Happiest New Year to both my supporters and detractors. May it be the best New Years of your lives, may the Japanese people wake up from their nuclear hell, may the pandemic end, and may the the American, Russian, and Chinese people learn to get along and leave others alone.
Friday, December 31, 2021
My letter to the Sandia National Laboratory regarding their Automated Gloving System
Hello. My name is Dr. Mark Rogow. My automated protective gloving device, Patent # 5,878,909, is so much simpler and more elegant than your automated gloving system . My entire system is based on glove opening and donning by a surgical nurse. It either has no external power source save for hand motion or it can be mechanized with a bilateral electrical (battery or outlet) wedge introducer for opening the supporting rods/gloves. With the money for a prototype you can make disposable cardboard household boxes for $10-20.00 dollars holding 50 pairs of gloves; or permanent plastic or stainless steel hospital room, prison, or food handling gloving devices that utilize cartridges, also holding 50 pairs of gloves. You can even place glove donning vending machines ($1.00 a pair of gloves) in rest area/airport/public and private bathrooms. Latex and nitrile gloves can both be accepted. The main problem and cost will be figuring out how to attach the pair of gloves to the rods mechanically on an assembly line. A sterile glove-o-matic can also be fashioned for laboratory, ER, and surgical room work. Please study my patent and I will gladly assist you in fashioning the device for a small consultation fee. Presently, I am semi-retired and on dialysis, but for this opportunity to develop my invention, before I die, I would relocate to New Mexico. I am sure it will save countless lives from hospital acquired infections.The main problem and cost is figuring out how to attach the gloves to the rods on an assembly line.
Happy New Year,
Sincerely,
Mark R. Rogow MD.
New Years Writing
NewYear’s Gosho
IHAVE received a hundred slabs of steamed rice cake and a basket of fruit. New Year’s Day marks the first day, the first month, the beginning of the year, and the start of spring.1 A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east,2 and as the sun shines more brightly, traveling from east to west.
First of all, as to the question of where exactly hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra states that hell exists underground, and another sutra says that the Buddha is in the west. Closer examination, however, reveals that both exist in our five-foot body. This must be true because hell is in the heart of a person who inwardly despises his father and disregards his mother. It is like the lotus seed, which contains both blossom and fruit. In the same way, the Buddha dwells within our hearts. For example, flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts. You may question how it is that the Buddha can reside within us when our bodies, originating from our parents’ sperm and blood, are the source of the three poisons and the seat of carnal desires. But repeated consideration assures us of the truth of this matter. The pure lotus flower blooms out of the muddy pond, the fragrant sandalwood grows from the soil, the graceful cherry blossoms come forth from trees, the beautiful Yang Kuei-fei was born of a woman of low station, and the moon rises from behind the mountains to shed light on them. Misfortune comes from one’s mouth and ruins one, but fortune comes from one’s heart and makes one worthy of respect.
The sincerity of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the New Year is like cherry blossoms blooming from trees, a lotus unfolding in a pond, sandalwood leaves unfurling on the Snow Mountains, or the moon beginning to rise. Now Japan, in becoming an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, has invited misfortune from a thousand miles away. In light of this, it is clear that those who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten thousand miles away. The shadow is cast by the form, and just as the shadow follows the form, misfortune will befall the country whose people are hostile to the Lotus Sutra. The believers in the Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, are like the sandalwood with its fragrance. I will write you again.
Nichiren
The fifth day of the first month
Reply to the wife of Omosu
Recent profound teaching by the Kempon Hokke Priest, Reverend Sinyou Tsuchiya
The Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16. The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata
(Scripture 102)
(Significance-4)
"Tathagata is not a thing like the truth itself. Tathagata has a character and is always saving pitiful people actively. As say "I always expound the teachings to educate zillion people and let them enter the way to Buddhahood", Tathagata has been saving people from the remote past to the present by giving teachings mainly. It is neither a cool truth nor inanimate letter. Tathagata who has a character as a real existence philosophically is continuing activities. That is said in Kempon Hokke shu as "Manifest-body which always exists." Manifest-body which always exists does not mean that the body of Tathagata who has appeared in India always exists. About three bodies of Tathagata, Dharma-body (法身) is to indicate the truth, Reward-body (報身) is to indicate the wisdom, and Manifest-body (応身) is to indicate the compassion. Needless to say, Tathagata has the truth, the wisdom, and the compassion. However, the aspect of compassion to save people stands in the front as a character of Tathagata, not as the aspect of truth, not as the aspect of wisdom. By tabulating the compassion, wrapping the wisdom and the truth into inside, Tathagata is active. Therefore, because of showing the compassion as a correct meaning, Kempon Hokke shu says "Manifest-body always exists." It is said as the application of the truth of Manifest-body and the sentence of 'no beginning, no end' of Manifest-body, which are said in Kaimoku-sho. Tendai school makes the Reward-body central as the wisdom, and Shingon school makes the Dharma-body central as the truth. However, Nichiren shonin emphasizes that the compassion of the Buddha who has three bodies as one body is the front. The evidence is that Tathagata is always educating people and is saving people by causing compassion. Kempon Hokke shu has been saying it since old times.
A public apology for my slander of the Bodhisattva of the Earth, the most Reverend Priest, Sinyou Tsuchiya
A true disciple of Nichiren Daishonin and the the Thus Come One, Shakyamuni Buddha. Namu Myoho renge kyo.
Gosho to study for the New Year: On the Relative Superiority of the Tendai and True Word Schools
"MY best wishes for the New Year season. May you and all the others enjoy the greatest happiness and good fortune!"...
Nichiren does not agree with Katie, and Jerry regarding the Japanese people...
Question: Among living beings there are two types of persons, evil persons and good persons. And among the various realms into which one may be born there must be good paths and evil paths. Why then should all the people in this country of Japan uniformly be destined to “enter the Avīchi hell”?
Answer: Although the number of people is very great, the karma that they create is the same in nature. Therefore they are all alike destined for the Avīchi hell.
Anonymous stated and my response
Anonymous: Those who act the most knowledgeable about "the teachings" make the most errors! Shari Hotsu--- comes to mind!
