Some thoughts on the gentle (shoju) and the forceful (shakubuku) practices.

Nichiren says, "to the best of your ability"... for laymen. The forceful practices are relegated primarily to the priests and those predisposed to break and subdue polemics. SGI has it all wrong. They perform the gentle practices with the slanderers of the Law, the provisional Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus while performing the forceful practices with the members of the orthodox sects and even their own members. They are shameful indeed. Nichiren also teaches that those predisposed to the gentle practices alone, people like Katie Higgins, should support those who perform the forceful practices but instead, she attacks Greg and I who also perform the gentle practices. She too is shameful and I will not allow here her slander of the votaries who practice as the Lotus/Nirvana Sutras and Nichiren teach.

Tens of thousands of extremely evil people

 

Why is Prajnaparamita (Paramita of Wisdom or Perfection of Wisdom) excepted?

 How is it possible with our fleshy eyes, ordinary ears, human organ of smell [less developed than even that of a dog or a fish], three inch tongue, skin, feces and urine bag of a body, and base, common and insubstantial mind, all received from our parents, obtain the divine eyes and five types of vision, the ability to hear the "Light Sound and Universal Purity", perceive the odors of all beings, their thoughts, karmas and merits, have "the Buddhas and their disciples all come to hear your discourses" [through the marvelous function of your tongue], obtain "a body as a pure bright mirror" in which every image is seen, and develop a mind that is "pure, lucid, acute, unperturbed" by which you will "know all laws, high, low and mean"?

The Lotus Sutra teaches that merely by receiving and keeping the Lotus Sutra [Myoho renge kyo], the merits of the preacher (Lotus Sutra Chapter 19) are such as these. If you have these merits you share the mind of the Buddha, you are living in accord with the Buddha.

Chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra teaches:

"At that time the Buddha told Maitreya Bodhisattva Mahasattva, "Ajita! If there are living beings who, on hearing that the Buddha’s life span is as long as this, can bring forth even a single thought of faith and understanding, the merit and virtue they will gain is measureless and limitless. If a good man or a good woman, for the sake of anuttara samyak sambodhi, were to practice the five paramitas: dana-paramita, shila-paramita, kshanti-paramita, virya-paramita, and dhyana-paramita; all except prajnaparamita throughout eighty myriads of millions of nayutas of eons, the merit and virtue he or she would derive if compared with that of the previous person’s would not come to a hundredth part, nor to a thousandth, nor to a hundred thousand myriad millionth part, nor could it be known by resort to calculation or analogy."

"For a good man or a good woman possessing merit and virtue such as this, to retreat from anuttara samyak sambodhi would be simply impossible."

"At that time, the World Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,

If someone wished to seek the Buddha’s wisdom

Throughout eighty myriads of millions

Of nayutas of kalpas,

Practicing the five paramitas

Throughout all those eons,

He would give by making offerings to the Buddhas,

The Pratyekabuddha disciples,

And to the hosts of Bodhisattvas.

His gifts might be rare and precious food and drink,

Fine clothing, and bedding.

He might give pure abodes made of chandana

And adorned by gardens and groves.

Gifts such as these,

Varied and fine,

Throughout this number of eons,

He would dedicate to the Buddha Way.

Further he might hold the prohibitive precepts purely,

Without flaw or fault,

Seeking the supreme path,

Praised by all the Buddhas.

Again, he might practice patience,

Dwelling on the Ground of Compliance,

So that should evil befall him,

His mind would not be disturbed.

Also if those who have gained the Dharma,

But who harbor overweening pride,

Ridicule and torment him,

He would be able to bear it.

He might be diligent and vigorous,

Ever solid in his resolve,

Throughout limitless millions of eons,

Single-minded and never lax.

And for countless eons he might

Dwell in a tranquil place,

Ever collecting his thoughts, avoiding sleep,

While either sitting or walking.

Because of these causes and conditions,

He would then give rise to dhyana concentration,

So that for eighty millions of myriads of eons,

His mind would be secure and unconfused.

Blessed with this single-mindedness,

He would seek the unsurpassed path, saying,

"May I gain All-Wisdom

And exhaust the limits of dhyana concentrations."

This person, for hundreds of thousands

Of tens of millions of eons,

Might practice such meritorious virtues

As told above.

But should there be a good man or woman

Who, hearing me speak of my life span,

Gives rise to even a single thought of faith,

His or her blessings will exceed those of the person just described.

Any person who can be completely free

Of doubts and misgivings

And, with deep thought, believe for but an instant,

Will reap blessings such as those.

Should there be Bodhisattvas

Who have practiced the Way for limitless eons

And who hear me speak of my life span,

They shall be able to believe and accept it.

Persons such as these

Will receive this Sutra atop their heads,

Vowing, "May we in the future

Gain long lives and save living beings.

Just as today the World Honored One,

King of the Shakyas, In the Bodhimanda puts forth the lion’s roar,

Speaking the Dharma without fear,

So may we in lives to come

Be revered by all

And, while seated in the Bodhimanda,

Speak of our life spans in the same way."

Should there be those who deeply believe,

Who are pure and straightforward,

With much learning and dharanis,

Who explain the Buddhas’ words according to the doctrine

Persons such as these

Will have no doubts about this matter.

"Further, Ajita, if anyone hears of the long duration of the Buddha’s life span and understands the import of these words, the merit and virtue such a one gains will be without boundary or limit, for it shall enable one to give rise to the supreme wisdom of the Thus Come One."

"How much the more so will this be the case for one who can listen to this Sutra extensively; ask others to listen; uphold it oneself; ask others to uphold it; write it out oneself; ask others to write it out; or use flowers, incense, beads, banners, flags, silk canopies, fragrant oils, or butter lamps to make offerings to this Sutra. Such a person’s merit and virtue will be limitless and boundless, for it shall enable that person to give rise to the Wisdom of All Modes."

