Saturday, March 25, 2023

From Delbert Grady a Japanese speaking anti-SGI activist. Big story in Japan

About two years ago I reported on a truly horrific case of a five-year-old boy who starved to death in Fukuoka:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sgiwhistleblowers/comments/nh2yfn/another_sgi_tragedy/


Here is an update on the subsequent trials. During a hearing the mother was asked what she was doing between 8 and 10pm of April 18th, 2020, as the boy's life was expiring from starvation. Journalist for the Shukan Bunshun reports that the mother immediately replied, "I was chanting to the Gohonzon." The courtroom fell into icy silence as the judge let out a gasp. On June 2022 the Tokyo District Court sentenced the mother to five years in prison.

As for the mother's shakubuku sponsor Akabori, the Tokyo District Court noted on September 21, 2022, that she was indeed the mastermind who "controlled the victim's family through a series of deceptions" and sentenced her to fifteen years in prison. Just yesterday (3/9/23) the High Court rejected Akabori's appeal and upheld the District Court ruling.

Throughout the trials Akabori denied any responsibility, claiming she never told a single lie. "I was only trying to help because she told me she was struggling," she testified. "If I were her I would have gone to the hospital. It is entirely the responsibility of the mother." I'm sure most of us here have heard similar refrains during our Gakkai years...Her lack of remorse was harshly noted in the ruling as "conniving and malicious."

Sources:

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4ef72cefc78fa902e09c808092c4499202cc1d9e

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUE096630Z00C23A3000000/

https://matomame.jp/user/yonepo665/c32af80b4989cc16580b

Friday, March 24, 2023

The WORDS of the Lotus Sutra are the very soul of Shakyamuni Thus Come One.

"The Buddhas, because they were enlightened by the Lotus Sutra, were able to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, if they should fail to preach the sutra to others, they would be withholding from others the seeds of Buddhahood and would be committing a fault. For this reason, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni made his appearance in this sahā world and prepared to preach it. But the devil king of the sixth heaven, otherwise known as the fundamental darkness, took possession of the bodies of all the people and caused them to hate the Buddha and impede his preaching.

Thus the king known as Virūdhaka killed five hundred people of the Shākya clan; Angulimāla chased after the Buddha; Devadatta rolled a huge stone down on him; and Chinchā, the daughter of a Brahman, tied a bowl to her belly and claimed to be pregnant with the Buddha’s child.

The lord of a Brahman city proclaimed that a fine of five hundred ryō of gold should be levied against anyone who invited the Buddha into the city. As a result, the people of the city blocked the road with thorns, threw filth into the wells, built a barricade of spikes at the gate, and put poison in the Buddha’s food, all because of their hatred of him.

The nun Utpalavarnā was murdered, Maudgalyāyana was killed by Brahmans of the Bamboo Staff school, and Kālodāyin was buried in horse dung, all because of animosity toward the Buddha.

Nevertheless, the Buddha managed to survive these various ordeals, and, at the age of seventy-two, forty-two years after he first began preaching the Buddhist teachings, at a mountain called Gridhrakūta northeast of the city of Rājagriha in central India, he began to preach the Lotus Sutra. He preached it for a period of eight years. Then, on the bank of the Ajitavatī River at the city of Kushinagara in eastern India, in the middle of the night on the fifteenth day of the second month, when he was eighty years of age, he entered nirvana.

But before that, he had revealed his enlightenment in the form of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the words of this sutra are indeed the very soul of Shakyamuni Thus Come One. And since every single word constitutes the soul of the Buddha, Shakyamuni Thus Come One will protect those who practice this sutra as though he were protecting his very own eyes. He will accompany them just as a shadow accompanies a body. How then could the prayers of such persons not be answered?" - On Prayer

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

If you think that I'm too harsh in my denunciation of others, here are some SGI Top Senior Leader denunciations of others

 Vice President Tanigawa: Once in a while we receive feedback on this panel discussion concerned that "the language is too harsh" or that "it seems offensive to equate a person to an animal."

Vice General Director Harada: People are finally starting to learn though, we hear those voices less & less (laughs).

President Akiya: If you're concerned about offensive, just look at how Nikken discriminates against lay believers. (laughter)

General Director Aoki: Exactly.  Direct all complaints to him (laughs).  Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho was first and foremost an expression of righteous anger, denunciation of evil.  The language he employed to rebuke the enemies of Buddhism was very severe indeed.

Tanigawa: Just to cite a few examples..."mosquito, gadfly, bullfrog-like priests" "Like a vampire bat, neither fowl nor rodent" "Lower than cattle, akin to a raptor" 

Young Men's Leader Yumitani: He also said, "These bovine-like leaders criticizing Nichiren's teachings are like a filthy dog barking at a lion king or a chimp heckling the Taishaku deity."

Harada: "Bullfrog." "Filthy dog."  Are these supposed to be offensive?  (Laughter)

Tanigawa: Absolutely not.  These are "words of justice" denouncing the enemies of Buddhism!

