Response to many comments 3

Katie: SGI is people chanting daimoku. Not a monolith-, but a large group of individuals from very diverse backgrounds. Do you believe you misjudged my character when you sent me a Nichiren Gohonzon ? I have grown immensely over my nearly 34 years of practice. In the past year challenging a truly agonizing ordeal in my immediate family my eyes opened to Nichiren, who was my one and only source of encouragement . The power of faith and daimoku was all I employed. Impossible impasses dissolved, unimaginable stronger bonds emerged. Blessings I could never have imagined appeared. At the same time, you and Greg targeted me as your enemy. Greg, knowing of my family crisis, ghosted me at the height of my suffering because I disagreed with believing in 911 conspiracy theories — all conspiracy theories based on the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. Imagine that being the out of the blue “ dumping me all together “ - disagreement. Yup, Greg discussed the teachings with me for 4 years ! Pledged his friendship, claimed to value and care about me; claimed “ we don’t have to agree on everything”. How can I view him as anything but a liar? Yes, I have reconnected with friends in the SGI, in tandem with my family - Yes, this is a source of happiness and affirmation of my faith since my personal goals were always grounded in changing poison to medicine with loved ones and close friends, as well as establishing myself as a capable, caring nurse in the field of adolescent psychiatry/ behavior health as it is referred to now. I am striving to adhere strictly to scripture , as always, and have maintained my principles and values - especially sincerity and honesty. You and Greg tout your isolation from other sect members and claim you have been persecuted as actual proof but unlike me, you maintain animosity towards believers and blame everyone else for problems that actually reflect your own shortcomings in adherence to scripture. I take responsibility for getting caught up in your negativity and misunderstanding what Nichiren actually taught. I learned the most in a Buddhist scholarly sense from Jerry, whom I have also been able to reconnect with. On his own journey, he came to the same conclusions I did on mine — daimoku is everything, animosity towards fellow believers violates the Law. Why would I ever trust you and Greg again ? Both of you turned on and nixed me for trivial ego based reasons. Neither of you has lived up to being the warm, caring, sincere people you claimed to be. You disrespect even my faith here, calling me crazy, blind bat, one who eats animal excretrment and worst of all you claim I hate Nichiren. I grant you the right to your own opinions, but the facts are clear. You are the duplicitous ones, the untrustworthy ones and the angry self indulgent ones. You’ve lost credibility with me, and now I see why you had no credibility amongst “ your enemies”- it’s your behavior that contradicts the teachings you copy/ paste and weaponize. Remember the significance of Shakyamuni’s appearance in this world, Mark and Greg? It was Shakyamuni’s behavior as a human being, says Nichiren. That’s scripture. Nichiren did not ridicule and demean any of his followers, nor did he teach them to ridicule and demean each other. You are in error for continuing your Fraught with Peril saga… you didn’t learn from that debacle! Open your eyes to Nichiren and please stop viewing yourselves as the slander police and judge of other believers ! ~ Katie

Mark: You are a broken record Katie. Yes, SGI is people chanting Daimoku with a warped faith. I sent you a Nichiren Gohonzon because you exhibited a will to chant with the same faith as Nichiren. Somewhere along the line your will to defend the true teachings evaporated. Leave Greg out of this. He couldn't tolerate your angry mien. You are another one who talks the talk but fails to walk the walk. Eyes that were opened to the transgressions of so-called believers in the Lotus Sutra have closed shut. The many dozens of scriptural passages that I present are glossed over by you. You only accept and uphold what resonates with you and you ignore the rest. Yes Katie, we seperate ourselves from evil spiritual friends and bad teachers but don't for a second believe that we are alone. There are many within the Kempon Hokke and independents who embrace the same or nearly the same viewpoints as we. They have their own way of upholding the teachings and have their own sphere of influence. Some are emminently gentle beings, hurt to the core with their SGI experience. They just want to be left alone but they support me and I them. Others have their own sanghas and members that they tend to, Anthony Elmore, Sylvain Chamberlain, and Sinyou Tsuchiya come to mind. SGI and Nichiren Shoshu are principally responsible for the breaking of unity within the Nichiren community, not Greg and I. Our most fervent prayers are for unity within the Nichiren School. However, we won't compromise the teachings, not even for the sake of unity. M/D and interfaith is wrong. Altering Nichiren's Three Treasures and Three Great Secret Laws is wrong. Many claim to be Nichiren's disciples but they have little or nothing in Nichiren's hand as proof. Our proof is having Nichiren's Gosho in hand, the Five Major Works and the entire authenticated canon. Where is your proof? You don't want to listen to Nichiren regarding the dust particles that can fit on a fingernail, that there exists renegade disciiples, that there are many who recite and praise the Lotus Sutra but who act against the intent of the Sutra. There are dozens of Nichiren quotes which back up my asssertions. As there is a difference in the degree of killing, there is a difference in the degree of defaming. In defaming Puting, Ikeda and many SGI/NST leaders and priests one's karmic retribution is slight. To defame Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren and their disciples, one's karmic retribution is indeed heavy. The important thing is to come to the same conclusions as Nichiren, not Daisaku Ikeda, the High Priest, Jerry, or any others. The behavior of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren was to correct wrong thought, either utilizing the gentle method or the forceful method. do you think they utilized the gentle method with their renegade disciples? Do you think they utilized the gentle method with their faithful disciples? Think carefully about this. Your behavior is no better than mine and thinking yourself better, more faithful and one of superior behavior is the World of Anger. I am no better than you. However, I follow the teachings more closely than you. I believe my patients, family and friends will tell you of my adamantine behavior as would Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren, those that matter. Do you real think i care what SGI, NST devils and those who support them think about my behavior? Nichiren's renegade disciples thought poorly about Nichiren's behavior, that he was too harsh in his condemnations.