"Ajita! If a good man or good woman hears of the long duration of the Buddha’s life span and with a deep mind believes and understands, he or she will then see the Buddha ever-present on Mount Gridhrakuta together with the great Bodhisattvas and the assembly of Hearers surrounding him as he speaks the Dharma. He or she will also see the Saha world’s soil become lapis lazuli. It will be flat and even, with eight major roads bordered with Jambunada gold and lined with jeweled trees. Adjacent to the roads will be pavilions and towers all made of jewels, wherein hosts of Bodhisattvas dwell. To behold in this way is indicative of deep faith and understanding."

"Further, after the passing into stillness of the Thus Come One, if a person hears this Sutra and does not defame it but instead rejoices over it, you should know that that indicates he already has deep faith and understanding."

"How much the more so is this the case for one who reads, recites, receives, and upholds it."

"This person carries the Thus Come One on the top of his head."

"Ajita! This good man or good woman need not build stupas or temples for me, nor build Sangha dwellings, nor make the four kinds of offerings to the Sangha. Why not? This good man or good woman, in receiving, upholding, reading, and reciting this Sutra, has already built stupas, erected Sangha dwellings, and made offerings to the Sangha. He has built stupas of the seven treasures for the Buddha’s sharira. The stupas are high and broad, tapering up to the Brahma Heavens, hung with banners and canopies. He has also offered many jeweled bells, flowers, incense, beads, ground incense, paste incense, and burning incense, as well as many drums, musical instruments, pipes, flutes, reeds, various dances, and praises sung with wonderful sounds. He has already made such offerings throughout limitless thousands of myriads of millions of eons."

Why is prajnaparamita excepted?

My answer:

The Paramita of Wisdom or Buddha Wisdom is that which gives rise to Myoho renge kyo. In the history of the universe, only one man, Shakyamuni Buddha, the Original Buddha since time without beginning who, has been training and guiding all others to Buddhahood, was originally enlightened to Myoho renge kyo. This realization is an integral part of Nichiren Daishonin's enlightenment and the enlightenment of all Buddhas throughout the Ten Directions and Three Existences. Only the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni has always and exclusively practiced and taught the True Law since time without beginning.

Original Teacher means that no matter how eminent, wise, or knowledgeable one may be, no matter how diligent one is in carrying out the other Five Paramitas (Five Perfections), and no matter how long one practices them, there is no way that one could come up with, let alone reveal, Myoho renge kyo independently of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni Buddha, in the history of the universe, was the one unique individual capable of doing so. Nichiren realized this, taught this, and reverenced Shakyamuni Buddha for His astronomical feat of autonomous self-practice. That is why He, rather than any other individual, is revered as the person of the Gohonzon of Ninpo-Ika (Oneness of Person and Law).

We owe our very Enlightenment to this Buddha and this Buddha alone. The arrogance of those who misconstrue Shakyamuni Buddha’s and Nichiren Daishonin’s words for their own aggrandizement is cause to fall into the Lower Worlds and to remain there for a very long time. How can one follow anyone who is so blind to the manifest reality that someone had to give them the Five Characters that they pay homage to? Daisaku Ikeda, for example, didn’t come up with the formula Myoho renge kyo. Likewise, the High Priests of the various lineages didn’t come up with this formula. Even Nichiren Daishonin didn’t realize and expound Myoho renge kyo since the infinite past (although he as Bodhisatva Jogyo Superior Practices was the first to receive Myoho renge kyo). It was Shakyamuni Buddha who taught Nichiren Daishonin and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth Myoho renge kyo in the remote past. The Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni planted the seed of Myoho renge kyo in the Buddha-nature of his disciples, the seed that, when watered with a correct faith and practice, grows into the magnificent tree of the Supreme Enlightenment of Myoho. We, as disciples of this Buddha, are entrusted with task of planting the seeds of Myoho renge kyo in the ill children of Latter Day, in the example of Nichiren Daishonin.

Queequeg's (Matthew Presseau's incredibly thorough answer:

1. The bolded parts do not apply to us because that's talking about people who hear the teaching directly from the Buddha. We hear of the life span after the parinirvana.

2. That passage is talking about the benefits gained from practicing the 5 paramita, excluding Prajna to point out the benefit of hearing of the Buddha's life span. The benefit of practicing Prajna is not exceeded by hearing the teaching.

However, Nichiren taught clearly he believed that Prajna is beyond those in Mappo. People in Mappo are at the stage of hearing the name, second of six identities and first stage of practice where merely hearing the teaching and not disparaging it is the practice - Nichiren said one does not even need to rejoice.

He was talking about adhimukti as the correct mind. At that stage there is no wisdom. One is compared to an insect that chews a letter A in a piece of wood. The insect can't read.

There is no substantial wisdom at this stage. That's why one must practice faith/adhimukti.

I don't have the motivation to provide alternate translations, but you'll find the NOPAA translation to be consistent with this SG translation. Here is the teaching in a nutshell in the Shishin Gohon sho (On the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice):

Scholars of Buddhism these days all agree on the following: Whether in the Buddha’s lifetime or after his passing, those who wish to practice the Lotus Sutra must devote themselves to the three types of learning. If they neglect any one of these, they cannot attain the Buddha way.

Three types of learning are sila (ethics/morality), dhyana (meditation) and prajna (wisdom).

In the past, I, too, subscribed to this opinion. Setting aside here the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime as a whole, let us examine the question in the light of the Lotus Sutra. Here, too, we may set aside the teachings contained in the preparation and revelation sections. That brings us to the transmission section, which constitutes a clear mirror for the Latter Day of the Law and is most to be relied upon [in determining this matter].

Nichiren explained the Preparation, Revelation, and Transmission in Kanjin no Honzon sho.

All the teachings that Shakyamuni Buddha expounded during his lifetime—all the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the first four flavors of teachings that preceded the sutra, and the Nirvana Sutra that came after the Lotus—make an unbroken series of teachings like one perfect sutra. [These teachings can be divided into three parts—preparation, revelation, and transmission]. Preparation indicates the part from the Flower Garland Sutra, his first preaching at the place of enlightenment, to the Wisdom sutras; revelation indicates the ten volumes of the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Universal Worthy Sutra; and transmission indicates the Nirvana Sutra. The ten volumes of the revelation section likewise can be divided into these three parts. The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra and the “Introduction” chapter of the Lotus Sutra are preparation. The fifteen and a half chapters from the “Expedient Means” chapter to the nineteen-line verse of the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter are revelation. The remaining eleven and a half chapters and one volume, from the section in the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter clarifying the four stages of faith for people in the Buddha’s lifetime to the Universal Worthy Sutra, are transmission.