Akiya: "Human rights" and "discrimination" are perspectives based on social constructs.  They may have their place, but we as Buddhists speak from the realm of the Mystic Law, of eternal life.  We must never confuse this.

Aoki: For example, there is the term "mishou-on" in Buddhism. It describes a person who has been brewing hatred even before birth.  Is this discrimination?  Of course not.  It just means that this individual's karma and negativity runs very deep.

Akiya: The Gakkai is all about humanism.  Humanism means dignity for the humankind.  Obviously we have to differentiate between humans and damnable beasts who oppose Buddhism.

Aoki: The Daishonin himself denounced ingratitude as "beneath bestial."  If we treat beasts like humans, we're the ones who would be reprimanded by the Daishonin! (laughs)

Tanigawa: True, so true! (laughs) 

SOURCE: http://www10.plala.or.jp/cobamix/soka/20050105/09.htm

Holy x^^C?S*x Batman

Soka Gakkai's national Future Division vice leader Ryuhei Tanigawa was arrested on October 20, 2020 for multiple cases of arson. Throughout the months of July and August he had been setting fire on trash bins at several apartments in the Toshima District, "to relieve work-related stress" as he confessed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Native of the Ever Victooorious Kansai, Tanigawa is a graduate of Soka University and is also on the staff at Seikyo Press.

Soka Gakkai Public Relations Dpt: "We are taking the matter very seriously, and he has been removed from his position."

Seikyo Press: "It is truly regrettable, and we will be addressing the matter strictly."

Source:

https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2020/11060556/?all=1


What an example for the children!

In case our dear SGI friends cry "fringe" "extremist" Shukan Shincho is a weekly magazine with the second largest national circulation.

My slanderers too are no better than foxes and monkeys

"Dengyō also proposed to set up an ordination platform for administering the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment, such as had never existed in India, China, or Japan in the eighteen hundred years since the Buddha’s passing. Indeed he went farther than this, declaring that the ordination platform at Kannon-ji temple in the western region [of Tsukushi], the ordination platform at Ono-dera temple in the eastern province of Shimotsuke, and the ordination platform at Tōdai-ji temple in the central province of Yamato124 all stank with the foul odor of the Hinayana precepts and were as worthless as broken tile and rubble. And the priests who upheld such precepts, he said, were no better than foxes and monkeys.

In reply, his critics exclaimed: “Ah, how amazing! This thing that looks like a priest must in fact be a great swarm of locusts that has appeared in Japan and is about to gobble up the tender shoots of Buddhism in one swoop. Or perhaps Chou of the Yin dynasty or Chieh of the Hsia has been reborn in Japan in the shape of this priest. Perchance Emperor Wu of the Northern Chou and Emperor Wu-tsung of the T’ang have reappeared in the world. At any moment now, Buddhism may be wiped out and the nation overthrown.”

As for the ordinary people, they clapped their hands in alarm and waggled their tongues, saying, “Whenever the priests of these two types of Buddhism, Mahayana and Hinayana, appear together, they fight like the lord Shakra and the asuras, or like Hsiang Yü and Kao-tsu disputing possession of the kingdom.”

Dengyō’s opponents continued to revile him, saying: “In the time of the Buddha, there were two ordination platforms, one belonging to the Buddha and the other to Devadatta, and a number of people were killed in the dispute over them. This man may well defy the other schools, but he declares that he must set up an ordination platform for administering the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment such as even his master, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, was unable to establish. How strange! And how frightening, how frightening!”

But Dengyō had his passages of scripture to support him, and as you know, the Mahayana ordination platform was eventually set up and has been in existence for some time now on Mount Hiei." On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

"If they do not preach with the sutra in hand, then they are not to be accepted."

"I must observe sadly that, although it would be simple enough to point out the error of the views propounded by these men, if I did so, the people of today would not even look in my direction. They would go on in their erroneous ways and, in the end, would slander me to the ruler of the country and put my life in jeopardy. Nevertheless, our merciful father Shakyamuni Buddha, when he faced his end in the grove of sal trees, stated as his dying instructions that we are to “rely on the Law and not upon persons.” “Not relying upon persons” means that when persons of the first, second, third, and fourth ranks preach, even though they are bodhisattvas such as Universal Worthy and Manjushrī who have attained the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, if they do not preach with the sutra in hand, then they are not to be accepted." The Opening of the Eyes

Guess what my evil detractrors are accusing me of now?

"You, a narcotic addict..." Yes, I shoot fentanyl, mixed with methamphetamine and tranq (Xylazine) six times a day. You are getting meaner and meaner and stupider and stupider by the day. It is your slander of the teachings and your slander of me. You just make my determination ever stronger to promote the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren rather than the Human Revolution and aphorisms of a dead slanderer.