Response: “Shariputra, in ages to come, after a countless, boundless, inconceivable number of kalpas have passed, you will make offerings to some thousands, ten thousands, millions of buddhas, and will honor and uphold the correct teachings. You will fulfill every aspect of the way of the bodhisattva and will be able to become a buddha with the name Flower Glow Thus Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha, world-honored one." - LS Chapter 3
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Nichiren on pretending to be models of compassion (like the SGI and my recent slanderous detractors)
"The Great Teacher Nan-yueh in his Shi Anrakugyo states, ‘If there should be a bodhisattva who protects evil persons and fails to chastise them... then when his life comes to an end, he will fall into hell along with those evil persons. '"The meaning of this passage is that, if a practicioner of Buddhism should fail to chastise evil persons who slander the Law but give himself up entirely to meditation and contemplation, not attempting to distinguish between correct or incorrect doctrines, provisional or true teachings, but rather pretending to be a model of compassion, then such a person will fall into the evil paths along with the other doers of evil. Now a person who fails to correct Shingon, Nembutsu, Zen and Ritsu adherents who are slanderers of the Law and instead pretends to be a model of compassion will meet just such a fate as this."
"And so to unbelieving persons, rouse them to accept this Law. By so doing, young men of good family, you will acquit your debt to the Tathagatas." -- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 27, page 440, translated by Kern
"They are like the icchantikas who do not hear, do not believe, and cannot discriminate." --Great Nirvana Sutra: T.12.724c7 = T. 12.481 b27-28)
An example:
From: Kathy Sain
To: SokaGakkaiUnofficial@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:47:46 AM
Subject: [SGI] “Humanitarian Competition”
Dear Mark,
How I regret it when I read anything you have written. You are so close to Shakyamuni Buddha. Possibly you could ask him personally if he really told Daibadatta he wasn’t worth licking the Buddha’s spittle. I personally thought this wasn’t worthy of what I understood and had inculcated of this Buddha’s life and it never rang true to me, along with some other things I have heard supposedly said by S., and I heard that this was a lie made up by confused followers after the Buddha’s death. Would you check on this for us, given your relationship with the extant Shakyamuni and/or the unadulterated Karmic Record and report back to us if it is true or not? You know, so little rudeness is reported of what I, personally, have read, of the eternal Shakyamuni. Quite the opposite, in fact. But, who knows what is accurate? He may, too, have believed in “break and subdue”, that is, stomp the poor b****stards until their eyeballs fall out and they don’t give in, but somehow, it doesn’t resonate with, let’s see, what was that arcane term? I think it was a classically Buddhist one. Oh, yeah. Compassion. But, you right wingers, you think this means beat the shit outta someone until they die, if they don’t convert. I keep forgetting your definition. But, alas, even though I check in once and awhile, it isn’t changing. Do check with Shakkie, will you about the spittle thing? We do need to get the record straight, dontcha think?
Thanks,
Kathy
Dear Kathy:
The event purportedly occurred as Devedatta kissed Ajatashatru on the lips to seal the deal they had to undermine the Buddha. When Shakyamuni either saw this or heard about it from one of his reliable disciples, he confronted Devedatta and uttered that famous line.
As far as the manifestation of compassion, you fail to recognize it, let alone practice it because: You don’t read the Gosho and the Lotus Sutra; you embrace what your unenlightened mind believes is compassion; or you follow what Daisaku Ikeda, your senior leaders, or eminent non-Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhist leaders teach about the nature of compassion rather than what Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin teach. Certainly, what you believe is not what the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren teach. By your accounts, those who vilified Bodhisattva Neverdespise didn’t deserve to spend one thousand kalpas in the hell of incessant suffering. Here are some quotes by Nichiren for you to ponder.
“If, knowing the best path, one sees one’s parents or sovereign taking an evil path, can one fail to admonish them? If a fool, crazed with wine, is about to drink poison, can one, knowing this, not try to stop him? In the same way, if one understands the truth of the Buddhist teachings and knows the sufferings of fire, blood, and swords, can one fail to lament at seeing someone to whom one owes a debt of gratitude about to fall into the evil paths? Rather one should cast away one’s body and lay down one’s life in an effort to save such a person. ” (ibid.)
“Are persons such as these not slanderers of the correct teaching? One can never be too severe in condemning them, or admonish them too strongly.” (ibid.)
“How reassuring, that those who respect the monks of the correct teaching and admonish those who are evil and in error receive such blessings as these!.”(ibid.)
“You should read again and again the previous letter in which I explained that one should of course obey one’s teacher, sovereign, and parents, but should they commit wrongs, admonishing them is in fact being loyal to them,” (The Three Obstacles and four Devils)
“How could I ever feel distantly toward any of you? Even in the case of the Nembutsu priests, the Zen priests, and the True Word teachers, and the ruler of the nation and other men of authority, all of whom bear me such hatred— I admonish them because I want to help them, and their hatred for me makes me pity them all the more.” (Reply to the lay Priest Takahashi)
“If rumor spreads that you appear to be a votary of the Lotus Sutra, both those who are close to you and those who are not will unexpectedly admonish you as if they were your true friends, saying, “If you believe in the priest Nichiren, you will surely be misled.” (The Workings of Brahma and Shakra)
“The Classic of Filial Piety states, “[In a case of moral wrong,] a son must admonish his father, and a minister must admonish his lord.” (The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto )
“The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “In general, where unrighteousness is concerned, a son must admonish his father, and a minister must admonish his lord.” (ibid.)
“Yet not only do they fail to remonstrate with them, but they criticize one who does confront the Nembutsu school, which is strange indeed! As for Daishin-bo, as I wrote you before, please strongly admonish him by letter.” (The Third Doctrine)
“It stipulates that, no matter how learned one may be, if one sees an enemy of the Lotus Sutra but fails to admonish that person out of fear, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering.” (Letter to Akimoto)
“What is more, it was through the Lotus Sutra that these bodhisattvas attained Buddhahood, and because the Buddha fervently admonished them concerning it, they took solemn vows in the presence of the Buddha.” (On Prayer)
“The high minister Pi Kan, seeing that the Yin dynasty was on the path to ruin, strongly admonished the ruler, though it cost him his head.” (Opening of the Eyes)
“The hermit regretfully replied, “It is my fault for not having admonished you enough beforehand.” (Letter to the Brothers)
”But Punyayashas admonished him, saying, “Ashvaghosha, do not behead yourself ! Use that head and mouth to praise Mahayana.” (On Curing Karmic Disease)
“But because Kuan Lung- feng remonstrated with King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty and Pi Kan admonished King Chou of the Yin dynasty, their names have been handed down in history as those of worthies.” (op cit. Letter of Petition to Yorimoto)
“For years, therefore, I have continually admonished myself that, even though I might lack food or clothing, or be rebuked by my parents, brothers, teacher, and colleagues, or be persecuted by the ruler and all the people, if I were going to waver even in the slightest on that account, I would have done better never to have spoken out in the first place. ” (Letter to Misawa)
“Nichiren, who admonishes them for their evil, is father and mother to the ruler, and the teacher of all living beings.” (The Royal Palace)
“Is not a person of wisdom one who admonishes the ruler when the country is endangered or corrects others’ mistaken views? But in your case, no matter what error you may see, you will no doubt refuse to correct it for fear of society’s reaction.” (op. cit. Yorimoto)
“The Nirvana Sutra states, “Human life runs its course more swiftly than a mountain stream; the person here today will not likely be here tomorrow.” The Maya Sutra reads, “Imagine, for instance, a flock of sheep being driven by a chandala to the slaughterhouse. Human life is exactly the same; step by step one approaches the place of death.” The Lotus Sutra states, “There is no safety in the threefold world; it is like a burning house, replete with a multitude of sufferings, truly to be feared.”