Preparation is how a Buddha, through expedient means, prepares the listener to hear a teaching - gathers them in a place, cultivates the listener's interest in a teaching, opens up their mind to receive a teaching, etc. Revelation is the teaching itself. Transmission is the accepting and practicing of the teaching by the listener. Transmission is the point where the teaching becomes a matter belonging to the listener, so to speak. Receiving a teaching means that the listener accepts the teaching and puts it into practice. So it is notable that Nichiren is talking about transmission in this writing - he is explaining the correct practice in his teaching.

As an aside, I would point out that this division of teachings into preparation, revelation and transmission is critical to understand Nichiren's teachigns, and in particular, the Three Great Secret Laws - the Gohonzon, the Daimoku, and the Kaidan. In the passage immediately preceding the quote above from Kanjin no Honzon sho, Nichiren wrote:

The true object of devotion is described as follows:

The treasure tower sits in the air above the sahā world that the Buddha of the essential teaching [identified as the pure and eternal land]; Myoho-renge-kyo appears in the center of the tower with the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures seated to the right and left, and, flanking them, the four bodhisattvas, followers of Shakyamuni, led by Superior Practices. Manjushrī, Maitreya, and the other bodhisattvas, who are all followers of the four bodhisattvas, are seated below. All the other major and minor bodhisattvas, whether they are disciples of the Buddha in his transient status or of the Buddhas of the other worlds, are like commoners kneeling on the ground in the presence of nobles and high-ranking court officials. The Buddhas who gathered from the other worlds in the ten directions all remain on the ground, showing that they are only temporary manifestations of the eternal Buddha and that their lands are transient, not eternal and unchanging.

During the entire fifty years of Shakyamuni’s teaching, only in the last eight years did he preach the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. Again, of all these chapters, only in the eight chapters did he reveal and transfer the object of devotion to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. During the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, statues were made showing Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of Hinayana, and Manjushrī and Universal Worthy flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of the provisional Mahayana, the Nirvana Sutra, and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

Even though statues and paintings were made of these Shakyamuni Buddhas during the two millennia, no image or statue was made of the Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter. Only in the Latter Day of the Law will the representation of that Buddha appear.

The Gohonzon depicts the Ceremony in the Air, particularly, the Life Span Chapter where Shakyamuni reveals his real identity, ie. the revelation. When one sits before the Gohonzon, they are enacting the revelation, and in chanting the Daimoku with faith, one is receiving the transmission. That place where one sits is the Kaidan. A Kaidan is a place where practitioners formally receive ordination and enter the sangha. In Nichiren's teaching which transcends the limited scope of Vinaya rules, the Kaidan refers to the place where any being hears and receives the Essential Teaching, and specifically, refers to a formal ordination platform to be established when the emperor of Japan converts to his teaching.

Returning to this writing - the word "faith" is critically important here. Nichiren explains what he means by faith and why it is the essence of the practice he taught in this writing,

The transmission section has two parts. The first is that of the theoretical teaching and consists of the five chapters beginning with the “Teacher of the Law” chapter. The second is that of the essential teaching and consists of the latter part of the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter through the eleven chapters that comprise the remainder of the sutra. The five chapters from the theoretical teaching and the eleven and a half chapters from the essential teaching combine to make sixteen and a half chapters, and in these it is clearly explained how one should practice the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. If this is not convincing enough, then further examining the matter in light of the Universal Worthy and Nirvana sutras3 will surely leave no doubt.

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

The passage you quoted from the 17th Chapter of the Lotus is the exposition of the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages Practice.

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

"Belief and Understanding" is a critical term here. It comes from the Lotus Sutra and is the name of the third chapter. 信解 is a translation of adhimukti. This refers to the moment a dharma first makes an impression on one's consciousness, but before any observation can be made about it. For example - the form of a red car makes contact with the eyes and that sensation in turn makes contact with the mind organ. In that first moment of awareness of the red car, the mind has not yet made an observation, "red car", but rather only of some red form. The mind has not yet formed any observation yet, only that there is an object, not even that its red, in particular. This is the moment of adhimukti - the bare cognition that there is something to observe.

At the opening of the 16th chapter, the Buddha urges the Assembly, "You must believe and understand the words of the Tathagata." In this passage, he's not actually urging the Assembly to particularly "believe" or "understand"; he's actually just telling the Assembly to adhimukti what he's about to say. Nichiren in this writing carefully peels back the meaning to get at this, cutting the compound 信解 down to 信. This character is usually translated as "faith" but if you carefully consider this writing, and the background of this term, its clear that this English translation is inadequate and actually misleading. Nichiren is not talking about faith, as in believing or trusting something. He's talking about just being receptive to this teaching.

Nichiren continues in this writing to identify the First Stage of Faith and First Stage of Practice with the Second of Six Identities, Hearing the Name. (The Six Identities are 1. Buddha in Principle; 2. Hearing the Name; 3. Identity in Contemplative Practice; 4. Resemblance to Buddhahood; 5. Partial realization; and 6. Ultimate Identity (Buddhahood)) This is when a person hears the teaching for the first time.

Zhiyi (Tientai) describes this stage in Makashikan:

If you have not heard of the threefold truth and are completely unaware of the Buddha Dharma, you are like cattle or sheep whose eyes do not comprehend the [eight] directions. When you hear of the one true bodhi-wisdom as explained above—whether from a teacher or from [reading] the scripture scrolls)—attain penetrating understanding within [the limits of] words, and know that all dharmas are the Buddha Dharma, this is bodhi[citta] as indivisible with words.