Nichiren on illness and Buddhahood for my ignorent detractors

"Also, a person’s death is not determined by illness. In our own time, the people of Iki and Tsushima, though not suffering from illness, were slaughtered in an instant by the Mongols. It is not certain that, because one is ill, one will die. And could not this illness of your husband’s be the Buddha’s design, because the Vimalakīrti and Nirvana sutras both teach that sick people will surely attain Buddhahood? Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way." - The Good Medicine for All Ills

"...Since you now appear certain to attain Buddhahood, perhaps the heavenly devil and evil spirits are using illness to try to intimidate you. Life in this world is limited. Never be even the least bit afraid!" - The Proof of the Lotus Sutra

Do not be sorry that you do not lead an easy life, it is the path to Buddhahood.

 

Buddha's and Nichiren's lives were extremely hard but the SGI and others talk about enjoying a relatively easy life devoid of the privations experienced by the Buddha and Nichiren. They are mistaken. In order to attain Buddhahood, thanks to the workings of the Law and the compassion and mercy of the Buddha, we are assailed with difficulties from day one so we can challenge and overcome them through the power of faith, practice, the power of the Law, and the power of the Buddha. Have you ever been really ill at night, a high fever or severe pain. The night seems to last forever but really it is only eight or ten hours and when the sun comes up, we usually feel much better and regain a sense of hope. Think of travelers to the New World caught in a monster storm that seems to never end. As long as they stay focused, protect the ship and protect their comrades and captain, eventually the storm abates and calm seas prevail [until the next storm]. 

The storms of the Buddha are called the Nine Great Persecutions and the storms of Nichiren are called the Five Great Persecutions. Besides these great persecutions, they experienced "minor difficulties" too numerous to count, for example: Eating snow; eating putrid rice gruel; grass; roots and bracken (in order to survive); being spit upon by men, women, and children;  calumniated over and over again; having to run for their lives on many occasions; and being attacked by crazed warriors. Do not be sorry you don't lead an easy life, it is the path to Buddhahood.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Soka Gakkai and Christianity 2 versus the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren

 

Soka Gakkai...That was then this is now...On Christianity

Then from the Shakubuku Kyoten (Bible of Shakubuku or Manual of Forced Conversion) from the 1950's on Christianity. It was edited by Daisaku Ikeda.

THEN:

"Since Christ had a physical body, he must have been heavier than air according to the law of gravity. If a heavy body had arisen into light air, it would be contrary to Archimedes' principles. And if you believe this to be a fact and so break one of the laws of the universe, you will have to deny all rules and laws."

"At first the pure teaching of Christianity consisted only of the Sermon on the Mount. The other 90% of the Bible is no more than the dogmas of the disciples. Let us first inquire into the words of Jesus: 'My Father in Heaven makes his sun rise on the evil as well as on the good. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? You should be as perfect as your Father in heaven.' The word 'perfect' means perfect love, and in Christianity the Crucifixion is regarded as perfect love, the love of redemption. According to the words of Jesus, love is indispensable for the practice of Christianity. You see how much more demanding and full of conditions Christianity is, when you compare this with Buddhism, where you have only one condition: to believe. It shows the difficulty of practice and the inferiority of the teachings of Christianity. In the second place, regarding 'for if you love those who love you, what reward have you?' and 'you must become perfect as your Father in heaven,' we see ideas that are completely in opposition to the law of cause and effect. There is an effect wherever there is a cause. Even if you love those who love you, the effect of your love never fails to come out. Furthermore, you have in your mind both the nature to love and the tendency to abhor - to love alone is therefore not possible, except in words."

"In the third place, their claim that they can atone for the sins of others and expiate the sins committed by themselves as well as others is erroneous. The sins of other people belong to them exclusively and even if you forgive them their sin, it is impossible that their sin thereby will be erased. On the contrary, the very Christians who insist that Jesus was crucified for them for the sake of redemption always commit sin, and confess, and sin again - sin does not at all diminish but increases all over the world."

"In the fourth place the paragraph 'so perfect as the Father in Heaven' is built on the premise that the perfect Father in Heaven exists. There is no explanation of the substance, the nature, and the faculty of this Father in Heaven. There is no cause, by which this Father has been born, and there can be no effect without cause."

Jesus worked miracles. They say that 46 miracles have been put on record. However, posterity could have invented these miracles; they cannot be proven just by the fact that they are written in the Bible. Even nowadays Christians call all sorts of unusual phenomena miracles. It betrays their inferiority that they are ignorant of the reason behind these phenomena."

"Christianity overestimates sin. They talk of original sin, a sin that nobody can escape. Hence they regard all human beings as criminals. A true religion must give strong vitality to man and not reduce him to a criminal."

"God is not the Creator. Living things as well as non-living things of the universe are not given birth by other things, but by themselves. Our life is not given to us by our parents, and is not either given by God or Buddha."

"Jesus died on the Cross. This fact shows that he was defeated by opposition, whatever interpretation posterity may have given to this fact. The great Saint Nichiren shouted to his executor when he was about to be beheaded: "The time is passing. Be quick; cut off my head.' And as soon as he said so, the gods of the universe gave him all the power of their protection, and meteors shot across the heavens. He defeated his opposition. Comparing this vitality with the fate of Jesus we see that Christianity has no power."