“In these passages from the sutras, our compassionate father, the WorldHonored One of Great Enlightenment, admonishes us, the ordinary people of the latter age; it is his warning to us, his ignorant children. Nevertheless, the people do not awaken for even one instant; nor do they conceive a desire to attain the way for even a single moment. In order to decorate their bodies, which, if abandoned in the fields, would be stripped naked overnight, they spend their time striving to pile up articles of clothing.”
“When their lives come to an end, within three days their bodies will turn into water that washes away, into dust that mixes with the earth, and into smoke that rises up into the sky, leaving no trace behind. Nevertheless, they seek to nurture these bodies and to amass great wealth. This principle has been known since ancient times, but today the situation is pitiable. The country of Japan has been visited by continuous famine for the last several years, and supplies of food and clothing are exhausted. The domestic animals have all been consumed, and persons who eat human flesh are appearing. They tear flesh from the bodies of the dead, children, and the sick, mix it with fish or deer meat, and sell it. People purchase this mixture and eat it. Thus, this country has unwittingly become an abode of great evil demons.
Moreover, from the spring of last year through the middle of the second month of this year, epidemics have spread throughout the country. In five families out of ten, in fifty households out of a hundred, all the members have died from disease. Others have escaped illness but are suffering from great spiritual distress, and thus are in even greater agony than those who are ill. Even the people who managed to survive have lost the children who used to follow them as closely as shadows, or the spouses from whom they had been as inseparable as a pair of eyes, or the parents upon whom they had relied as they would upon heaven and earth. For them, what meaning does life hold? How could sensible people not abhor this world? The Buddha taught that there is no safety in the threefold world, but the current state of affairs seems excessively tragic.
Although I myself am only an ordinary person, I informed the ruler that the Buddha had left behind teachings predicting such a situation. However, he did not heed my admonitions, but rather began to persecute me even more harshly, so there was nothing further I could do. This country has already become a slanderer of the Law, and by turning into an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, it has also made itself an enemy of the Buddhas and the gods of the three existences and the ten directions.
Please consider deeply. No matter what grave crimes I, Nichiren, have been charged with, I am a votary of the Lotus Sutra. No matter what grave crimes a person who chants Namu Amida Butsu may be guilty of, it cannot be denied that he is a follower of the Nembutsu. Because I chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo with my own mouth, I have been reviled, struck, exiled, and had my life threatened. However, in spite of all this, I have continued to exhort others to do likewise. Am I not then a votary of the Lotus Sutra?
In the Lotus Sutra, it is stipulated that those who bear a grudge against its votary are destined to fall into the Avichi hell. The fourth volume states that the offense of harboring malice toward a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age is graver than that of reviling the Buddha for an entire medium kalpa. The seventh volume teaches that people who disparage the votary will suffer in the Avichi hell for a thousand kalpas. The fifth volume states that after the Buddha’s passing, when the Latter Day of the Law arrives, a votary of the Lotus Sutra will certainly appear, and that at that time, in that country, an immeasurably great multitude of monks who either uphold or violate the precepts will gather and denounce the votary to the ruler of the country, causing him to be banished and ruined.
These passages from the sutra all coincide precisely with what has happened to me. I am therefore convinced that I will attain Buddhahood in the future. I will speak in more detail when we meet” (No Safety in the Threefold World)
“Question: What eye of wisdom allows you to perceive that the Nembutsu, Zen, and other schools of our time are the enemies of the Lotus Sutra and evil companions who are ready to mislead all people?
Answer: I do not state personal opinions, but merely hold up the mirror of the sutras and commentaries so that the slanderers of the Law may see their ugly faces reflected there and perceive their errors. But if they are incurably “blind,” it is beyond my power.
In the “Treasure Tower” chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra we read: “At that time Many Treasures Buddha offered half of his seat in the treasure tower to Shakyamuni Buddha . . . At that time the members of the great assembly [saw] the two Thus Come Ones seated cross-legged on the lion seat in the tower of seven treasures . . . And in a loud voice he [Shakyamuni Buddha] addressed all the four kinds of believers, saying: ‘Who is capable of broadly preaching the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law in this saha world? Now is the time to do so, for before long the Thus Come One will enter nirvana. The Buddha wishes to entrust this Lotus Sutra to someone so that it may be preserved.’ ” This is the first pronouncement of the Buddha.
Again the chapter reads: “At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying: ‘This holy lord, this World-Honored One, though he passed into extinction long ago, still seats himself in the treasure tower, coming here for the sake of the Law. You people, why then do you not also strive for the sake of the Law? . . . In addition, these emanations of my body, Buddhas in immeasurable numbers like Ganges sands, have come, desiring to hear the Law . . . Each has abandoned his wonderful land, as well as his host of disciples, the heavenly and human beings, dragons, and spirits, and all the offerings they give him, and has come to this place on purpose to make certain the Law will long endure. . . . as though a great wind were tossing the branches of small trees. Through this expedient means they make certain that the Law will long endure. So I say to the great assembly: After I have passed into extinction, who can guard and uphold, read and recite this sutra? Now in the presence of the Buddha let him come forward and speak his vow!’ ”This is the second proclamation of the Buddha.
The passage continues: “The Thus Come One Many Treasures, I myself, and these emanation Buddhas who have gathered here, surely know this is our aim. . . . All you good men, each of you must consider carefully! This is a difficult matter—it is proper you should make a great vow. The other sutras number as many as Ganges sands, but though you expound those sutras, that is not worth regarding as difficult. If you were to seize Mount Sumeru and fling it far off to the measureless Buddha lands, that too would not be difficult. . . . But if after the Buddha has entered extinction, in the time of evil, you can preach this sutra, that will be difficult indeed! . . . If, when the fires come at the end of the kalpa, one can load dry grass on his back and enter the fire without being burned, that would not be difficult. But after I have passed into extinction if one can embrace this sutra and expound it to even one person, that will be difficult indeed! . . . All you good men, after I have entered extinction, who can accept and uphold, read and recite this sutra? Now in the presence of the Buddha let him come forward and speak his vow!” This is the third admonition from the Buddha. The fourth and fifth admonitions are found in the “Devadatta” chapter, and I will deal with them later.” (op. cit. Opening of the Eyes)
“Adherents of the various schools may attempt to attack you by citing the passage from The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom that states, “If one denounces the teachings others follow out of love for one’s own, then even if one is the practitioner who observes the precepts, one will never escape the pains of hell.” Ask them whether they know why Nagarjuna wrote this admonition, and if Nagarjuna could possibly have been ignorant of how serious an offense it is to slander the true teaching by clinging to provisional teachings. He stated, “The various sutras are not secret teachings; only the Lotus Sutra is secret.” He declared that the Lotus Sutra alone is the seed of enlightenment, likening it to a great physician who can change poison into medicine. Is it possible that he later regretted having said these things, and therefore wrote that, if one denounces the teachings others follow out of love for one’s own, one will be destined to fall into the evil paths? If so, he would have been directly contradicting the truthful words of the Lotus Sutra, in which the Buddha states, “Honestly discarding expedient means” and “Not accepting a single verse of the other sutras.”31 This is hardly conceivable. Nagarjuna was a bodhisattva who appeared in accordance with Shakyamuni Buddha’s prediction, as well as a scholar in the direct lineage of the Buddha’s teaching. He may well have written this admonition in his treatise because he foresaw that such priests as Kobo and T’an-luan would slander the Lotus Sutra, the teaching that befits this age of the Latter Day of the Law. You should scoff at your opponents for not knowing the meaning of the words they cite. Tell them: “Are you yourselves not followers of those destined to fall into the evil paths? How pitiful! Are you not to be counted among those who will suffer for countless kalpas to come?” (Teaching Practice and Proof)
“He agonized over what course to take, but in the end, fearful of violating the Buddha’s admonition, made known his views to Emperor Kammu.” (Selection of Time)
“The Nirvana Sutra states: “If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.”
"This admonition urged me on, and I spoke out against slander in spite of the various persecutions I faced, because I would have become an enemy of the Buddha’s teaching if I had not.
Slander can be either minor or serious, however, and sometimes we should overlook it rather than attack it. The True Word and Tendai schools slander the Lotus Sutra and should be severely rebuked. But without great wisdom it is hard to differentiate correctly between their doctrines and the teachings that Nichiren spreads. Therefore, at times we refrain from attacking them, just as I did in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.
Whether or not we speak out, it will be difficult for those who have committed the grave offense of slander to avoid retribution. Our seeing, hearing, and making no attempt to stop slander that, if we spoke out, could be avoided, destroys our gifts of sight and hearing, and is utterly merciless.
Chang-an writes, “If one befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy.” The consequences of a grave offense are extremely difficult to erase. The most important thing is to continually strengthen our wish to benefit others.” (The Embankments of Faith)
“The heart of all these passages is the admonition to embrace and believe in the Lotus Sutra in this Latter Day of the Law.” (The Embankments of Faith)
“Nevertheless, I was concerned that any admonition would be taken by the ignorant as mere jealousy of his wisdom, and so I refrained from speaking out.” (On Persecution Befalling the sage)
“Then the unenlightened man said: “Listening to the teachings and admonitions of a sage like you, I find that the misunderstandings I have labored under in recent days are all suddenly dispelled.” (op. cit. Conversations Sage)
“The third volume of the Nirvana Sutra says: ‘If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.’
“The meaning of this passage is that, if a person striving to propagate the correct teaching of the Buddha should hear and see others propounding the teachings of the sutras in a mistaken manner and fail to reproach them himself or, lacking the power to do that, fail to appeal to the sovereign and in this way take measures to correct them, then he is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if, as the sutras direct, he is not afraid of others but censures these slanderers himself and appeals to the sovereign to take measures against them, then he may be called a disciple of the Buddha and a true priest.
“Being therefore determined to avoid the charge of ‘betraying the Buddha’s teaching,’ although I have incurred the hatred of others, I have dedicated my life to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra, extending compassion to all living beings and rebuking slanders of the correct teaching. Those who cannot understand my heart have tightened their lips and glared at me with furious eyes. But if you are truly concerned about your future existence, you should think lightly of your own safety and consider the Law above all. Thus the Great Teacher Chang-an states, ‘ “[A royal envoy . . . would rather], even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal none of the words of his ruler” means that one’s body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. One should give one’s life in order to propagate the Law.’
“This passage is saying that, even if one must give up one’s life, one should not conceal the correct teaching; this is because one’s body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. Though one’s body be destroyed, one should strive to propagate the Law.” (ibid.)
“And what of these admonitions of mine? Because people regard them with suspicion and refuse to heed them, disasters such as those we now face occur.” (Three tripitak Masters Pray For Rain)
“Now this great evil True Word doctrine has spread to Kamakura, deceiving the members of the ruling clan and threatening to bring about the destruction of Japan. This is a matter of the gravest import, and I have not discussed it even with my disciples. Instead I have dissembled, pretending ignorance and filling their ears only with attacks upon Nembutsu and Zen. But since my admonitions continue to go unheeded, without begrudging even my life, I will also tell my disciples what the true situation is.
“When I do so, they will be even more perplexed, saying that, no matter how admirable or worthy of respect Nichiren may be, he can scarcely surpass Jikaku and Kobo. I fear I will never succeed in banishing all their doubts. How can I dispel them?” (op. cit. Takahashi)
“It is a grave offense to go against these admonitions, and though invisible to the eye, the error piles up until it sends one plummeting to hell.” (Fourteen Slanders)
“My admonitions have surpassed even those set forth in the yüeh-fu poems of Po Chüi, and my prophecies are not inferior to those of the Buddha. ” (The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra)
“In ancient China, King Chou of the Yin dynasty refused to heed the admonitions of his loyal minister Pi Kan and instead cut out Pi Kan’s heart.” (ibid.)
“But just as a high wind creates great waves, or a powerful dragon brings forth torrential rains, so my admonitions called forth increasing animosity.” (ibid.)
“However, he did not heed my admonitions, but rather began to persecute me even more harshly, so there was nothing further I could do. (op. cit. no Safety Threefold World)
“I, Nichiren, fearing these admonitions of the Buddha, accordingly accused all those throughout the nation who were deserving of it, and more than once I was condemned to exile or to death.” (Letter to Akimoto)
“Thus, although Shan-wu-wei, Hsüantsang, Kobo, Jikaku, Chisho, and the others put forth a variety of clever arguments, they could produce no passage of scripture proving the Lotus Sutra to be inferior to the Mahavairochana Sutra. Their whole argument rests solely on the question of whether the sutra includes mudras and mantras. Rather than writing hundreds of volumes of argument, traveling back and forth between China and Japan with their unending schemes, and arranging for the promulgation of imperial edicts in order to intimidate people, they would have been better off producing some clear passage of proof in the sutras themselves. Who then could have doubted their assertions??
Dewdrops accumulate to form a stream, and streams accumulate to form the great ocean. Particles of dust accumulate to form a mountain, and mountains accumulate to form Mount Sumeru. And in the same way, trifling matters accumulate to become grave ones. How much more so in the case of this matter, which is the gravest of all! When these men wrote their commentaries, they should have exerted themselves in examining both the principles and documentary evidence of the two teachings, and when the court issued imperial edicts, it, too, should have delivered its admonitions after thoroughly investigating both sides and citing some clear passage of proof.
Not even the Buddha himself could repudiate his statement that, among all the sutras he has preached, now preaches, and will preach, [the Lotus Sutra stands supreme]. How much less, then, can scholars, teachers, and rulers of states use their authority to do so! This statement [of the Buddha] has been heard by Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings, and duly recorded in their respective palaces.
So long as the people truly did not know of this statement, it seems that the false interpretations of the teachers I mentioned spread without anyone incurring retribution. But once a person of forceful character has come forward to make this sutra passage known in a bold and uncompromising fashion, then grave matters are certain to occur. Because people have looked down on this person and cursed him, struck him, sent him into exile, or attempted to take his life, Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings have risen up in anger and become that votary’s allies. Thus unexpected censures have come down from heaven, and the people are about to be wiped out and the nation destroyed.
Though the votary of the Lotus Sutra may be of humble background, the heavenly deities who protect him are fearsome indeed. If an asura tries to swallow the sun or moon, its head will split into seven pieces. If a dog barks at a lion, its bowels will rot. And as I view the situation today, the same sort of retribution is happening here in Japan.
On the other hand, those who give alms and support to the votary will receive the same benefit as though making offerings to the Lotus Sutra itself. As the Great Teacher Dengyo says in his commentary, “Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering.”
The person who offered a humble meal of millet to a pratyekabuddha became the Thus Come One Treasure Brightness. He who offered a mud pie to the Buddha became the ruler of Jambudvipa7 Though one may perform meritorious deeds, if they are directed toward what is untrue, then those deeds may bring great evil, but they will never result in good. On the other hand, though one may be ignorant and make meager offerings, if one presents those offerings to a person who upholds the truth, one’s merit will be great. How much more so in the case of people who in all sincerity make offerings to the correct teaching!” (The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings)
In light of the above practice and criteria laid down by Nichiren Daishonin, neither you nor your leaders are compassionate enough to consider yourselves disciples of Nichiren nor practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. Perhaps it would be best for you to remain in the Soka Gakkai along with your slanderous comrades in faith.
There is little wisdom in Daisaku Ikeda's Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra
Daisaku Ikeda says, “the Original Buddha is Shakyamuni” when talking to scholars and scientists but when talking to commoners, his “dear” SGI members, he sometimes says, “The Original Buddha is Nichiren”, and at other times he says that "ordinary people are the original Buddha". Why would anyone follow someone who speaks out of both sides of their mouth, especially when one side of his mouth goes against the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin?
In his lecture on the Opening of the Eyes for SGI members, Ikeda states:
“This sentence implies that the Daishonin is the original Buddha, the master of all other buddhas. Because of this, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas follow him and all good fortune is contained within the original life The Daishonin used analogies most easily understood by the people of his day. Water gods were thought to live in rivers and followed the lord of the ocean, and the mountain gods were all subservient to Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains. In his analogy, the Daishonin likened these lesser gods to all the buddhas and Bodhisattvas; and the lord of the ocean and king of Mount Sumeru to the votary of the Lotus Sutra.”
But his public stance can be summarized in this article:
“Space and Eternal Life”, with the astronomer, Dr. Weiramisinghe, 1998:
“Buddha is in its simplest interpretation, means a person who is incomparably wise and fully enlightened. Sakyamuni was portrayed as a real human being who reached a state of enlightenment and eventually entered Nirvana. He was a royal prince born to a society torn with strife – poverty, caste and race discrimination were everywhere. His own early life was one of absolute luxury. He renounced this life to seek enlightenment. The fruit of his untiring efforts over the years was the realization of the true nature of things and the discovery of a path that could lead to freedom from suffering. The Buddha held that the cause of suffering is the result of wrong attitudes; it is our craving or desire that makes us suffer. Although Sakyamuni Buddha set out the Eightfold path that could free us from suffering, he often exhorted his monks to discover the way for themselves as for instance in his last words to his disciple Ananda in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra.
“Self is the lord of self, for who else could lord be? Be ye lamps unto yourselves. Look not for refuge to any beside yourself.” In response to Ananda’s entreaty to preach one last time, Sakyamuni speaks about being a beacon of self and of being a beacon of the Law. Sakyamuni taught that it is none other than one’s self and the Law that are the guiding lights that illuminate the darkness of life and death. And the true self referred to by Sakyamuni is the self realized in the course of one’s actions in accordance with the Law of the Universe and of life.
Sakyamuni also said, in a statement made just before his death, that since all phenomena are transient, one should diligently apply oneself to the perfection of one’s practice. His leaving behind such a statement perfectly demonstrates the special character of Buddhism, which points to the path of endeavour and diligence to perfect oneself as a human being and to achieve self-realization.
One calls one who has awakened to the truth of life and the universe a “Buddha”. It is thought that many Buddhas have appeared in this universe, expounded the Law and saved human lives. Mahayana Buddhism teaches that many Buddhas have made their advent.
