging the provisional Buddhists, the Christians and the Muslims, in "warm and constructive dialogue" are those practices of the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra.
"There is no true happiness other than upholding faith in the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by “peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences.”" (Happiness in this World)
"Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one. Ah, you should be ashamed of them! And you should fear them, too!" (Embracing the Lotus Sutra)
Part 4:
ReplyDeleteA person of wisdom should not fear enemy households, snakes, the poison of fire, the god Indra, the roll of thunder, attacks by swords and staves, or wild beasts such as tigers, wolves, and lions. For these can only destroy one’s life, but cannot cause one to fall into the Avichi hell, which is truly terrifying. What one should fear is slander of the profound teaching as well as companions who are slanderers, for these will surely cause one to fall into the frightful Avichi hell. Even if one befriends evil companions and with evil intent spills the Buddha’s blood, kills one’s own father and mother, takes the lives of many sages, disrupts the unity of the Buddhist Order, and destroys all one’s roots of goodness, if one fixes one’s mind on the correct teaching, one can free oneself from that place. But if there is someone who slanders the inconceivably profound teaching, that person will for immeasurable kalpas be unable to obtain emancipation. However, if there is one who can cause others to awaken to and take faith in a teaching such as this, then that person is their father and mother, and also their good friend. This is a person of wisdom. After the Thus Come One’s passing, that person corrects false views and perverse thoughts, and causes people to enter the true way. For that reason, he has pure faith in the three treasures, and his virtuous actions lead others to enlightenment.” (The Problem to be Pondered Night and Day)
"It is a rare thing to be born as a human being. And if, having been born as such, you do not do your best to distinguish between the correct doctrine and the incorrect so that in the future you may attain Buddhahood, then you are certainly not fulfilling your true worth as a human being." (On Prayer)
Not sharing Nichiren's doctrines on the Lotus Sutra and Eternal Buddha, the SGI member's happiness, which is based on provisional teachings, can only be considered an ephemeral happiness.
Nichiren quotes Tientai: "To liberate oneself from the [three-fold] world by means of the provisional [teachings] is called an ephemeral liberation." (Third Doctrine)
and
"...T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo are commenting on this passage. In this passage of the sutra, all the teachings, from the Flower Garland Sutra, which was expounded immediately after the Buddha’s enlightenment and which combines both specific and perfect teachings, to the fourteen chapters that comprise the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, are termed “inferior teachings.” Those who delight in them are called people “meager in virtue and heavy with defilement,” and the liberation achieved through them is shown to be an ephemeral liberation." (ibid. Third Doctrine)
The peaceful practices of the Soka Gakkai, engaging the provisional Buddhists, the Christians and the Muslims, in "warm and constructive dialogue" are those practices of the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra.
"There is no true happiness other than upholding faith in the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by “peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences.”" (Happiness in this World)
Part 5:
ReplyDelete"Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one. Ah, you should be ashamed of them! And you should fear them, too!" (Embracing the Lotus Sutra)
Teaching childen the mere baubles of how to become Trillionaires through chanting the Daimoku, is hardly the faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. Other examples of SGI mistaken Buddhist teachings are too numerous to count.
You say that I want to usurp and take this truth (the wondrous reality of the Mystic Law) away from you. I seek only to take away your mistaken beliefs as a strong wind blows away the clouds to reveal the crystal clear moon.
New believers, Bodhisattva neophytes, are exceptions. They who don't know any better and who have just recently begun to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo need not delve deeply into the doctrines.
Yet, Nichiren claimed he was neither the head of a sect, nor the founder of a school of Buddhism. His letters to followers reflected personal understanding of their circumstances. No matter what SGI leaders “ lecture on”, their bound in books Gosho contain numerous references to the primacy of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra— and are the sources that cause some members to question SGI leaders’ teachings! And like me, others realize there is nothing to be gained from being a member of any Nichiren sect ! Similarly Millennials and Gen-Zers are shunning organized religions across the board,
ReplyDeleteMy concern regards the contentious arguments amongst those who chant the daimoku that devolve into personal insults and condemnation. Returning to the straightforward, profound teachings on the one essential phrase, and Nichiren’s own behavior towards believers, it seems to me that the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the daimoku is being usurped by the minds of common mortals whose egos become inflated by their “scholarly knowledge”. Thus we see vitriol replacing the civil discourse that reflects reverence for the teachings one means to “defend”.
It is difficult to persuade those who seek connection and solidarity with a group, and/or seek out living experts upon which to depend, that neither is required - solely because of the infinite, incomprehensible power inherent in chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. It’s also ironic that after “schooling” members on this very point, leaders and priests have such negative responses to “ members” who discover how irrelevant (and potentially harmful”) leaders/priests are,
Please see last post devoted to your not quite respectful comment.
ReplyDelete