NOW:


"Catholics are our older brothers" -- Daisaku Ikeda

World Tribune, May 24, 1993, p. 4 (Ikeda speech of May 3, 1993)"

“Catholics have experienced a history of suffering; they have walked a path of bitter struggle. Viewed in that vein, I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Catholics are our older brothers.”

Except for Makiguchi, no one from SGI has ever been martyred and, unlike the jesuits and the master Nichiren, Ikeda has hardly lived even a day as a mendicant. He’s lived like a Pope, the rich lifestyle, everyone kissing his hands and feet, the vast Vatican and Soka art treasures bought off the backs of the people donating every bit of their extra money to the Church and Soka.

Ikeda is the lay-Pope of the East and the Soka Gakkai is modeled after Rome [Vatican].

The Catholics are the older brothers of the SGI while other Nichiren Buddhists, our priests, members, and our Lotus Sutra “theology,” are lower than dirt to them.

You know who is actually lower than dirt don’t you? Who are the real betrayers and traitors of the Nichiren faith?

Next time you do gongyo in front of the Nichikan Gohonzon, think about it… On second thought, find a blank wall to chant to, if you really wish to be illumned about this issue. The Nichikan Gohonzon has too much baggage and too too many demons.

Greg Martin SGI-USA study chief says:

"We do not intend to take a refutational approach to Christianity. We see no necessity or value in attempting to undermine a religious tradition that is both widely accepted and demonstrably valuable. At the same time, we cannot avoid the historical evidence of its less noble aspects that have given rise to violent propagation and the Inquisition, and its use as a tool for colonization and subjugation.

Finally, we do not take an exclusivist position - that Nichiren Buddhism is the only vehicle capable of carrying its adherents to the pinnacles of truth and the shores of happiness. While we certainly believe there is only one ultimate reality, we acknowledge that the major religious traditions also seek, and to varying degrees see, this truth as well.

Furthermore, most religious traditions share with Nichiren Buddhism the intention of leading their practitioners to this truth and to the goal of human development and harmonious community. So while we do not claim to be the sole possessors of the truth (Who could possess truth anyway?), what concerns us more is the degree to which a religious tradition is able to deliver on its promises. How many people are actually able to transcend their baser selves and live out the tenets of their creed, becoming people of genuinely worthy character, wise intention, and compassionate behavior? Is a particular religious practice serving as a greater or lesser vehicle in achieving these goals?"



 The Exclusive Faith and Practice of the Lotus Sutra:
The exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra in Mappo is a narrow path with one door (Lotus Sutra Chapter 3). If one could become enlightened and create kosen-rufu through, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, the Soka Gakkai, the Pali Cannon, or the Three Vehicles, the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren would have taught the path wide with many doors. Those who assert otherwise are devils to be repudiated.  

Nichiren teaches:

In Tung-ch’un we read: “Question: While the Buddha was in the world, there were many who were resentful and jealous. But in the age after his passing, when someone preaches this [Lotus] sutra, why do so many oppose that person? Answer: It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. This sutra, which is like good medicine, dispels attachments to the five vehicles and establishes the one ultimate principle. It reproaches those in the ranks of ordinary beings and censures those in the ranks of sagehood, denies [provisional] p.241Mahayana and refutes Hinayana. It speaks of the heavenly devils as poisonous insects and calls non-Buddhists demons. It censures those who cling to Hinayana teachings, calling them mean and impoverished, and it dismisses bodhisattvas as beginners in learning. For this reason, heavenly devils hate to listen to it, non-Buddhists find their ears offended, persons of the two vehicles are dumbfounded, and bodhisattvas flee in terror. That is why all these types of people try to make hindrances [for a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra]. The Buddha was not speaking nonsense when he declared that hatred and jealousy would abound.”

The reason the world is in the state it's in, a state of sadness, greed, anger, stupidity, impurity, and prejudice (rather than joy, equanimity, magnanimity, compassion, purity, and empathy), is precisely because of the establishment of mistaken beliefs and inferior teachings that leave the people prostrate on the ground. Unless and until the Lotus Sutra alone flourishes, we will never have a world based on the enlightened life of the Buddha and the Law of Namu myoho renge kyo.

This belief is fundamental to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin and the forceful practices are the way to Establish the Right Law. Declaring that the Lotus Sutra alone leads to Supreme Enlightenment and all other teachings lead to hell, one is a disciple and believer of Nichiren Daishonin. It is self apparent to the disciples and believers of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin, those with clear minds and those keenly able to correctly observe the world, that it is Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, secular humanism, belief in the sanctity of science, and heretical provisional Buddhism which has brought us to the brink. The elimination of these diseased religions and philosophies will bring about the land of eternal quiescent light

Soka Gakkai and Christianity 1


"The worlds greatest Christian is Daisaku Ikeda" -- Dean Lawrence Carter of the Academy of Preachers...