Here I would like to follow the currents of Buddhist history from the death of Sakyamuni Buddha to the rise of Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhist records indicate that following Sakyamuni’s death, people’s respect and admiration for him deepened and questions arose about the meaning of his death, and from this developed the theory of the Buddha’s three bodies.
At first it was said that the Buddha , as the eternal and indestructible “body of the law” who is one with the law of life and the universe appeared in this world to save people in the physical form of Sakyamuni – in other words, as the “manifested” body. Later when the Buddha who jointly possessed the two kinds of body – “the body of the Law” and the “manifested body” – became widely revered, the idea of the “bliss body” or spiritual strength to perceive the truth, developed. And along with the theory of the bodies, or aspects of Buddhas, a theory evolved concerning the appearance of Buddhas. First the concept of past Buddhas developed, in which it was held that Sakyamuni and various other Buddhas also appeared in the past. Then the concept of future Buddhas developed, in which it is said that Bodhisattva Maitreya will be reborn in this world as a Buddha in the future. The concepts of Buddhas in other worlds and of becoming a Buddha in the next life also arose. For instance, Amitabha Buddha is said to dwell in the western region of the universe. Akshobya Buddha, in the eastern region of the universe, and bodhisattvas, to be reborn in the Tushita heaven before attaining Buddhahood. Finally a concept of present lifetime Buddhas took shape in which it is taught that Buddhas exist throughout the ten directions of the universe.
The Lotus Sutra is the scripture that incorporates and unites the theories of the three bodies of the Buddha and of the appearance of the Buddhas. This scripture is respected as a pivotal text in Japanese Buddhism and has many followers.
In the 16th and most important chapter, entitled “The Life Span of the Thus Come One”, Sakyamuni reveals that he has been a Buddha since the infinite past, that he has all along been preaching in this mundane world and leading people to enlightenment, and that he has appeared as various Buddhas in order to save all living beings and preached the Law in accord with his listener’s capacity. He states that the reason he is now about to leave this world is that, although the life span he has attained by practicing the bodhisattva way is of infinite duration, through the means of his death he can teach and instruct people.
Here, principally in the 16th chapter, the concept of the original Buddha of the remotest past is revealed. In connection with this concept, Tien-tai of China commented that because it is shown in the “Life Span” chapter that Sakyamuni has appeared as various Buddhas in response to the capacity of the people he will teach and enlighten, all the Buddhas who appear in Mahayana Buddhism are united in the one Buddha, Sakyamuni.
Based upon this Tien-tai called the Sakyamuni revealed in the “Life Span” chapter, the Original Buddha and stated that he simultaneously embodies the Law Body, the manifested body and the bliss body, and that he is the Buddha whose true nature lies in the bliss body aspect. In other words, the “Life Span” chapter identifies the historical personage of Sakyamuni as the Original Buddha, presenting him as the manifestation in historical reality of the suprahistorical or Original Buddha.
Accordingly it {the 16th chapter] teaches that the Buddha’s life span is infinite. This is the concept of the Original Buddha of the remotest past. The distinguishing characteristic of the Lotus is the fact that it unites all Buddhas in the Original Buddha and perceives eternal life or an infinite life span, in the person of the historical figure Sakyamuni.
In this way, the concept of the original Buddha of the remotest past revealed in the “Life Span” chapter incorporates and unifies the Mahayana concepts of the three bodies and of the appearance of Buddhas; this new concept clearly reveals the outstanding personality of Sakyamuni, who is endowed with both eternity and reality, and filled with great compassion to save the people.
Private Stance [for SGI Consumption]:
April 17 WT (1998), speech by Daisaku Ikeda delivered March 13, 1998:
“In contrast, this Gosho passage states that Shakyamuni Buddha resides in the hearts of those with sincere faith. Read in terms of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, “Shakyamuni’ here refers to the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin himself.” p. 12, right hand column.
And today, if you view the July 6, 2015 Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra lecture,
he is teaching that the ordinary person is the Original Buddha.
As an aside, the SGI teachings on members surpassing the mentor is too ridiculous to even address.
The latest SGI "wisdom academy" lecture on Ichinen Sanzen [3000 worlds in a moment of existence], contains the video of a young man who leaves the house angry and he encounters one angry person after another and an angry misfortune prone environment. The latter part of the video shows the same young man leaving the house with what SGI would terms a "high life condition" and everyone he meets is warm and friendly and the environment too take on the characteristics of a joy filled paradise. The point of the video is to demonstrate Ichinen Sanzen and its relationship to the Buddhist concept of the oneness of person and environment [Esho Funi]. The danger of said video is that it is not at all how Ichinen Sanzen functions. In fact, one who faithfully practices the Lotus Sutra will encounter the fury of the Three Obstacles and Four devils, one after another, and a multitude of people who despise and persecute the true votary [those with the "life condition" of Pure and Perfect Enlightenment, for example, Nichiren Daishonin and Bodhisattva Never Despise]. SGI teachings market a false reality that ensures that 95% of the sincere seekers of the way will abandon their faith because they had not been well prepared beforehand.
Watching the SGI video lecture on the Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra The Lifespan of the Tathagata, we see that it is superficial since it discusses only "the general' and fails to discuss "the specific". Also, it not only fails to lecture on The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Chapter 16 to which it is entitled, "The Lifespan of the Tathagata" [jumping to Chapter 24 Bodhisattva Wonder Sound], it fails to touch upon the purported central point of the lecture, "Voluntarily assuming the appropriate karma".
The SGI lecturers maintain that we choose to be born into various circumstances [highlighting unfavorable circumstances] in order to eventually win and demonstrate the greatness of the Mystic Law. They use as an example the Bodhisattva Wonder Sound from Chapter 24 of the Lotus Sutra and they [Ikeda] quote the Ongi Kuden forgery [rather than the Lotus Sutra itself or an authentic writing of the Daishonin]:
"He [Bodhisattva Wonder Sound] manifests thirty-four different forms, illustrating the Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds and preaching the Law so as to benefit others."