This is also called “verbal cessation-and-contemplation.” If you rush from place to place in search of [the truth] when you have not yet heard [these teachings], and then hear them, and the mind striving upward ³nally ³nds rest—this is called “cessation” [at the verbal level]. To have faith in [a verbal and conceptual understanding of] Dharma-nature and not [yet] have faith in the variety [of wider implications] is called contemplation or insight [at the verbal level].

[He then goes on to further elaborate on the nature of a person at this stage to contrast it with the contemplative practice that occurs at the next level]

Identity in Contemplative Practice

Identity in contemplative practice means that if you merely hear the verbal and oral explanation [of the Buddha Dharma], you are like an insect chewing on wood and accidentally making letters. That insect does not know whether [the marks it is making] are letters or not letters. If you do not have penetrating understanding, how can you have bodhi-wisdom? It is imperative that your mental insight is clear and full, so that there is a correspondence between the principle [of reality] and your wisdom, that your actions are in accordance with your words, and that your words are in accordance with your actions.

At the level of Hearing the Name, one merely hears the teaching, but does not understand it at all. The teaching makes an impression and the mind determines that there is an object to discern. The discerning starts at the next step - Identity in Contemplative Practice. This is where one starts to reflect on the teaching and begin to penetrate its meaning.

My opinion is that, of the three interpretations, the one that refers to hearing the name and words of the truth accords best with the text of the Lotus Sutra. For, in describing the first of the five stages of practice that apply to the time after the Buddha’s passing, the sutra speaks of those who “[hear this sutra and] do not slander or speak ill of it but feel joy in their hearts.” If one equates the stage described here with a level as advanced as the five stages of practice at the stage of resemblance to enlightenment, then the words “do not slander or speak ill of it” would hardly be appropriate.

In particular, the passages in the “Life Span” chapter that speak of those who are “out of their minds” and those who are “not out of their minds” refer in both cases to the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth. The Nirvana Sutra says, “Whether they have faith or do not have faith . . . ,” and “If there are living beings who, in the presence of Buddhas numerous as the sands of the Hiranyavatī River, have conceived the desire for enlightenment, then when they are born in an evil age such as this, they will be able to accept and uphold a sutra like this and will never slander it.” One should also consider these passages.

Again, in the four-character phrase “a single moment of belief and understanding,” the word “belief” applies to the first of the four stages of faith, and the word “understanding,” to those that follow. And if this is so, then faith without understanding would apply to the first of the four stages of faith. The second stage of faith is described in the sutra as that at which one “generally understands the import of the words” of the sutra. And in volume nine of The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” we read, “The initial stage of faith is different from the others, because in the initial stage there is as yet no understanding.”

Then we come to the following “Responding with Joy” chapter, where the initial stage of rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra is restated and clarified in terms of fifty persons who in turn hear and rejoice in the Lotus Sutra, the merit that they gain thereby decreasing with each successive person. With regard to the stage achieved by the fiftieth person, there are two interpretations. The first interpretation holds that the fiftieth person falls within the stage of rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra. The other interpretation holds that the fiftieth person cannot yet be said to have entered the stage of rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra but is still at the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth. This is what one commentary means when it says, “The truer the teaching, the lower the stage [of those it can bring to enlightenment].” Thus, for example, the perfect teaching can save people of lower capacity than can the doctrines of the four flavors and three teachings. Similarly, the Lotus Sutra can save people of lower capacity than can the perfect teaching expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra, and the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra can save more people than can the theoretical teaching—people of any capacity at all. One should carefully ponder the six-character phrase: “the truer the teaching, the lower the stage.”

Consider that Nichiren assumes that Mappo has started and the people born now for the most part have no connection to Buddha. The point of his teaching is for people to "Hear" the teaching and to merely receive it. "Man's mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its previous dimensions." Once one hears of the Tathagata, it cannot be unheard.

If you ask, what is Tathagata, then eventually one hears of the Dharmakaya - the Buddha as reality itself. Nichiren is teaching people to open up to reality-as-it-is - shoho jisso. Indeed, this is the same point one finds throughout Buddhist teachings - one suffers because they are mistaken about reality. The only way to not be mistaken about reality is to know reality. The first step to knowing reality is to hear about it from a teacher. The rest is cultivation.

As for why the five paramitas are excluded, this is clearly explained in this writing. Its because those five paramitas would be a distracting burden to those who are just entering the Buddhist path. So the practitioner is urged to focus on wisdom (prajnaparamita). However, at the stage of hearing the name, there is no understanding, so one at that stage should cultivate faith (adhimukti).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) role in nuclear strategy

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/hitting-the-books-the-soviets-once-tasked-an-ai-with-our-mutually-assured-destruction/ar-AAVy7Gr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=40af9a65e9254a349fc5f1d9d554ac4a

What are some reasons for our prayers going unanswered?

Nichiren writes: “It could never happen that the prayers of the devotees of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered even should the tides cease to ebb and flow or should the sun rise in the west....” - On prayers

Why then are prayers unanswered? There are many reasons. Here are some of them:

One reason is mixing the clean with the unclean. No dog would ever intentionally eat ground glass. No infant could ever intentionally ingest a toxic substance nor would any mother intentionally give her baby a toxic substance. However, a dog will eagerly eat a steak inundated with ground glass and an infant will readily drink tainted breast milk. A mother, not knowing that the noxious drug is excreted into her breast milk, inadvertently gives it to her baby. This is what some teachers and organizations serve to the children of the Buddha. They serve the poison of the heretical doctrines of Nichiren as True Buddha, The DaiGohonzon as the only valid Gohonzon, and the Shingon principle of mentor-disciple (Guru Yoga) to their children in the milk of Namu Myoho renge kyo. Or they, like a mean and deranged farmer, serve their loyal dog the ground glass of slander of the orthodox believers in the steak of the Jiga-ge.

Another reason is as noxious as mixing the clean with the unclean: Taking a piece of the teachings from the middle, a piece from the end, and a piece from the beginning and re-attaching them in reverse order or mixing them up. The former practice is like a surgeon who reverses a vein when creating an arterial bypass. The flow of blood ceases and the patient dies. The latter practice (that of mixing up the teachings) can be likened to a physician who is ignorant of adverse drug-drug interactions. He mixes two or three safe and efficacious drugs together which turns them into a powerful poison. The former practice of rearranging the teachings is commonplace in some Nichiren sects. For example, those teachings that Nichiren Daishonin taught before he had fully developed his faith are given precedent over the later complete teachings or they promote the theoretical teachings of expedients over the essential teachings of abandoning expedients and the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. An example of the danger of mixing several efficacious practices which when mixed have a deleterious effect, are mixing up the gentle (shoju) and forceful (shakubuku) practices, failing to understand the times or the circumstances in which we live. They will practice shoju towards the slanderers of the Dharma such as the Zen men, Nembutsu adherents, and believers in Islam while practicing shakabuku towards the children of the Buddha with orthodox faith in the Lotus Sutra and teachings of Nichiren. These sundry practices some perpetuate on the children of the Buddha. Those who perform such sundry practices are not good persons good and their high priests and leaders are particularly evil. They have the mission of destroying the teachings and harming the children of the Buddha.

A third reason is that some evil men add doctrines and concepts to the Great Pure Teachings where none exist and claim them as “the original and authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin”. This is even worse than forging Gosho because it is more insidious. These evil men alter a word here or a word there or a sentence here or a sentence there, or a passage here or a passage there, to already extant and authentic Gosho (literally putting words in Nichiren’s mouth). The modern Gosho Zenshu is replete with such altered translations. These men have become adept at fooling the people for personal gain and ego. They have often inherited this cunning and treachery from the very founders of their perverse lineages. Many examples are found in the Five Major Writings of Nichiren, in the so-called oral teachings, and in their faked transfer documents. Fortunately, we have the unadulterated Showa Tehon Collection of Original Gosho (as well as expert linguists), to keep them honest. We also have the disciples and believers of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin whose correct faith and understanding renders them capable of clarifying such matters.

Still another reason is that many innocent people fall prey to the argument, “Nichiren said this but meant that” which is the teachings of the delusion of fundamental darkness. Since this is a visceral and emotional argument and the people are steeped in the Three Poisons, no amount of logic or scholarship will suffice to overturn it. Most people can no more see their own eyebrows than heaven in the distance [Nichiren]. It will require the wisdom of the Buddha born of faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s Gohonzon and the Lotus Sutra to destroy these arguments and devils.

Then there are those who commit the Fourteen Slanders* found in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren. Adopting any of these slanders, one's prayers will certainly go unanswered.

*(1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges against believers.

Lastly, disbelief or misguided belief is the main reason one's prayers unanswered.

The danger of religions such as the Soka Gakkai and even the Nichiren Shu which Katie and Jerry Marcheso fail to see.

Let me give you a glaring example of the danger of such a religion as the SGI:

                FUN STUFF

                             Who Wants to be a Trillionaire Game

                                               Word Search

                       Life of Nichiren Daishonin Coloring Book

                                              Color the Sun

Unfortunately, they deleted the Trillionaire game.

One of the questions on the SGI childrens multiple choice learning exam, Who Wants to be a Trillionaire is, "Who is a Buddha?" The "correct" answer is "Everybody". Teaching this to young children is a sure way to increase their chances of being sexually assaulted or murdered. The SGI misunderstands Buddhism. The SGI is a zennification of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism. It is the teaching of human devils.

Bodhisattva Never Despise never said, "You are all Buddhas." He said, "You are all to become Buddhas." Everybody is not a Buddha, least of all those in the SGI who so misunderstand Buddhism that they put our children in jeopardy.

I have received lots of flack from this post, even a stern rebuke from the Nichiren Shu priest Ryuei. Here is my rebuttal:

When children went to the SGI Elementary School Division Web site, they found the game, Who Wants To Be A Trillionaire:

Leaving aside for a moment that becoming a "trillionaire" [like the SGI mentor] is not a goal of Buddhism, the children eventually come upon the question, Who is a Buddha? The answer given is "everyone". I then criticized this false teaching as a danger to children. I knew I would get a lot of flack but my purpose was to stir up the SGI members, to get them to think and, to point out that from top to bottom, the SGI is mistaken about Buddhism and a danger to children.

One SGI member wrote a nasty letter but failed to include my discourse on Bodhisattva Never Despise. I wrote back:

Do you have young children? Do you tell them that everyone is a Buddha? "Honeybear, the pedophile Jimmy who lives down the street is a Buddha, the violent sexual deviant six houses down is a Buddha, and so too is your uncle Tony G who is a Crip." Better to teach the children about Goldilocks and the big Bad Wolf which, at least, is a practical teaching that might one day protect (awaken) the child about the bad people out there. He failed to include the rest of my discourse:

Even Bodhisattva Fukyo NEVER says, you are all Buddhas. He says, "You are all TO BECOME Buddhas."

The SGI teaching that everyone is a Buddha is as evil as the Zen teachings, "If you see a Buddha on the road kill him." Both teachings deprecate the lofty condition of Buddhahood. This is tantamount to destroying the Buddha seed by making people indiscriminate and stupid. This is exactly what the SGI wants. They don't want people to discriminate. "President Ikeda is a Buddha, he is infallible", "your Territory Chief is a Buddha, you shouldn't disagree with him or you lack faith" [if you don't see it his way] or "the Human Revolution is the Gosho of modern times."

Another called me names and stated, the SGI teaches that we are all potential Buddhas. I wrote:

The answer to the question, Who is a Buddha, was, "Everyone". This is on the Official SGI-USA website and this is what is being taught to the elementary school children [not, as you say, that everyone is a potential Buddha]. The child is left with a nondiscriminating mind based on the SGI fantasy that "we are all Buddhas". I suggest you no longer screen SGI members who supervise and teach children because you are all Buddhas.

We will teach the children the difference between a Buddha and a common mortal: "A Buddha is Enlightened and would never harm you, a common mortal is deluded so be very careful." I suggest the SGI takes down their children's learning quiz from their web site or alter it to reflect Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism, the Latter Day, and common sense.

Then Rev. Ryuei of the Nichiren Shu wrote that because some other Buddhists teach that everyone is a Buddha it is ok and he too asserted that I was a deluded bigot.

I wrote back,

Nichiren states that most people pass so much time in the Lower Worlds that it is as natural to them as playing in a garden. If you taught my grandchildren that new age silliness that we are all Buddhas, I would withdraw from your temple. First and foremost, Buddhism is about seeing things the way they are. The fact is that, as an ER doctor, I see many children injured and abused by your "Buddhas". Protecting the children of the Buddha [in this case literally] is teaching them the reality of the world. The reality is, most people are potential Buddhas and few are Buddhas. Potential Buddhas are common worldlings and are capable of anything like the Islamists who strapped a mentally retarded man with explosives and sent him into the pet market and killed dozens of people.

Someone else wrote, "this is a crock of doo-doo. Nichiren wrote, Myoho renge kyo is the innate Buddha-nature of all beings, I would want my children to feel this way about others."

I replied,

Still, innate Buddha-nature is a far cry from Buddhahood. A roach and a stalk of stinkwood too have innate Buddha-nature. You don't have children and maybe you haven't seen what I've seen that would curdle your blood. The fact remains that not everyone is a Buddha, not even everyone who chants Namu Myoho renge kyo and in this Latter Age, you can count the number of Buddhas on your hand.

If you want to believe Madoff, Ikeda, Bush, little Casey's mom, and Osama Bin Laden are Buddhas, rather than potential Buddhas, then there is not much I or anyone can say to you to convince you otherwise.

Someone wrote that he was a buddha before he received the Gohonzon and after but only realized it after.

I replied,

Nichiren also said of one of his deceased disciples, he was a Buddha in life so surely he is a Buddha in death. Could you please point out, however, where he called Hei No Saemon a Buddha? How about the Soga family? Oto Jomyo? Devedatta while alive? What about the Great Arrogant Brahmin or Kobo Daishi?

One other person wrote a second time, an even nastier letter than the first time. I responded:

No matter how grand the intentions of the people who practice with the SGI, as long as their teachings are in error, you should not follow them. Your attacks of me are a reflection of your anger. I have presented a reasoned argument why the SGI children's teachings, Do You Want To Be A Trillionaire, is neither Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism nor healthy for children. Why don't you step up to the plate and argue the matter instead of hiding behind personal attacks.

The Taisekiji Succession Documents are bold faced forgeries

THE SO-CALLED TAISEKIJI SUCCESSION DOCUMENTS

If the so-called transfer documents from Nichiren to Nikko were at Taisekiji, why did [Nichiko] Hori Shonin who is acclaimed as the most outstanding Buddhist scholar in modern Nichiren Shoshu history, in his “Essential Writings of Fuji School Vol. 1, p. 33, say that he had to rely on the copies of “Seven Teachings on the Gohonzon” and “On the Birth of the Original Buddha” that were not at Taisekiji?

Nichiko "Shonin" writes,:

“I copied the copies made by Nichizan of Awa Province”

Rev. Tetsujo Kubota, from Kempon Hokke Shu, makes the following points:

Taisekiji claims that in the ninth month of the fifth year of Koan (1282) at Minobu and on the thirteenth day of of the tenth month at Ikegami Nikko received succession documents from the Great Saint. Taisekiji boasting, calls these the “Two Successions” (Nika sojo). But these two are forgeries. On the contrary, they hurt the reputation of their own patriarch Nikko. We will give the reasons below:

(1) If Nikko had been give the approval by the Great Saint of these “Two Successions”, he would have naturally performed the duties of Chief Officiant at the time of Nichiren Shonin’s funeral. However, the forward echelon had Nichiro and the rear echelon Nissho; Nikko was on the left side of the rear echelon.

(2) If the “Two Successions” were true, there would have been no necessity for choosing Six Senior Monks and so on and if he had chosen them he would have made Nikko first. The Six Senior Monks were said to be not in order but they are listed in order of having become Nichiren's disciples.

(3) In the “Two Successions” it says, “The ruler of the country establishes this Dharma (Truth) and erects the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan) at Mount Fuji.

However, according to the “Matters that the Whole Fuji Following Is to Know” (Fuji isseki monto Zonchi no koto), a credible record of Nikko, Nikko says,

“The previous teacher did not set which province and which place. But the general rule of the Buddha Dharma is to choose the very best place to erect the temple.

And that being so, Mount Fuji in Suruga is the most famous mountain in Japan. Therefore, they should erect it here.”

Thus the “former teacher” Nichiren did not fix any place where they should build the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan).

From this fact the “Two Successions” are forgeries.

(4) As to Nikko’s departure from Minobu, had the Two Successions been genuine, he would have certainly rejoiced to go to Fuji. However, in reality, as recorded, he felt regret.

For the above reasons the “two Successions” are bare‑faced forgeries. Even in the Nikko lineage thoughtful people deny the “Two Successions”.

Next, let us try to consider the division of Nichiren’s mementoes. In contrast to Nissho, who received “the Annotated Hokekyo” and Nichiro who received an “Object of Worship: one Standing Statue of Shakya”, Nikko received only “a Horse (one); saddle; tabi; hat; kosode”; etc.

We may tell by looking at Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” that Nikko himself felt dissatisfied by this division of mementoes:

“In place of the Buddha which Daikoku Acharya seized away….” To write that the distribution of mementoes was “seized away” is not reasonable.

Now in Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” he says,

“Is not the Doctrine of Nichiren Shonin the doctrine that, though it is the Tathagata Shakya who is the Original Teacher Who First Gave Rise to the Mind of Enlightenment for the sake of the beings of the Three Worlds, they abandon Him and rely on the Buddha Amida, and so become people who commit the Five Rebellious Sins and fall to the Unremitting Hell?” and so he reverences the Buddha Shakya as the Original Teacher. Or again Nikko states in reverence “the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of Namu Myoho renge kyo who is the Fundamental Intention (honkai) for Nichiren Shonin’s coming forth in the world”.