"I was with the members of the youth division in Japan recently, along with Dean Lawrence Carter, of the Martin Luther King Intl. [Baptist] Chapel at Morehouse college in Atlanta. Before his trip, Dean Carter had been very excited about seeing SGI president Ikeda. He told us that 30 years ago, when a reporter asked Dr. MLK Jr who is the greatest Christian in the 20th century, Dr. King replied, "Mahatma Ghandi." Dr Carter said that if he were asked that same question today, he would reply without hesitation that the world's greatest Christian is "A Buddhist-- Daisaku Ikeda." He explained that he could say this because he feels that President Ikeda, through his actions, is doing the most to put the humane ideals of Christianity into practice" -- Danny Nagashima's speech to the SGI Central Executive Committee SGI World Tribune, Oct 6, 2000 page 10

Linda Johnson: "Chant to live up to the mentor. Learn from President Ikeda. He gets this Buddhism. He has never lost. Linda J. continues, To manifest your capacity…vital to study Sensei. Send out only Sensei’s encouragment on the internet not your own. Lets learn from the best. Home visit every member. It is the time to teach them about Sensei and how to win. “Bless her” (Kitty Shapiro who helped her when she was a new member) "hallelujah" [yes, she said hallelujah]. Chant to let me win."

Please note, NOTHING about studying the Lotus Sutra and Writings of Nichiren Daishonin.

More on the SGI and Nichiren Shoshu, Rely on the Person and not on the Law, slanderers of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren

"I must observe sadly that, although it would be simple enough to point out the error of the views propounded by these men, if I did so, the people of today would not even look in my direction. They would go on in their erroneous ways and, in the end, would slander me to the ruler of the country and put my life in jeopardy. Nevertheless, our merciful father Shakyamuni Buddha, when he faced his end in the grove of sal trees, stated as his dying instructions that we are to “rely on the Law and not upon persons.”167 “Not relying upon persons” means that when persons of the first, second, third, and fourth ranks preach, even though they are bodhisattvas such as Universal Worthy and Manjushrī who have attained the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, if they do not preach with the sutra in hand, then they are not to be accepted." - The Opening of the Eyes

Keep relying on Daisaku Ikeda and his Human Revolution and the musings of the High Priests, rather than the Lotus Sutra and the authentic writings of Nichiren and see which of the Lower Four Worlds in which you are allready descended.

This passage perfectly describes the top leaders and priests of the SGI and Nichiren Shoshu

"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.” - The Opening of the Eyes

Think long and hard: Do SGI and Nichiren Shoshu members possess differing ideas concerning the Three Treasures?

“If there are those who possess differing ideas concerning the three treasures, then truly you should know that these people can no longer hope to take refuge in, or rely upon, the three pure treasures. They will never gain benefit from any of the precepts, and in the end, they will fail to obtain the fruits of the voice-hearer, the cause-awakened one, or the bodhisattva.”

"I'm a Buddha" - many SGI members

"Great Concentration and Insight says: “If one lacks faith [in the Lotus Sutra], one will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of one’s own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, one will become puffed up with arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha.” - Opening of the Eyes

Reguarding SGI and Nichiren Shoshu members who, despite chanting the Daimoku, are slanderers

"How great is the difference between the blessings received when a sage chants the daimoku and the blessings received when we chant it" to reply, one is in no way superior to the other. the gold that a fool possesses is no different from the gold that a wise man possesses; a fire made by a fool is the same as a fire made by a wise man. HOWEVER, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra".

"In the same way, the renegade disciples say, “Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way.” In so asserting, they are being as ridiculous as fireflies laughing at the sun and moon, an anthill belittling Mount Hua, wells and brooks despising the river and the ocean, or a magpie mocking a phoenix. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo." -Letter from Sado

Soka Gakkai leaders and Nichiren Shoshu priests and believers are slanderers and renegade disciples: Practice of interfaith; mixing of practices, ie: Yuiga Yoga or Guru Yoga as advocated by Josei Toda and put into practice by Daisaku Ikeda (SGI mentor/disciple) ; a Zen derived Patriarchal Transmission practiced in Nichiren Shoshu and SGI (Three Presidents doctrine) instead of a transmission through Namu Myoho renge kyo, Gohonzon, and Lotus Sutra; Reliance on the Presidents and the High Priests instead of absolute reliance on the Law; doctrines most often derived from Goshos NOT in Nichiren's hand (both SGI and NST; depreciating the 28 Chapter Lotus Sutra, its Prologue and Epilogue Sutras, claiming that Daisaku Ikeda's Human Revolution novels are "The Lotus Sutra of the modern age"; depreciating Shakyamuni Buddha, thus having a different Three Treasures than Nichiren (both Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu); and SGI slandering the Nichiren Shoshu and the Nichiren Shoshu slandering the SGI, despite both being Fuji schools having virtually the same doctrines AND Both SGI and NST slandering the "Orthodox" sects, for example, the Nichiren Shu and the Kempon Hokke.