The Lotus Sutra states:
“Flower Virtue, you see only the body of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound that is here. But this bodhisattva manifests himself in various different bodies and preaches this sutra for the sake of living beings in various different places. At times he appears as King Brahma, at times as the lord Shakra, at times as the heavenly being Freedom, at times as the heavenly being Great Freedom, at times as a great general of heaven, at times as the heavenly king Vaishravana, at times as a wheel-turning sage king, at times as one of the petty kings, at times as a rich man, at times as a householder, at times as a chief minister, at times as a Brahman, at times as a monk, a nun, a layman believer, or a laywoman believer, at times as the wife of a rich man or a householder, at times as the wife of a chief minister, at times as the wife of a Brahman, at times as a young boy or a young girl, at times as a heavenly being, a dragon, a yaksha, agandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, a human or a nonhuman being, and so preaches this sutra. The hell dwellers, hungry spirits, beasts, and numerous others who are in difficult circumstances are thus all able to be saved. And for the sake of those who are in the women’s quarters of the royal palace, he changes himself into a woman’s form and preaches this sutra.
“Flower Virtue, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound can save and protect the various living beings of the saha world. This bodhisattvaWonderful Sound performs various transformations, manifesting himself in different forms in this saha land and preaching this sutra for the sake of living beings, and yet his transcendental powers, his transformations, and his wisdom suffer no injury or diminution thereby. This bodhisattvaemploys various types of wisdom to illuminate the saha world, causing each one among all the living beings to acquire the appropriate understanding, and does the same in all the worlds in the ten directionsnumerous as Ganges sands.
“If the form of a voice-hearer is what is needed to bring salvation, he manifests himself in the form of a voice-hearer and proceeds to preach the Law. If the form of a pratyekabuddha will bring salvation, he manifests himself in the form of a pratyekabuddha and preaches the Law. If the form of a bodhisattva will bring salvation, he manifests abodhisattva form and preaches the Law. If the form of a buddha will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a buddha form and preaches the Law. Thus he manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for salvation. And if it is appropriate to enter extinction in order to bring salvation, he manifests himself as entering extinction.
“Flower Virtue, the bodhisattva mahasattva Wonderful Sound has acquired the great transcendental powers and the power of wisdom that enable him to do all this!”
At that time the bodhisattva Flower Virtue said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound has planted the roots of goodness very deeply. World-Honored One, what samadhidoes this bodhisattva dwell in, that he is able to carry out all these transformations and manifestations to save living beings?”
The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Flower Virtue, “Good man, this samadhi is called manifesting all kinds of bodies. The bodhisattvaWonderful Sound, dwelling in this samadhi, is able in this manner to enrich and benefit immeasurable living beings."
Question: What could be wrong with this, whether Ikeda or the lecturers quote the Ongi Kuden or the Lotus Sutra to make this valuable point?
Answer: This point is true from the perspective of the general, not the specific. The specific is the more profound viewpoint taught by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Lifespan Chapter:
"I [Shakyamuni] either preach my own body or preach the body of another or show my own body or show the body of another or show my own matter or show the matter of another. The various words I preach are all true and not empty. What is the reason? The Tathagata knows and sees the appearance of the Three Worlds in accordance with reality: there is no Birth-and-Death, whether backsliding or emerging; likewise there is neither existence in the world nor extinction; they are not real; they are not void, they are not thus; they are not different. It is not as the Three Worlds see the Three Worlds. In such a matter as this the Tathagata sees clearly and is without error."
Nichiren comments on this matter from the Lifespan Chapter in an authenticated writing:
"The oral tradition says that the Buddha can become grass and trees. This means that the Shakyamuni Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter can manifest himself in grass and trees. The Lotus Sutra speaks of “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.” There is nothing in the entire realm of phenomena that is not the manifestation of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni." (The Enlightenment of Plants)
From the perspective of the specific, the more enlightened perspective, Bodhisattva Wonder Sound too [and we] are manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. This is what the most profound chapter of the Lotus Sutra teaches and what the authentic Nichiren taught.
Actually, the selected passage refers to Nichiren Daishonin specifically and to us generally.
"Soka Gakkai Buddha"... conflates two of the Three Treasures [the Treasure of the Buddha and the Treasure of the Sangha]. Nowhere in the Lotus Sutra nor in the writings of Nichiren can we find the principle of Sangha-Buddha just as nowhere in the teachings is there the SGI concept of Bodhisattva-Buddha.
Ikeda is obsessed with acquiring the "32 features" but that is not appropriate for anyone else. Hypocrite!
"Namu Myoho renge kyo is the name of the Buddha of absolute freedom from time without beginning", here SGI conflates the Buddha with his teaching or Law. Nichiren has this to say about such men:
"The seventh volume of On 'Great Concentration and Insight' states: ‘Priests who concentrate on the written word’ refers to men who gain no inner insight or understanding through meditation, but concern themselves only with characteristics of the doctrine. ‘Zen masters who concentrate on practice’ refers to men who do not learn how to attain the truth and the corresponding wisdom, but fix their minds on the mere techniques of breath control. Theirs is the kind of [non-Buddhist] meditation that fundamentally still retains outflows. ‘Some Zen masters give all their attention to meditation alone’ means that, for the sake of discussion, T’ien-t’ai gives them a certain degree of recognition, but from a stricter viewpoint they lack both insight and understanding. The Zen men in the world today value only meditation [as the way to realize the truth] and have no familiarity with doctrinal teachings. In relying upon meditation alone, they interpret the sutras in their own way. They put together the eight errors and the eight winds, and talk about the Buddha as being sixteen feet in height. They lump together the five components and the three poisons, and call them the eight errors. They equate the six sense organs with the six transcendental powers, and the four elements with the four noble truths. To interpret the sutras in such an arbitrary manner is to be guilty of the greatest falsehood. Such nonsense is not even worth discussing.”
SGI is not protecting the teachings. They are merely protecting the Devedatta of the modern age, Daisaku Ikeda
"Thank you Sensei for giving us the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra." -- SGI cultmember
"Thank you Shakyamuni Buddha for giving us the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra." -- Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Sunday, December 26, 2021
"stop criticizing those (SGI members for example) who chant the Daimoku."
"However, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra..." - Letter to Matsuno
SGI members for example, especially leaders, chant the daimoku while acting against the intent of the this sutra. I can not criticize them enough.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
On the Way to Apocalypse? Chant Namu Myoho renge kyo for yourself and the world!
Russian Citizens Are Now Being Prepped for Nuclear War
The rhetoric on Kremlin-funded state television is amping up the sense of urgency around Russian President Vladimir Putin’s NATO “ultimatum.” Olga Skabeeva, the host of state TV show 60 Minutes, said Tuesday: “The level of anxiety has reached its maximum. We’re 20 days away from the expiration of the ultimatum and the stakes are rising, even though it seems they couldn’t be any higher.”