Katie: You claim the Buddha and Nichiren are your “ sensei’s” but treat believers with contempt. You publish all sorts of scandalous attacks on believers and incite discord thru various manipulations of info. For sample: recently you “ informed” Tanya that you received obscene threats against your wife by “:a SGI member”, but you did not provide pertinent context; that the threats were posted on “:Fraught with Peril” an internet Nichiren Buddhist forum that devolved into such horrific base discourse that it was “ taken down”. Or that Greg and Jerry, in defense of you, threatened the participants after establishing they could identify and locate them . So, what you didn’t share was the early warning signs of violence resulting from internet confrontations , which now we see as the clear and present danger in our country by similar internet interactions ! A discussion around the detrimental effects of internet discourse would possibly allow you to see that it is precisely the distance between people and the lack of all that transpires in face to face interaction that leads to everything from people falsely representing themselves to brazen threats and intimidation towards others as well as bubbles of disinformation that expand exponentially. We see violence on a horrific scale as a result of this in our daily lives. It must also be noted that participants on such forums like, Fraught with Peril, ARBN , and Eagle Peak, tend to be grievance based and grudge carrying folks looking for a target; seeking a group or others to blame for their grievances. This discussion would be interesting and could lead to new and better understandings of the importance of life to life connections, listening to and seeking to understand others and finding common ground. No ad hominem here, Mark. Just sharing observations and thoughts hoping for a transformation in discourse here, if that’s possible!

Mark: I treat all believers with the utmost respect and most non-balievers. Those who would distort the teachings of the Lotus Sutra also deserve respect. That I confron them with the truth of the teachings is the epitomy of respect. Do you criticize Nichiren for calling his enemies dogs or remanding them to the Hell of Incessant Suffering?. SGI and now you are enemies of the teachings and therefore, you are my enemies.

Katie: Agreed, Please note :Shakyamuni’s words that include ALL who hear, recite, copy, embrace , the Law, Myoho Renge Kyo, should be revered, that a true teacher of the Law “disparages no one ”, should inspire us to believe thru faith and at the very least, respect and appreciate our fellow believers . Difficult to believe and difficult to understand… that’s the Lotus Sutra! Bickering, chastising, ridiculing those who hold different views is definitely just knee jerk lower world stuff. Mappo is a level playing field — all who are born in this degenerative age have slandered the Law, even Nichiren admits he, too, is in that category. We all have the challenge to transform our negative karma thru faith in the Law we encountered and are able to chant because of our past connection to the Buddha, Nichiren tells us. The differing views amongst believers will, as a matter of course, be transcended thru faith in the Law, not battles waged from small ego or attachment to “ the self” as judge of others.