Proof of my assertion that there are slanderers and renegade disciples who chant Namu Myoho renge kyo:

"The Jikaku and Chishō factions war with each other incessantly; the latter-day followers of Kōbō in the head temple on Mount Kōya and those of Shōgaku-bō in Dembō-in [on Mount Negoro], Mount Hiei and Onjō-ji temple, wrangle back and forth like asura demons, fight like so many monkeys and dogs."

“They entirely look up to groups of icchantikas and rely on them as leaders and, reverencing slanderers against the Dharma, make them national teachers (ie: Ikeda). Taking up the Classic Filial Piety of Confucius, they beat their parents’ heads and, WHILE CHANTING THE LOTUS SUTRA of Lord Shakya with their mouths, THEY GO AGAINST the MASTER OF TEACHINGS.”

Nichiren, quoting Dengyo states, “Although they praise the Hokkekyo, on the contrary, they kill the heart of the Hokke.”



and

"For persons of the Tendai Lotus school to chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo themselves and yet give their approval when others repeat the Nembutsu would be strange enough. Yet not only do they fail to remonstrate with them, but they criticize one who does confront the Nembutsu school, which is strange indeed!"

and

"Now you should make a great vow and pray for your next life. If you are disbelieving or slander the correct teaching even in the slightest, you will certainly fall into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. Suppose there is a ship that sails on the open sea. Though the ship is stoutly built, if it is flooded by a leak, those on the ship are sure to drown together. Though the embankment between rice fields is firm, if there is an ant hole in it, then surely, in the long run, it will not remain full of water. Bail the seawater of slander and disbelief out of the ship of your life, and solidify the embankments of your faith. If a believer’s offense is slight, overlook it, and lead that person to obtain benefits. If it is serious, encourage him to strengthen his faith so that he can expiate the sin."

and

"In the same way, the renegade disciples say, “Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way.” In so asserting, they are being as ridiculous as fireflies laughing at the sun and moon, an anthill belittling Mount Hua, wells and brooks despising the river and the ocean, or a magpie mocking a phoenix. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo."

and

"Daigaku and Uemon no Tayū had their prayers answered because they followed my advice. Hakiri seems to believe my teachings, but he ignored my suggestions about his lawsuit, and so I have been concerned about its progress. Some good seems to have come of it, perhaps because I warned him that he would lose unless he followed my advice. But because he did not listen to the extent I had hoped, the outcome has been less fruitful than he expected.

If lay believers and their teacher pray with differing minds, their prayers will be as futile as trying to kindle a fire on water. Even if they pray with one mind, their prayers will go unanswered if they have long made the error of attacking greater teachings with lesser ones. Eventually, both lay believers and their teacher will be ruined."

and

“If there are those who possess differing ideas concerning the three treasures, then truly you should know that these people can no longer hope to take refuge in, or rely upon, the three pure treasures. They will never gain benefit from any of the precepts, and in the end, they will fail to obtain the fruits of the voice-hearer, the cause-awakened one, or the bodhisattva.”

and

"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.”

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that without a correct faith how one may develop a resistance to Nichiren's exemplary practice.

"Among my disciples, those who think themselves well versed in Buddhism are the ones who make errors. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. It is like the soul of a person. To revere another teaching as its equal is to be like a consort who is married to two emperors, or who secretly commits adultery with a minister or a humble subject. It can only be a cause for disaster

and

"Now I, Nichiren, understand these things because of what I myself have undergone. But even if there are those among my disciples who understand them, they fear the accusations of the times; believing that their lives, which are as frail as dew, are in fact to be relied upon, they backslide, keep their beliefs hidden in their hearts, or behave in other such ways."

and

"But if any of Nichiren’s disciples disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within."

and

"However, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra."

and

"Take these teachings to heart, and always remember that believers in the Lotus Sutra should absolutely be the last to abuse one another. All those who keep faith in the Lotus Sutra are most certainly Buddhas, and one who slanders a Buddha commits a grave offense."

and

"In the first five hundred years of the Former Day of the Law following the Buddha’s passing, only Hinayana teachings spread, while in the next five hundred years, provisional Mahayana teachings spread. The thousand years of the Middle Day of the Law saw the rise of the theoretical teaching. In the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, only the essential teaching spreads, but even so, the theoretical teaching should not be discarded. Nowhere in the entire Lotus Sutra do we find a passage suggesting that we should discard the first fourteen chapters, which comprise the theoretical teaching. When we distinguish between the theoretical and the essential teachings on the basis of the threefold classification of the entire body of the Buddha’s teachings, the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings were to be spread in the Former Day, and the theoretical teaching, in the Middle Day, but the Latter Day is the time to propagate the essential teaching. In the present period the essential teaching is primary, while the theoretical teaching is subordinate. But those who therefore discard the latter, saying it is not the way to enlightenment, and believe only in the former, have not yet understood the doctrine of Nichiren’s true intention. Theirs is a completely distorted view.