In the current Taisekiji branch of the lineage of Nikko’s disciples (Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai) they assert that Shakya is a “husk Buddha” and Nichiren is the Original Buddha, “Shakya is like a husk of a cicada and it is Nichiren who is the Original (True) Buddha”. The origin of that assertion is from a reaction to the distribution of mementoes: The image of the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya which Nichiren Shonin kept all his life that went to Nichiro’s lineage.

By the way, after the Great Saint’s decease, the second and third battlelines (generations) in each lineage began to spread the teachings in each region at the risk of their very lives, but, by contrast, as the generations went on from the third to the fourth generation they followed self-interest and asserted that their own lineage had Nichiren Shonin’s special teaching and precious objects and were the orthodox succession and gradually they came to proclaim different doctrines and set up conflicting theories.

From an accumulation of several letters and excerpts from the Manual of Nichiren Buddhism by Rev. Senchu Murano:

Taisekiji Temple preserves the so-called “Two Transfer Documents.”

According to the Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, published by Nichiren Shoshu International Center in 1983, these documents are:

1. “Nichiren Ichigo Guho Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren at Minobu in September 1282

This document says that Nichiren transferred the entirety of his teachings to Nikko and entrusted him with the mission of propagating true Buddhism.

2. “Minobusan Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren on October 13, 1282.

This document says that Nichiren appointed Nikko as the High Priest of Minobusan Kuonji, and proclaimed that all the disciples of Nichiren should follow Nikko.

The documents are listed as the “Minobu Sojo” and the “Ikegami Sojo” in the Nichiren Shu Shugaku Zensho, Volume II.

Both documents appear for the first time in the “Kyakugojikkajo”, written by Nikkyo (1428-1489) in 1480.  The contents of these two documents are different from those preserved at Taisekiji Temple today.  This is proof that several forgeries had already been made by the time of Nikkyo. Nichido (1283-1341), the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple, clearly states in his “Nikkyo Shonin Goden Soan (The Biography of Nikko) that Nikkyo stayed at Minobu for three years, not six as falsely reported.

Minobu Sojo bears the statement that the Hommon no Kaidon should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.  Fujisan Hommonji is another name for Nishiyama Hommonji, which was founded by Nichidai (1294-1394), who had been ousted from Kitayama Hommonji due to a succession dispute.  It appears the Minobu Sojo may have been forged by a chief priest of Nishiyama Hommonji.  At one time, Nishiyama Hommonji was on friendly terms with Taisekiji. Therefore, Taisekiji had no objection to keeping the document although the place of the Kaidan was assigned to Nishiyama Hommonji, and not to Taisekiji.  The two temples became hostile to each other after Taisekiji produced the Ita Honzon.  Incidentally, the dictionary published by Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sojo that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.

Nichi-u the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple said this honzon was transferred from Yashiro to Taisekiji, therefore making Taisekiji the only temple which preserves the most legitimate honzon.

BUT…in the “Fuji-isseki-monto-zonji-no-koto” by Nikko, it states that Honzons should not be engraved on a plank, because it would belittle the value of handwriting.

Quite interestingly, the dictionary published by the Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sojo that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.

These forgeries were made not by Nikko, but by some of his successors who wished to justify their school by claiming that it was orthodox while other branches of Nichiren Buddhism were not." 

Adopting Nichiren's manner

Far better than having millions of SGI members running around mimicking Ikeda's thoughts, words, cadence, and mannerisms is having one or two faithful disciples who adopt Nichiren's manner. Derisively, SGI says of those who follow Nichiren's way, "Nichiren complex".  The "Nichiren complex" is infinitely better than the "Ikeda complex" which SGI members are guilty adopting. At least, the "Nichiren complex" is based on the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren rather the fictionalized Human Revolution novel.

We should be guided solely by the sutras!

 "...in my original prayer I made a vow that: I should not have a prejudice in favor of any sect; I should adopt whichever sect shows evidence of being the teaching of the Buddha and is reasonable; I should be guided solely by the sutras, not by the commentators of India, translators and minister-masters in China; regarding the doctrines of Buddhism, I should not be afraid of even being punished by a king, not to talk of persecutions by the people below him; I should not follow instructions against the Buddha's teachings even if they are given by my parents, teacher and elder brother; and I should speak up honestly as expounded in sutras regardless whether or not people believe in me." - Refutation of Ryokan-bo

Nichiren quotes Shan-wu-wei before he lost his Buddha-mind.

"Hail to all the Buddhas! Three- bodied Thus Come Ones! Open the door to, show me, cause me to awaken to, and to enter into the wisdom and insight of all the Buddhas. You who are like space and who have freed yourself from form! Oh, Sutra of the White Lotus of the Correct Law! Cause me to enter into, to be everywhere within, to dwell in, and to rejoice in you. Oh, Adamantine Protector! Oh, empty, aspect-free, and desire-free sutra!” -The Opening of the Eyes

SGI/NST Gosho translations leave a lot to be desired.

"The Gosho Zenshu is NOT an excellent compilation of Nichiren's writings. NO ONE in any scholastic circles uses it because it is so sectarian and unreliable. It also recklessly mixes forged letters with authentic letters of Nichiren, so there is no way of knowing which is which. In fact, the Gosho Zenshu has a disclaimer in the preface, which says, "This collection includes virtually all the writings that have since of old been treated as Gosho, WHETHER THEIR AUTHENTICITY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED OR NOT."

"Answer: In the case of Kumārajīva, there is actual proof [attesting to the validity of his translations]. But no such proof exists in the case of Pu-k’ung." 

The Tripitaka Master Pu-k’ung’s translation of The Rules of Rituals Based on the Lotus Sutra indicates that the Lotus Sutra does in fact contain mudras and mantras. Similarly, the translation of the Benevolent Kings Sutra by Kumārajīva contains no mudras or mantras, but a later translation of the same sutra by Pu-k’ung does contain mudras and mantras." 

“Thus it came about that the translation of the Lotus Sutra made by the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva in particular spread easily throughout China. And that is why, when the Great Teacher Kompon [Dengyō] of Enryaku-ji attacked the teachings of the other schools, he refuted them by saying, ‘We have proof in the fact that the tongue of the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, the translator of the Lotus Sutra, was not consumed by the flames. The sutras that you rely upon are all in error.’ 

"Eventually Kumārajīva died and was cremated, and his impure body was completely reduced to ashes. Only his tongue remained, resting atop a blue lotus that had sprung up in the midst of the flames. It sent out shining rays of five-colored light that made the night as bright as day and in the daytime outshone the rays of the sun. This, then, is why the sutras translated by all the other scholars came to be held in little esteem, while those translated by Kumārajīva, particularly his translation of the Lotus Sutra, spread rapidly throughout China."

Question: That tells us about the translators who lived at the time of Kumārajīva or before. But what about later translators such as Shan-wu-wei or Pu-k’ung? 

Answer: Even in the case of translators who lived after Kumārajīva, if their tongues burned up when they were cremated, it means that there are errors in their work. The Dharma Characteristics school in earlier times enjoyed a great popularity in Japan. But the Great Teacher Dengyō attacked it, pointing out that, though the tongue of Kumārajīva was not consumed by the flames, those of Hsüan-tsang and Tz’u-en burned along with their bodies. Emperor Kammu, impressed by his argument, transferred his allegiance to the Tendai Lotus school. 

In the third and ninth volumes of the Nirvana Sutra, we find the Buddha predicting that when his teachings are transmitted from India to other countries many errors will be introduced into them, and the chances for people to gain enlightenment through them will be reduced. Therefore, the Great Teacher Miao-lo remarks: “Whether or not the teachings are grasped correctly depends upon the persons who transmit them. It is not determined by the sage’s original pronouncements.”

He is saying that no matter how the people of today may follow the teachings of the sutras in hopes of a better life in the hereafter, if the sutras they follow are in error, then they can never attain enlightenment. But that is not to be attributed to any fault of the Buddha." 

“When the Buddhist sutras and teachings were brought from India to China, the manner of translation depended upon the inclination of the particular translator, and there were no fixed translations for the sutras and treatises. Hence the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva of the Later Ch’in dynasty always used to say: ‘When I examine the Buddhist teachings as they exist in China, I find that in many cases they differ from the Sanskrit originals. If the sutra translations that I have produced are free from error, then, after I am dead and cremated, my body, since it is impure, will no doubt be consumed by the flames, but my tongue alone will not be burned.’ And when he was finally cremated, his body was reduced to a pile of bones, but his tongue alone remained, resting on top of a blue lotus blossom and emitting a brilliant light that outshone the rays of the sun. What a wonderful thing! 

“Thus it came about that the translation of the Lotus Sutra made by the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva in particular spread easily throughout China. And that is why, when the Great Teacher Kompon [Dengyō] of Enryaku-ji attacked the teachings of the other schools, he refuted them by saying, ‘We have proof in the fact that the tongue of the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, the translator of the Lotus Sutra, was not consumed by the flames. The sutras that you rely upon are all in error.’ 

“Again, in the Nirvana Sutra the Buddha says that, when his teachings are transmitted to other countries, many errors are bound to be introduced into them. Even if among sutra passages we were to find the Lotus Sutra characterized as useless, or Shakyamuni Buddha described as a Buddha lost in the region of darkness, we should inquire very carefully to see whether the text that makes such statements belongs to the provisional teachings or the true teaching, to the Mahayana or the Hinayana, whether it was preached in the earlier or the later part of the Buddha’s life, and who the translator was." 

This is not simply an opinion of my own. On Questions about the Practical Aspect of Precepts10 states, “Fading in later ages, illuminating former ages.” By “illuminating former ages,” it means that Kumārajīva’s wisdom threw light on the translations done by the men who lived from the Later Han to the Later Ch’in dynasties. By “fading in later ages,” it means that the translators who came after Kumārajīva such as Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k’ung, because they had Kumārajīva’s wisdom to illuminate them, were somewhat cleverer than the earlier ones. 

Practical Aspect of Precepts also says, “All the men who came after him [Kumārajīva] had to rely on his works.” 

Thus, although Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment may be the work of Nāgārjuna, the word “only” in the passage I have discussed earlier represents a private opinion inserted in the text by Pu-k’ung. And even more erroneous is the statement that follows, namely, that such doctrines are not to be found in the other types of teachings." 

"In addition, there are the tastes and intentions of the translators to be considered. Some favor detailed treatment and frown on conciseness; others prefer concise treatment and dislike abundant detail. For example, Hsüan-tsang favored detailed discussion, and so when he translated the Wisdom Sutra, which was in forty volumes in the original, into Chinese, his translation came to six hundred volumes. The Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, on the other hand, preferred conciseness, and so his translation of Great Perfection of Wisdom, a thousand volumes in the original, was reduced in translation to a hundred volumes. It is thus very difficult to decide which sutra, the Lotus or the Mahāvairochana, is superior simply on the basis of which describes mudras and mantras. 

Kumārajīva’s translation of the Lotus Sutra does not consider mudras and mantras to be of prime importance [and hence omits mention of them]. But The Rules of Rituals Based on the Lotus Sutra, translated by the Tripitaka Master Pu-k’ung, includes a discussion of mudras and mantras. Kumārajīva’s translation of the Benevolent Kings Sutra makes no mention of mudras and mantras, but Pu-k’ung’s translation of the same sutra has added a discussion of these matters. Thus we know that such differences are due to the taste and intention of the translator." 

"It should be noted, however, that there was a total of 187 translators who carried out the task of transmitting the sutras from India to the land of China. With the exception of one man, the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, all the other 186, when they produced their translations, added water to the milk of the teachings and mixed poison with the medicine. But the various teachers and half-baked scholars, failing to understand this fact, do not realize that even if they were to recite the entire body of sutras or commit to memory all the twelve divisions of the scriptures, they would still find it difficult to escape the sufferings of birth and death." 

Nichiren taught and warned about faulty translations and self-serving translators in India and China. Nikk0 too in his Twenty Six Articles. Nichiren also spoke of the particular depravity of the Japanese. There is no doubt that Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai translations, in particular, are faked in order to promote their heterodox doctrines.