One day after Moscow submitted a draft of its Russia-U.S. security treaty, containing demands that NATO roll back its military deployments in Europe and deny membership to Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov threatened that Moscow would raise the stakes if the West didn’t treat its demands seriously. On Monday, he told Interfax that Russia needs answers “urgently, because the situation is very difficult.”
Pro-Kremlin propagandists and state-media experts filled in the blanks with what kind of escalation should be expected. On Sunday’s edition of News of the Week, state-TV host Dmitry Kiselyov explained: “Russia… prepared and handed over to the Americans its written proposals on strategic stability, or, more simply, on the prevention of nuclear war, since we are already at a critical point, to be honest… It’s simple. The U.S. and NATO must roll back from our borders, otherwise we will, figuratively speaking, ‘roll up’ to their borders and create symmetrical, unacceptable risks… If you put a gun to our head, we will respond in kind… The whole point is that the development of the Ukrainian territory by the [Western] bloc is not only Ukraine’s business. This is a complete breakdown of the global balance, which poses an existential threat to Russia. In other words, for Russia it is a matter of life and death… We simply will not allow it, regardless of the cost to us, and regardless of the cost to those responsible for it.”
Russians Have Suddenly Stopped Buying Putin’s Anti-American Propaganda
Kiselyov, notorious for his previous assertion that Russia is the only country that can reduce the U.S. to a pile of radioactive ash, revisited his beloved “argument” to explain why the United States will be willing to entertain Putin’s unreasonable proposition. He asserted that Russia is willing to suffer any consequences and go to any lengths to get what it wants: “Never before has anyone published the texts of the proposed treaties. But never before in the 21st century has the situation been so acute, and the risks so great. Non-standard situations require non-standard approaches. Secondly, we’re holding very strong cards in our hands. Our hypersonic weapons are guaranteed to produce a response that is so unpleasant for America to hear: being reduced to radioactive ash.”
Putin ordered two nuclear-capable long-range bombers to fly into European airspace this weekend, as they were dispatched to patrol Belarus. Just a week ago, Russia warned that it would redeploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons on its Western flank—in striking distance of central Europe—for the first time since they were banned in a 1987 treaty between presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.
There have also been grim signs of things to come from the Russian government. A new national standard for “Urgent burial of corpses in peacetime and wartime” has been introduced by the government in recent months. It will come into force on Feb. 1, 2022, and specifies the burial in mass graves to be dug by bulldozers, disposing of as many as 1,000 bodies in a 24-hour time period. Bodies are to be placed “in four layers, either in bags, wooden coffins or zinc coffins, prepared in advance… and subsequently covered with dirt. Then the mass graves will be compacted with a bulldozer, filled with “a mineral binder” and equipped with “devices for the absorption and neutralization of radioactive, hazardous chemicals and biological agents formed during the decomposition of corpses.”
Russia’s government agency responsible for the creation of the new standards did not respond to journalists’ inquiries as to the purpose behind this effort. Military expert Alexander Goltz told newspaper Novye Izvestiya: “Those who prepared these standards thought in terms of either a global epidemic or a global war, in which not only the military, but also the civilian population would die. This is only possible with the use of nuclear weapons.”
Former military spokesman Viktor Baranets concurred and added: “It may turn out that we will have to send troops not only to Donetsk and the Lugansk regions, but also to the greater Ukraine. We have a flaming fuse in the Black Sea region. There are also dangers in the region of Belarus and concerns in the Kaliningrad region. [NATO] has grandiose plans for the immediate capture of the Kaliningrad region, even with the use of nuclear weapons. And how, then, will we bury? One by one, or what?” He added: “We’re getting ready for the major crises.”
Chess legend and a highly knowledgeable critic of the Kremlin Garry Kasparov—who was way ahead of his time with his 2016 book Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped—described the Russian government’s creation of the “mass burial” standard as one of “the signposts on the way to apocalypse.”
Propagandists on Russia’s state-funded television stressed that Moscow is now approaching the West from a position of strength. Discussing the Kremlin’s bold and unreasonable ultimatums to the U.S. and its allies, Kiselyov said: “This is a moment of truth in our relations with America, in which we move on to complete reciprocity… From a position of strength, we simply designate a ‘cause and effect’ relationship. That’s how it will be.” With brazen arrogance of a seasoned mobster borrowed from The Godfather, Russia’s top propagandist concluded: “You, over there in the U.S., NATO and the EU, decide for yourself: Is Russia making an offer that can be refused?”
On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko discussed Putin’s ultimatum to the United States and NATO with pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev, who donned a red hoodie emblazoned with a Soviet hammer and sickle emblem. In an episode of Soloviev’s show entitled “NATO’s Capitulation,” Grushko said: “The moment of truth has come. We have reached a red line and our proposals aim to pull us away from this red line and start normal dialogue that will put security interests at the forefront.” He described the Kremlin’s hard-nosed demand to the West as “throwing the rock into their swamp” and explained that Western refusal to play by Moscow’s rules will lead to “a military or military-technical response,” with Russia “creating counter-threats” to the United States and its allies.
On Monday, in response to the question as to whether Russia could deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: “It’s no secret that the deployment of various kinds of weapons near our borders, which can pose a danger to us, clearly requires adequate steps to balance the situation. Various options are available.”
In past years, Russian lawmakers have been advocating the placement of Russia’s advanced weapons systems in Cuba, Central America, and elsewhere “in America’s underbelly.” Those options likely remain on Moscow’s menu. On Tuesday, state-TV host Olga Skabeeva pointed out: “We’re contemplating placing our nuclear weapons in Cuba or Venezuela.”
Conveying the message that could be summed up as “USSR or bust,” Russia’s national ice hockey team sparked outrage in Europe by wearing Soviet uniforms in Euro Hockey Tour’s Channel One Cup in Moscow on Sunday. The return to Soviet imagery is in total coordination with Putin’s ultimatum to the West that seeks a rematch in the Cold War that was lost by the Soviet Union.
On Monday, Skabeeva surmised: “The United States have to sign off on the notion that their hegemony is over.”
She added: “The declaration about a military response is being made by our Foreign Affairs Ministry… which never happened before. Russia is placing the United States in a no-win situation: either they retreat voluntarily, or we will force them to retreat. At the same time, Russia is not taking any obligations upon itself with respect to the preservation of Ukraine, much less of its sovereignty.”