This doctrine concerning the theoretical and essential teachings is not my own [but was expounded by the Buddha]. Those who would distort it can only be possessed by the heavenly devil, or Pāpīyas, and will topple others along with themselves into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. How foolish they are! Teach this doctrine to others clearly as I have taught you these many years. Those who call themselves my disciples and practice the Lotus Sutra should all practice as I do. If they do, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, Shakyamuni’s emanations throughout the ten directions, and the ten demon daughters will protect them. Yet, for all that, [some people associated with Ōta Jōmyō distort the teaching]. I cannot fathom what could be in their minds."

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

A friend

"Oh boy where to start? Mark is one of the few voices in the wilderness who is trying desperately to sort out the nonsense that's befallen Nichiren's teachings. The facts are that 90+% of all those who practice, practice incorrectly. The invocation of the daimoku is wrong added to which it's misunderstood thanks to the plethora of NST forgeries that the SGI buy into. Ikeda did sweet nothing at the time of excommunication to sort out the mess, yet claimed at one time to be the incarnation of Bodhisattva Jogyo. Using advanced AI, NOPPA has pretty much proven that 436 of the 520 extant goshos attributed to Nichiren are forged, leaving just 84 authentic writings. It's a joke and then these NST/SGI Axis members tear into Mark when all they believe in and quote are forged writings anyway. Were Nichiren to return he'd kick yer brainwashed arses into the hell of incessant suffering, something for which you are destining yourselves for anyway. The real 1279 Hon-in-myo Dai-honzon (not the one at Taiseki-ji) reveals that Bodhisattva Jogyo is about to appear, but his "expedient" as per the "Parable of the Physician" already has. Be warned. There's much homework for those of you in the NST/SGI Axis sects and that doesn't include all the nonsense they feed you. It'd be a wise move for those that mock Mark to take him seriously" ... MBB. C.

Murrysburg Bodhisattva attempts to follow the fundamental teachings of the Honmon Hokke Shu but criticizes them where they need to be criticized. Likewise, I try to follow the founder of the Kempon Hokke, Nichiju Shonin and the other great Bodhisattvas of the Kempon Hokke such as Nikkyo the Martyr and whomever follows Nichiren as print matches the woodblock such as Nisshin the Pot Headed Monk, who followed Nichiren's principle of neither giving to nor receiving from slanderers (Fuju Fuse). None of the modern Nichiren sects strive to follow Nichiren, least of all the the four main Nichiren sects, the Soka Gakkai, the Nichiren Shu, the Honmon Butsuryu Shu and the Nichiren Shoshu. Study the Five Major Writings of Nichiren and their several English translations. Nichiren, the teacher for the Latter Day revered the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha proclaiming himself "Disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha." Even among those who proclaim Nichiren as their teacher, the reality is they follow bad teachers such as Daisaku Ikeda, the successive High Priests of the Nichiren Shoshu, Nichiki and Nissatsu (the "reformers" of the Nichiren Shu who altered Nichiren's teachings on the forceful practices), Nissen of the Honmon Butsuryu Shu, and Nichidatsu Fuji of the Nipponzan Myohoji.

They hate my copy and paste because Nichiren's passages reveal their ugly faces


Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha. Now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)

BTW, here’s the same quote, as translated by NSIC. Please note the subtle differences:

“When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni… now it becomes apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (MW V.2, p.149)

And again, Nichiren says:

“Since Shakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations…” (Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.176).

NSIC translates this as :

“Since the Buddha of the Juryo chapter is revealed as the eternal Buddha…” (the part about the manifestation Buddhas is left out altogether!) [MW V. 2, p.150]

Once again, from the Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.180:

“But now since it has been revealed that Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha…”

“But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment countless aeons ago,…etc. (MW V.2, p. 151)

“Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the 'Life Span of the Buddha' chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul.” -- The Opening of the Eyes Kyotsu Hori translation.

In the Kanjin Honzon Sho, (translated by Kyotsu Hori) there is not a single sentence where Nichiren even suggests that he is somehow this Eternal Buddha that is found in the Juryo Chapter. Instead, Nichiren says:

“…Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies and attained Buddhahood in the eternal past.. (ibid. P.94)

Notice, nowhere in the Soka Gakkai (or Nichiren Shoshu) translations do we find, Shakyamuni, "ETERNAL BUDDHA" but in the Nichiren Shu/Kempon Hokke translations from the original Showa Tehon Collection of Goshos, the Gosho translations are replete with "Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra" or "Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha." Were we to read the Ongi Kuden or The True Aspect of All Phenomena, both forged Gosho, this passage would have to be read, "We within the mind of Shakyamuni Buddha are ancient Buddhas without beginning."

“…the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni who resides within our minds.” (p.94)

“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will he be born in the future. He exists forever, throughout the past, present and future.” (P.100)

“The “honzon” at the scene of this transmission of “Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo” from the Eternal Buddha to His Original Disciples is… suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni’s Saha-world is a stupa of treasures, in which Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho sit to the left and right of “Myo Ho Renge Kyo”. (P.102)

“Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Shakyamuni Buddha as He preached Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana sutras, but statues and portraits of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra were never made. Now, in the beginning of Mappo, is it not the time that such statues and portraits are made?” (P.104)

And, from the Ho’on Jo (translated by Taikyo Yajima):

“All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni (Original and Eternal Buddha) revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the object of worship (honzon).” [P. 198]

Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 56:

“In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past… Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past.”

Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 86:

“This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas.”

and somewhat further along:

“In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the bodhisattva way, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Under- ground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds.”

“How lucky I am to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and extinguish within one life my sin of slandering the true dharma ever since the eternal past! How glad I feel to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and wait on Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, whom I have never seen yet! May I guide first of all those rulers of this land who have persecuted me. May I tell Sakyamuni Buddha about my disciples who have assisted me. may I present this great merit to my parents, who gave birth to me, before I die.”

Fortunately many SGI (Dr. Stone's) passages are not mistranslated, for example:

“Present within our lives is the Lord Shalyamuni who obtained the three enlightened properties of life before gohyaku-jintengo, the Original Buddha since time without begining.” (MW vol 1, The True Object of Worship, pg 65)

“Demonstrating ten great mystic powers the Buddha (Shakyamuni) transferred Namu Myoho renge Kyo to the four great bodhisattvas” (Ibid pg 77)

Since I attained buddhahood
the number of kalpas that have passed
is an immeasurable hundreds, thousands,
ten thousands, millions, trillions, asamkhyas.
Constantly I have preached the Law, teaching,
converting countless millions of living beings,
causing them to enter the buddha way,
all this for immeasurable kalpas.
In order to save living beings,
as an expedient means I appear
to enter nirvana but in truth
I do not pass into extinction.
I am always here, preaching the Law. - LS Chapter 16, The Lifespan of the Tathagata

"The sutra states, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,” and “If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.” A commentary says, “Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.” Another commentary says, “In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.” Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not even I can save you in your next life." - Nichiren, The Essential for Attaining Buddhahood.

"In the sixteenth chapter, "Duration of the Life of the Buddha," the sutra also declares: ‘As I said before, it is immeasurably long since I, Sakyamuni Buddha, obtained Buddhahood. My life spans an innumerable and incalculably long period of time. Nevertheless, I am always here and I shall never pass away.’" - Kanjin Honzon-Sho, Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA) page 36

"Finally in the sixteenth chapter, the Buddha sometimes appears as a Buddha in the realm of Buddha but other times appears as some of the others who reside in the other nine realms. This indicates that the ten realms are included in the realm of Buddha’s." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 36

This reference is included to refute the argument saying that Sakyamuni’s enlightenment occurred at a fixed point in the past by his reference to practicing the way of the bodhisattva.

"Born to the human world, Prince Siddhartha, young Sakyamuni, became the Buddha. This evidence should be enough to convince you to believe that the realm of Buddhas exists in the realm of men." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 56

"In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past... Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 86

"This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas."

"It means that Sakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, and attaining Buddhahood in the eternal past described as 500 dust-particle kalpa ago.

"In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 94

Here Nichiren explains the meaning of the oft mis-quoted reference to Sakyamuni’s practice of the bodhisattva way.

"Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 100

"How lucky I am to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and extinguish within one life my sin of slandering the true dharma ever since eternal past! How glad I feel to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and wait on Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, whom I have never seen yet! May I guide first of all those rulers of this land who have persecuted me. May I tell Sakyamuni Buddha about my disciples who have assisted me. May I present this great merit to my parents, who gave birth to me, before I die." - Kembutsu Mirai-Ki, NOPPA, page 262

"I, Nichiren, of Awa Province graciously received the teaching of the Lotus Sutra from three masters (Sakyamuni, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo) and spread it in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. - Kembutsu Mirai-Ki, NOPPA, page 264

“Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His GUIDANCE are one with this Eternal Buddha.” -- The True Object of Worship

“Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are his manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. nevertheless, seemingly knowledgeable men of such provisional schools of Buddhism as Ch’eng-kuan of the Hua-yen, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun, Tz’u-en of the Fa-hsiang, and Kobo of the shingon tried to extoltheir own canons by stating: “The Lord of the Flower Garland Sutra represents the reward-body (hojin) of the Buddha wheras that of the Lotus Sutra the accomodative body (ojin);” or “the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus is an Illusion; it is the great Sun Buddha who is enlightened.” clouds cover the moon and slanderers hide wise men. When people slander, ordinary yellow rocks appear to be of gold and slanderers seem to be wise. Scholars in this age of decay, blinded by slanderous words, do not see the value of a gold in the “Lifespan of the Buddha” chapter. Even among men of the Tendai school some are fooled into taking a yellow rock for gold. They should know that if Sakyamuni had not been the Eternal Buddha, there could not have been so many who received GUIDANCE from Him.” -- The Opening of the Eyes