Mark: Yes but not those who fail to copy and embrace the teachings:

"In the ninth volume of the Nirvana Sutra we read: “Good man, there are icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. They pretend to be arhats, living in deserted places and speaking slanderously of the correct and equal sutras of the great vehicle. When ordinary people see them, they all suppose that they are true arhats and speak of them as great bodhisattvas.” It also says: “At that time, this sutra will be widely propagated throughout Jambudvīpa. In that age there will be evil monks who will steal this sutra and divide it into many parts, losing the color, scent, and flavor of the correct teaching that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this sutra, but they will ignore and put aside the profound and vital principles that the Thus Come One has expounded in it and replace them with ornate rhetoric and meaningless talk. They will tear off the first part of the sutra and stick it on at the end, tear off the end and put it at the beginning, put the end and the beginning in the middle and the middle at the beginning or the end. You must understand that these evil monks are the companions of the devil.” - Opening of the Eyes.

Katie: Well, there you have it, contributions to a religious organization are voluntary and individual concepts of what that means are the norm. Yet we don’t get to decide exactly how our tax dollars are spent either, BTW. Buddhism boils down to the individual challenging their own karma . Specifically, the Lotus Sutra is not a rule based, precept focused teaching for “ controlling the people “ - which is the case for all other religions, but a guide for individual growth and development that influences others and the environment. Less than one tenth of the way thru Mappo, there is evidence of progress within and amongst all Nichiren sects. An undeniable fact that seems to anger Mark and Greg. For others, this is deeper faith in daimoku, which at the last moment of our lives is a cherished goal amongst all believers. This is how a discussion unfolds… I note that Mark simply ignored Marty’s contribution.

Mark: I suggest you read SGI's manual for leaders. Contributions are hardly voluntary and individual. Even their new study curriculum comes from the top. SGI has dozens of precepts, manuals for leader conduct, rules against solitary Bodhisattvas, rules of attending meetings and lectures of those not SGI, only the SGI Gohonzon is valid, excluding copies of Gohonzon is Nichiren's hand. The list is extensive. This proves that you have been blinded. It is sad to seem a former comrade having fallen into the Lower Words.

Katie: But you are personally attacking believers beyond “ forceful” to intimidation and defamation on a public forum ! The “ teachings” of SGI are “ daimoku, daimoku, daimoku “- members supporting each other ! They have no more direct connection with “ top leaders” than anyone has with “ top leaders” in government, corporations, etc., BUT, believing in daimoku , the essential teaching , is faith that transformation on the individual level of ALL will transform the organization— immediate results, notwithstanding, there is actual proof for members who stand up in their work places and communities, call out corruption and show actual proof with fortune they create in their own lives and bonds of trust with co- workers and fellow citizens. Believers look for evidence of benefit and the term, “ creating value” has meaning in that the value of one’s faith becomes manifest in positive change. It’s not just that most SGI members have no knowledge of the arcane Buddhist teachings you share here, but they aren’t trying to be Buddhist scholars. They are striving to be better people and good citizens. And you lose them as an audience by personal attacks and spreading gossip from anon participants on your blog! This moment is the focus ; daily life; personal challenges to attain goals. All of these things producing actual proof in SGI are the reason your “preaching” is ignored. ADDITIONALLY, bonds of trust, friendship and mutual support keep SGI members satisfied with their practice, and disinterested in your scathing admonitions. If you believe your message is a crucial one, and most importantly, if you are acting out of compassion for SGI members, you would develop the capacity to meet them where they are with sincere respect and teach, not preach at them from your bully pulpit where you have more control than any top leader in SGI.

Mark: See above and my belief that Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu are not groups of believers, save for the neophyte bodhisattvas who know no better. Everyone who studies the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren, at least the Five Major Writings is not a Buddhist scholar and not one person, compared to Nichiren can be considered a Buddhist scholar, not Jacqueline Stone, not Daisaku ikeda, and not the High Priest. I see the transformation of the Soka Gakkai, it has transformed itself into an enemy of the Buddha and Nichiren. Whose fault is that, that most SGI members have no clue as to the truth of Nichiren's teachings? It is Daisaku Ikeda who obviously thinks he is wiser than Nichiren. Is his guidance to be sure to brush your teeth, to be sure to bundle up in the winter, or his push for SGI members to study the Human Revolution rather than the Lotus Sutra and the Five Major Writings, not a dumbing down of the membership? Of course it is. That is exactly what he and the top leaders want. Dumb them down and they will believe the Daisaku Ikeda enlightened and the SGI are the only ones whose faith and practice is correct. Nichiren writes in On Repaying Debts of Gratitude, "You may pile up dung and call it sandalwood, but when you burn it, it will give off only the odor of dung. You may pile up a lot of great lies and call them the teachings of the Buddha, but they will never be anything but a gateway to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering."