The Specific and the General

 Nichiren on the General Transmission:

"Answer: In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, his original disciples, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, says elsewhere, "By now the original vows that I made have already been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way." Thus, he has already fulfilled his earlier vow. Then, intending to charge his disciples with the task of accomplishing widespread propagation in the fifth five hundred years after his death, he called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and entrusted them with the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching. This passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation. It is this passage that gives proof of the lotus of the entity that, for those of us who live in the Latter Day of the Law, assures the attainment of Buddhahood in both the present and future."

and

"It is the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo that constitute the Great Pure Law that will be spread widely in the Latter Day of the Law. And it is the great bodhisattvas who sprang up from, the earth in numbers equal to the dust particles of a thousand worlds who were entrusted with the task of spreading it abroad. Therefore Nan-yueh, T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo, though in their hearts they understood the truth, left it to the leader and teacher of the Latter Day to spread it widely, while they themselves refrained from doing so."

Nichiju interprets the General Transmission:

"Among the disciples of the school of Nichiju, nobody should be chosen, directly or indirectly as an heir disciple. However, anybody among the priests or the laymen of my congregation that spreads the teaching in Kyoto and swears that other sects are the root of all evils and that only the Hokke Sect makes us enter Nirvana can be my disciple. And if candidates are equally gifted, they should propagate during the summer, practicing in turn. You should consider a person who spreads the teaching like this as the true disciple of Nichiju and Nichiren Shonin. So in the days to come, this shall be my will."

Nichiren on the Specific Transmission:

"Accordingly, at the present time in the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the lotus of the entity. Truly it is a passage of secret meaning. Truly it is a matter of great concern. Truly it is to be honored and admired. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, Namu-myoho-renge-kyo!"

and

"Bodhisattva Superior Practices received the water of the wisdom of the Mystic Law from the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and causes it to flow into the wasteland of the people’s lives in the evil world of the latter age. This is the function of wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan. With regard to the transfer of teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the general with the specific even in the slightest, you will never be able to attain Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and deaths."

Commentary

"The leader and teacher of the Latter Day" is specific to one man, Nichiren Daishonin (Bodhisattva Jogyo). "Bodhisattvas of the Earth" is general to all those who follow Nichiren. There are not superior and inferior Bodhisattvas of the Earth. The responsibilities of laymen and priests are blurred in Mappo and there is only one High Priest and one leader, Nichiren Daishonin.

Question: The Lotus Sutra states that there are many leaders of his own great assembly with various large and small retinues of followers. Wouldn't that mean Daisaku Ikeda, the High Priest of the Nichiren Shoshu, the Chief Bishop of Minobu. Nikkyo Niwano, and others? 

Answer:  At this time, there is only Nichiren Daishonin and his followers. Those who follow Nichiren Daishonin and are of the same mind as he ["The bodhisattvas, as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, who emerged from beneath the earth and (who are) the followers of Shakyamuni Buddha present in our lives"] are indeed leaders of his own great assembly with various large and small retinues.

Daisaku Ikeda, the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu, the Chief Bishop of Minobu, Nikkyo Niwano, and Nissen however, are not of the same mind as Nichiren. Nikkyo Niwano, despite chanting the daimoku, failed to even acknowledge Nichiren Daishonin as the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Daisaku Ikeda and the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu throw out Shakyamuni Buddha. The Bishop of Minobu allows all sorts of sundry practices and a false transmission between priests and lay believers [not to mention interfaith] and Nissen proclaimed his joy to have been born in a Buddha-less world.

Since they are not of the same mind as Nichiren and are not his followers, they are not Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Since they are not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they are not even inheritors of the general transmission. 

"Soka Gakkai has responded, but with insults, abuse and slander... never with doctrinal proof." by Mark Herrick, now a Nichiren Shu priest

Julian:

If Mr. Daisaku Ikeda is really as bad as some contributors to a.r.b.n would have the world believe that, for me, proves at least one thing... if a cult at all, far from being a personality cult, SGI is, in fact, an anti-personality cult.

SGI is a strong, well organised, group of people actually bringing about world peace in spite of the variety of individuals that make it up.

How can that be? Only because SGI is an organisation of common mortals, ordinary human beings, united in love and faith in the Lotus Sutra.

The simple fact that an organisation such as SGI exists in our lifetime is a (rare) cause for joy. "This, my land, remains safe and unharmed,... My pure land is indestructible." --Lotus Sutra. Chapter 16.

Mark Herrick:

Your friend and fellow memba', Kathy - "Queen of Da Nile" - Ruby, would disagree with you here..... She claims that the Lotus Sutra has lost its power in the Latter Day. How come you guys can't seem to get your doctrine straight???? I mean you're so well organized and all....

AND....... If you are united in love and faith in the Lotus Sutra, you must now be a memba' of a Shakaymuni Cult too. After all, who preached the Lotus Sutra? Please don't tell us it was really Nichiren in disguise. You were all too quick to post a warning about us being members of a Shakaymuni cult.

AND...... If you are united in love and faith in the Lotus Sutra, how can you continue to advocate that Nichiren is the Eternal Buddha? I mean, where is it in the Lotus Sutra that Shakaymuni predicts that the Eternal Buddha is to appear in the Latter Age to spread the Dharma? Have you even ever read the ENTIRE Lotus Sutra?

SO THEREFORE...... if you claim to be united in love and faith with the Lotus Sutra, but fail to practice as it teaches then you are ONE BIG LIAR.

I am astounded by the self deception that the Gakkai is capable of, and the slander you stoop to in criticizing us who are trying to spread the orthodox Dharma. We rely on the Three Proofs that our founder and leader in Mappo, Nichiren Daishonin, taught us. Documentary, Theoretical and Actual. All our posts use the Three Proofs. None of the Gakkai's posts use the Three Proofs.

All we are asking is for you to supply proof of the Gakkai's doctrine using the Three Proofs. So far, in the last three years of this online debate the Gakkai has failed to do so. Oh, don't get me wrong, the Gakkai has responded, but with insults, abuse and slander... never with doctrinal proof. Kathy even claims to have beaten me in debate about the power of the Lotus Sutra. Of course she didn't beat me, all she did was change the subject and say that we taught that the Daimoku was not the primary practice, which is of course a complete lie and fabrication. We chant the Daimoku morning and night. Anyways, its all more lies and obfuscation to cover the truth. We supplied over one hundred quotes and excerpts from the Gosho where Nichiren stated unequivacably that it was the Lotus Sutra that we worship and saves us in Mappo. When Kathy had her back to the wall she saught to change the subject. Now you go and ADMIT the Gakkai is united in love and faith in the Lotus Sutra.

The Gakkai is a psuedo-religion based on the teachings of Makaguchi, Toda and Ikeda. There is little that the Gakkai actually has in common with Nichiren, except that they coopted his Daimoku and Gohonzon as a cloak for their real teachings. Makaguchi admitted that he never wanted to be a Nichiren Shoshu priest because then he would have to follow Nichiren Shoshu doctrine exactly without adding any of his own *personal* ideas, which we know is the entire theory of value creation. The Gakkai from its inception has been based on lies.

Go on Julian try and refute me using Sutra passage and Gosho passages. Try. I doubt you can. I do expect you to insult and abuse me. You have shown yourself perfectly capable of doing this in the past. Come on Julian, I dare you to try and debate me using scriptural proof. When you can't, and instead resort to insults then you will be exposed. The entire arbn will know then that you cannot refute the truth.

And Julian, please don't forget that it was Susan Starr who  started arbn. And just so you don't revise history, it was to provide a forum for doctrinal debate and discussion. So far we have seen little debate from any of the Gakkai, what we have seen is plenty of insults.

I am waiting Julian.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Mark Herrick

How did Nikko Shonin view Nichiren Daishonin?

"In order to make sure which is the right teaching for attaining Buddhahood, I listened to the preachings of various priests. As a result, I have come to believe in the Lotus Sutra, in which it is expounded that Nichiren Shonin is the Bodhisattva Jogyo commanded by Sakyamuni Buddha, Lord of the Saha World and parent of all living beings, to appear in the Latter Days of the Law as a messenger of the Buddha with the duty of propagating the Lotus Sutra."

"Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations."

Nichiren teaches:

"It is the same with Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters. The Lotus Sutra reads, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” It also reads, “It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.” The Nirvana Sutra states, “By suffering an untimely death, rebuke, curses or humiliation, beatings with a whip or rod, imprisonment, starvation, adversity, or other minor hardships in this lifetime, one can avoid falling into hell.” The Parinirvāna Sutra says: “They may be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.” -- Letter to the Brothers "Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations."

and in the same writing:

"The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching. One passage from the same volume reads: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.” This statement not only applies to me, but also is a guide for my followers. Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations."

"There is no sacrifice in Buddhsim" -- SGI leader

 

"None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever give way to cowardice. Neither should you allow concern for your parents, wife, or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. Since countless kalpas in the past you have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles of the land for the sake of your parents, your children, or your lands. But not once have you given up your life for the Lotus Sutra. You may have tried to practice its teachings to some extent, but whenever you were persecuted, you backslid and ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water only to pour it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep in your heart that sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like exchanging rocks for gold or dung for rice." - Nichiren

From Letter to the Brothers

"In Japan today, many people claim they have mastered the practice of concentration and insight. But is there anyone who has actually encountered the three obstacles and four devils? The statement “If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil” indicates not only the three evil paths but also the worlds of human and heavenly beings, and in general, all of the nine worlds. Therefore, with the exception of the Lotus Sutra, all of the sutras—those of the Flower Garland, Āgama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, and the Nirvana and Mahāvairochana sutras—will lead people toward the paths of evil. Also, with the exception of the Tendai school, the adherents of the seven other schools are in reality wardens of hell who drive others toward the evil paths. Even in the Tendai school are found those who profess faith in the Lotus Sutra, yet actually lead others toward the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. They, too, are wardens of hell who cause people to fall into the evil paths." - Letter to the Brothers

The Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine by Rev. Tetsujo Kubota (from the Tradition of Nichiren Doctrine)

The Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine by Rev. Tetsujo Kubota (from the Tradition of Nichiren Doctrine)

"The Three Great Secret Dharma" refers to:

(1) Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Honzon),

(2) the Title of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Daimoku), and

(3) Precept (Ordination) Platform of the Original Doctrine (Hommon no Kaidan).

"Object of Worship" (honzon: "the Principal Revered or Holy One") means the Object of Faith or Belief. Incidentally for a disciple of Nichiren an explanation concerning the "Object of Worship" which goes beyond the Patriarch's teaching is not allowed. The teaching of Nichiren Shonin is absolute.

After founding his sect at age thirty-two Nichiren Shonin spread the teaching in Kamakura. At this time it seems that he worshiped the Title "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" alone with the Hokekyo placed in front of it. After he received the standing image of Lord Shakya at Ito at age forty, that is, after the Ito Persecution for the Dharma, according to the "Letter on the Kings of the Country of the Gods", he installed the image of Lord Shakya and the ten fascicles of the Hokekyo.

According to the "Letter to the Great Assembly of Seichoji" written about this time, he says, "Having written an oath of the utmost sincerity, I, Nichiren, prayed with hands joined, to the Object of Worship..." And the fact that he prayed joined to the hands of the Object of Worship is proof that he was worshiping the statue of Lord Shakya. (It is presumed that behind the statue of Lord Shakya he worshiped the single Title "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" but there is no evidence for this.) Moreover, as he says in his letter to the wife of Daigaku Saburo, "You worship the Seven Characters three times a day" (291), the believers at this time were worshiping the Single Title ("Namu Myoho Renge Kyo"

alone).

In the tenth month of the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271) after the Persecution at Tatsunokuchi Nichiren Shonin was kept in custody at the residence of the local chief (jito) of Echi (the modern Atsugi City), Homma Shigetsura. On the ninth, the day before they said he was to be exiled to Sado, he recorded an Object of Worship (gohonzon) with a willow twig. A single Title ("Namu Myoho renge kyo") (with Fudo to the right and Aizen to the left represented by Sanskrit characters, as we face it) and the side inscription "Written at the village of Echi in Homma in the Province of Sagami" with the year, month, and day of its revelation. It is said to have been written using a twig broken from a willow tree.

Throughout the first period after he had gone over to Sado, the Objects of Worship that he wrote had the Title, the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho and also Fudo and Aizen written symbolically in Sanskrit characters, the side inscription "Drawn in the Province of Sado" and the year, month, and day of revelation. There are many examples of this form and it is called the "Hundred-copy Object of Worship of Sado".

In the second month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272) with the great motive that "they will put an end to the inconceivability of Nichiren" he composed "On Opening the Eyes (Kaimoku Sho)" and implied that in terms of his Original State (honji) he was the manifestation of the Bodhisattva Jogyo.

In the fourth month of the next year he composed On the Object Worship of Contemplation (Kanjin Honzon sho ). In this work, which he called "my own great matter", explained in doctrinal terms the substance of the Object of Worship of the Original Doctrine. On the eighth day of the seventh month in that same year he revealed and drew an Object of Worship called the "Mandala First Revealed on Sado" (Sado Shiken Mandara), but regrettably the original autograph has not come down to us. But fortunately a copy still exists, so from this we can understand its arrangement. There is one at the Head Temple Myomanji which the disciple Temmoku received and was given in the sixth month of the following year. (A version on silk) There is a side inscription, "The Shramana Temmoku received and was given [it]. For some reason it does not say, "Bestowed and given [to the Shramana Temmoku"]. The arrangement of this is closest to "Mandala First Revealed on Sado".

On Sado the Saint himself kept the image of Lord Shakya enshrined:

"When I was in the Province of Sado between mountains and wilds far away from a village was a samadhi place (gosammaisho: a cremation ground or graveyard) called Tsukahara. There was a hall with a single room and four walls in that place. In the roof the boards did not meet and four walls were ruined. In the rain it was like being outside and the snow Piled up inside. There was no Buddha [image]. Neither was there a single reed tatami mat. However, I set up [the statue of] the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya which I have kept from the beginning and grasped the Hokekyo in my hand, put on a straw raincoat and held up an umbrella, yet for four years no person appeared and they gave me no food." ("Reply to the Bhikshuni Myoho", STN, v. 2, 15)

He kept and guarded this image of Lord Shakya after he entered Minobu as well. ("On the Matter of Forgetting the Sutra Which He Kept") Furthermore, he bestowed mandalas on believers.

"Although this mandala in terms of its written characters is five characters or seven characters, it is the Teacher of the Buddhas of the Three Ages; it the certifying text of the attainment of Buddhahood by all women. It becomes a torch on the paths of the underworld; it becomes an excellent horse on the Mountain of Going Forth in Death. It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens. It is like Mount Sumeru on earth. It is the ship for the Sea of Birth-and-Death. It is the Guiding Teacher for the Attainment of Buddhahood." (On Offering to the Mandala of the Sublime Dharma, STN, v. 1, 698)

The Saint, himself an exile and, what is more, in the countryside on an isolated island, was not able simply to obtain Buddha images and perform the "Eye-opening" dedication. In this respect a mandala could be drawn as soon as paper, ink, and writing brush were to be had and also was easy to transport. Moreover, there was nothing more welcome for lay donors than the mandala, which was in the Saint's very own hand.

In the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274) Nichiren Shonin entered Minobu and the laudatory text of the Mandala which he wrote out in the twelfth month of the same year is as follows:

"Since the Extinction of the Great Enlightened World Honored One there have passed in succession more than two thousand two hundred and twenty years. Even so among the Three Countries of India, Han [China] and Japan, there has not yet been this Great Obiect of Worship (dai honzon). Either they have known but not yet spread it or they have not known it. Our Compassionate Father, by means of the Buddha Wisdom, has hidden and retained it, leaving it for the Latter Age. At the time of the last five hundred years, the Bodhisattva Jyogyo come forth in the world and for the first time spreads and proclaims it."

What we should note on this Mandala is:

(1) The fact that the mandala is called the Object of Worship (honzon). There are those among one group of scholars who "say that the Mandala is not the object of Worship but assert as the Object of Worship the statue of the Buddha. However, the Saint himself said "the Mandala is the Object of Worship (honzon)".

(2) "Namu Tensho Hachiman to sho butsu" (Adoration to the Buddhas, Amaterasuomi-kami, Hachiman and so on) means he reveals the Original State (honji) of the national gods of Japan.

(3) He calls himself "the Bodhisattva Jogyo". The Saint was a person of humility and had only implied this in On Opening the Eyes (Kaimoku sho), the letter of the Revelation of the Person. It is on this Object of Worship that he first says this. The one other place he refers to this is only when he says through the mouth of Shijo Yorimoto, "His Reverence Nichiren Shonin is the Bodhisattva Jogyo, Messenger of the Lord of the Three Worlds, the Father and Mother of All Beings, the Tathagata Shakya." (The Deposition of Yorimoto, STN,v.2, 1358)

With the passage of time in the Bun'ei (1263-1274), Kenji (1275-1277), and Koan (1278-1282) periods the Saint inscribed the Mandalas at various times in all sorts of forms, the Abbreviated Style, the Quintessential Style and the Expanded Style. The Abbreviated Style consists of the Title ("Namu Myoho renge kyo"), the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho with the Two Spell Kings (Myoo), Fudo and Aizen, in Sanskrit characters. The Quintessential Style means he added the Four Bodhisattvas Converted by the Original Buddha. The Expanded Style means the whole of the Ten Realms are included.

When we view the more than one hundred twenty extant autograph specimens of the Mandala, there are various sorts, those of the first part of the Bun'ei period all having "Namu" affixed to the various deities and those of the Koan period having it affixed only to the Four Holy Ones (the Two Buddhas Shakya and Taho, the Four Bodhisattvas, Jogyo and the others, Shariputra and so on), those where there are the Branch Body Buddhas (Bun'ei) and those where there are not (Koan) and so on. Former Teachers have divided them into the Unrevised (Bun'ei and Kenji periods) and the Revised" (Koan period), separated them into those Following Others' Intentions (zui ta I) (Bun'ei and Kenji periods) and those Following His Own Intentions (zui ji I) (Koan Period), and classified the Bun'ei era as the Practice Period, the Kenji era as the Adjustment Period, and the Koan era as the Perfection (or Completion) Period. (Note)* "Revised": the word "Revised" means to "redo something incomplete". And so there are scholars who say we must not use the word "Revised", viewing Nichiren Shonin in the same way as a unenlightened worlding. However, is not the fact that the Saint studied and thought these out something superlative?

SGI True Believer Model

 

SGI True Believer Model

"To some extent there is a bit of complicity on the part of the leaders. Most have been practicing for a long time, and in that course of time they have become "indoctrinated" into the way of thinking of SGI. Take the money handling issue for example, to a very senior member the level of trust of the higher-ups is so great that they may actually become insulted when questioned about what NSA/SGI does with the money. They truly believe it is being funneled into building community centers, colleges, etc. That is what makes things so shady because the very people you would look to as watchdogs of your interests are fully bought-into the dogma. I have sat at planning meetings in which a member's concern is repeated by a district or chapter leader and the hombu folks merely shot glances of bemusement or eye-winks at one another and moved onto the next topic. I guess they felt they were acting in "enlightened self-interest" at those times. 

To some extent I agree with Anticult. The "True Believer" model is the most efficient and to some extent mitigates the question of leadership motivations since for the most part, there is the assumption that bad behavior never elevates itself to the level of the higher leadership involvement. 

The True Believer model means that if a member questions ANYTHING about how SGI is run, leaders question your faith in Buddhism. "Why did we lose our community center?", "Why do we have to have women's division meetings in February?", "What happens to the money I donated?" and "Why can't SGI's finances be independently audited?" are taken as "I don't really believe in this Buddhism." The questions DON'T mean that a person doesn't believe in Buddhism...they are totally SEPARATE from the doctrines of Buddhism. The senior leadership has just chosen to cut off all debate by saying that apples are really oranges. I know members who call this "the wall," as in you might as well be talking to the wall. 

It would be like a Catholic saying "I think Father Joe is using the collection money to buy whiskey!" -- and being told, "If you can say things like that, you obviously don't believe in Jesus Christ!" -- Tsukimoto

SGI's cult Shingon manifesto, The Importance of Mentor in Our Life (Shingon Guru Yoga or Yuiga Yoga)

 

"Through encountering a mentor in faith, responding to their call, struggling alongside them and engraving their courage and wisdom in our lives, we can break through the shell of our small self."

· Having a mentor in life is the greatest blessing.

· A mentor recognizes our potential, understands our circumstances and helps us in discovering our unique mission.

· A mentor through his wisdom and actions, raises us into truly capable people, the culmination of what we could ever be - happiest & strongest.

· A mentor displays both in spirit and in action how to live a profound life, rebuking all slander.

· A mentor is the truest friend in the face of hardships and dire circumstances. He supports us like no one can, shares all our pains and joys, and lifts us up, higher, ever higher!

· A mentor is our true comrade, always striving alongside us, never stopping or retreating even a single step.

· A mentor in faith, awakened to the true cause can be a ferry to help us cross the sea of suffering and delusion.

· A mentor through his strict fatherly love and embracing motherly love is our true parent. When we go wrong, he admonishes us; when we achieve, he praises us; when broken, he embraces us; The bond of mentor and disciple is the most profound.

· The mentor with his infinite wisdom helps us perceive reality in its true form, breaking all delusion and resolving all our doubts.

· In Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, a mentor helps us connect to the original Buddha Nichiren and make his resolve of Rissho Ankoku our own.

· A mentor shows us the path by walking on it himself, being the first one to face all the obstacles and then awakens us about them and efficiently coaches us to unfailingly triumph over them.

· When we follow the correct teaching, devils and great obstacles will invariably arise.

· > The Devil's motive is to defeat the votary of the LS, by breaking his resolve through various means. But the mentor never lets his disciple lose by inspiring and guiding him through his own wisdom.

· > There are many people who study Buddhism, but only a handful become Buddhas. The reasons :

· + they do not find the correct teacher

· + they get defeated by the devil king

· Without a mentor, we cannot defeat the deadly devil king of the 6th heaven.

· Mentor & Disciple are one in ND’s Buddhism. The victory of the Mentor is the Victory of the disciple.

· Just as in cloth, there are vertical threads and horizontal threads. The vertical running threads show the bond of mentor and disciple. Without them the horizontal threads cannot be held. Thus a mentor has the potential to guide innumerable disciples together cohesively.

Together, a True Mentor & a True Disciple are victorious over Eternity!

http://sokagakkailies.wordpress.com/ 

It is completely true and accurate, based on his [and mine] experience with the organization

1. Authority without accountability. Soka Gakkai claims to have absolute authority with regard to Nichiren Buddhism; Nichiren Buddhism can only be correctly practiced if one is a member of SGI. Daisaku Ikeda is promoted by SGI to be the foremost authority on Nichiren Buddhism for the modern age. But SGI provides no accountability — members have no control over their leaders and have no mechanism by which to affect the policies and procedures of their organization.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry. There are no opportunities to publicly question or critique the teachings of SGI in organizational publications. Critiquing SGI at small discussion meetings may be tolerated to a degree, but this behavior is called “negativity” and is discouraged.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure and no independently audited financial statement. Media reports and property tax records confirm that Soka Gakkai is a multi-billion dollar religious corporation. SGI refuses to disclose its finances even to members and donors who request this information. SGI has publicly maligned members who have pressed for financial disclosure.
4. Unreasonable fear about evil conspiracies and persecutions. Ikeda and his followers have denounced as “evil” a rival group called Nichiren Shoshu, and urged SGI members to fight this so-called devilish influence. SGI has sponsored prayer vigils focused on the destruction of Nichiren Shoshu and the demise of its leader, Nikken. SGI has also assigned at least one paid staff member to follow and spy on Nichiren Shoshu priests. Why? SGI claims that Nichiren Shoshu is out to destroy SGI.
5. The belief that former members are always wrong in leaving SGI. Former members often relate similar stories of being pressured to embrace certain beliefs, to say only positive things about SGI and to participate in fund raising, recruitment and public relations campaigns. Former members have a similar grievances regarding SGI: too much emphasis on the “evil” of Nichiren Shoshu, too much adulation of Daisaku Ikeda and too little emphasis on the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism. SGI leaders tell members that former members are deluded, cannot be trusted and should be avoided.
6. Dependence upon SGI guidance and activities for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. When SGI members are confronted with a problem, they are urged to seek “guidance” from local SGI leaders or to read guidance from Ikeda. Members are urged to recruit more members and participate in more SGI activities in order to have a “breakthrough” and solve their problems. If the problem is resolved, leaders are quick to claim that participation in SGI activities provides mystical benefits. If the problem is not resolved the member is often advised to make a greater commitment to SGI and “connect” with Ikeda’s heart.
7. Anything that SGI does can be justified, no matter how questionable or harmful. SGI members are good at making excuses for the shortcomings of their organization. “We’re still in our infancy — we’ve only been in America for a little over 30 years — mistakes are to be expected,” they say. “We are only human. Of course we make mistakes.” “We are fulfilling an important mission, so even if people are hurt by our activities, it will all work out for the best in the end.” “If people are hurt by our organization it is due to their karma, not ours.” “People are afraid of SGI not because we are deceptive and manipulative, but because we represent a real challenge to the status quo. People can’t handle the truth and justice we represent.” The list of excuses for bad behavior goes on and on.
8. SGI members are afraid. SGI members have been indoctrinated with a litany of fears: fear of visiting temples or investigating other forms of Buddhism, fear of not chanting enough or skipping gongyo, fear of contradicting the SGI, fear of listening to or entertaining criticism of the SGI, fear of chanting to the “wrong” Gohonzon, fear of leaving the SGI. SGI members fear that these things will invite severe “mystical” punishment such as financial hardship, illness, family strife, loss of a romantic relationship, getting fired from a job or a horrible, agonizing death.
9. SGI doctrines run contrary to those of Nichiren.

Correcting Desmond Tutu since SGI is too cowardly to correct him

 

SGI Quarterly: As an individual who has long been on the forefront of the struggle for human rights, what is your message to the youth of a new generation confronting their own struggles to build a world in which the dignity of all is recognized and respected?

DT [Desmond Tutu]: I admire young people. They are amazing in their idealism believing that we can have a world without war, without poverty and disease. I say to them, "Dream your dreams of a better world, dream the dream of God!"

Thanks to monotheistic religions and even Hinduism, the world is a constant state of violence. Compare the Lotus Sutra to your "Great Books" and only in the Lotus Sutra will you not find even one exhortation to violence and killing. The ultimate teaching of the Lotus Sutra is that all people have the potential to become Three Bodied Tathagatas. We become the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni when we chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with utmost devotion. It is a great sin to harm a potential Buddha, let alone the Eternal Buddha.

Soka Gakkai is NOT the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin

 http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/04/disproving-sgis-assertions-of.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-definitive-analysis-on-why-sgi-is.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2016/10/ephemeral-or-everlasting-liberation.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2016/07/there-is-no-need-for-living-mentor-in.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/02/no-intercession-by-high-priest-or-sgi.html

Nichiren risks his life to speak out

"Therefore if I, Nichiren, fearful of the world, should fail to speak out, I would be the enemy of the Buddha. Hence the Great Teacher Chang-an has delivered his warning to students of the latter age, saying: “One who destroys or brings confusion to the Buddha’s teachings is betraying them. If one befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy. But one who reprimands and corrects an offender . . . is acting as his parent.”

I have taken these words of Chang-an’s commentary thoroughly to heart, and therefore I risk my life to speak out in reprimand. I remember that Āryadeva, the fourteenth successor to Shakyamuni’s teachings, was murdered, and Aryasimha the twenty-fifth successor, had his head cut off."

"He who fears no person"

"Nichiren, however, has now made his appearance in the world, he who fears no person whatsoever and who is prepared to cast aside body and life in order to point out the truth. If these men were truly worthy rulers of the nation, they would listen carefully to what he says. They do not listen or heed his advice, however, but, incredible as it may seem, go so far as to contemplate cutting off his head. This is a most astounding matter!

Thus we see that two evils have appeared side by side, the grave error of giving heed to men of great evil, and the grave crime of heaping shame on men of great goodness who uphold the correct teaching. It is as though one were to pay honor and respect to the asuras and shoot arrows at the god of the sun! This is why grave disorders occur now in this country such as have never been known in the past.

But such a situation is not without precedents in history. For example, King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty cut off the head of his minister Kuan Lung-feng, King Chou of the Yin dynasty tore open the breast of his minister Pi Kan, the Second Emperor of the Ch’in dynasty put to death his minister Li Ssu, King Udayana heaped insult on the Venerable Pindola, King Dammira cut off the head of the Venerable Āryasimha, Emperor Wu of the Northern Chou dynasty engaged in controversy with the Dharma Teacher Hui-yüan, Emperor Hsien-tsung of the T’ang dynasty condemned Po Chü-i to exile, and Emperor Hui-tsung of the Sung dynasty branded the face of the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao.

All these rulers not only failed to heed the admonitions of others, but on the contrary vented their wrath on the admonishers. In this life they lost both their kingdoms and their lives, and thereafter they fell into the evil paths. This was because they showed contempt for others, heeded the words of slanderers, and failed to abide by reason."

Banishing the seven disasters

"Within the nation there are two types of slanderers of the Law, those in the outer branches of government, and those within the central government. Those in the outer branches are the slanderers of the Law in the sixty-six provinces that make up Japan. Those in the central government are the slanderers within the ninefold bastions of the ruler’s city. If one does not take measures to control and outlaw these two types of slanderers in the inner and outer branches of government, then the gods who protect the nation’s ancestral shrines and the altars of the soil and grain will cease to do so, and the nation will face inevitable ruin. Why? Because the ancestral shrines are where the gods of the nation are worshiped, the altars of the soil honor the earth gods, and the altars of grain honor the gods of the five kinds of grain.

Now these two types of gods, the gods of the nation and those of the soil and grain, are starved for the flavor of the Law and they have abandoned the nation. Hence the nation has day by day fallen into a more ruinous state of decay.

Therefore On “Great Concentration and Insight” says: “The earth is so broad that one cannot pay proper respect to it all. Hence one marks off a certain area to create an altar of the soil. ‘Grain’ is the general term by which the five kinds of grain are known; it refers to the gods of the five kinds of grain. Thus in the place where the Son of Heaven dwells, the ancestral shrines are placed on the left, and the altars of the soil and grain on the right, and offerings are made to them in accordance with the four seasons and the five agents. Hence to bring ruin to the nation is to destroy the altars of the soil and grain.”

And therefore the great teacher of the Mountain school says: “In the nation when there are voices slandering the Law, the people will be reduced in number. But when in the family honor is paid diligently to the teachings, the seven disasters* will most certainly be banished.”

Thanks to Shinzo Abe, Taro Aso, Natsuo Yamaguchi, and Daisaku Ikeda, Japan has fallen into "a more ruinous state of [radiocative] decay

*The Lotus Sutra lists seven disasters from which people can be saved by the power of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds: 

(1) fire, 

(2) flood, 

(3) rākshasa demons,

(4) attack by swords and staves, 

(5) attack by yaksha and other demons, 

(6) imprisonment, and 

(7) attack by bandits. 

Nichiren often cites the seven disasters listed in the Benevolent Kings Sutra: 

(1) extraordinary changes of the sun and moon, 

(2) extraordinary changes of the stars and planets, 

(3) fires, 

(4) unseasonable floods, 

(5) storms, 

(6) drought, and 

(7) war, including enemy attacks from without and rebellion from within. 

and in the The Medicine Master Sutra:

(1) pestilence, 

(2) foreign invasion, 

(3) internal strife, 

(4) extraordinary changes in the heavens, 

(5) solar and lunar eclipses, 

(6) unseasonable storms, and

(7) drought.

In promoting SGI interfaith, Daisaku Ikeda destroyed his own castle from within and everone who call themselves his disciples

 Nichiren writes: 

"IF one does not touch the sleeping lion, one will suffer no anger. If one does not plant the pole in the stream, one will raise no waves. And if one does not reproach those who slander the Law, one will undergo no hardship.

'If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him . . .' If you have no qualms about the word “disregard,” then all may be fine for you at present, but you may be certain that later you will fall into the hell of incessant suffering!

That is why the Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his Four Peaceful Practices states: 'If there should be a bodhisattva who protects evil persons and fails to chastise them, thereby prolonging evil, bringing distress to good people, and destroying the correct teaching, then such a person is no true bodhisattva. Before others he puts a lying face upon his behavior, always insisting that ‘I am practicing the virtue of forbearance!’ But when his life comes to an end, he will fall into hell along with those evil persons.”

And the Ten Kinds of Wheels Sutra says: 'If there are slanderers of the Law, one should not dwell with them nor draw near them. If one draws near them and dwells with them, one will be bound for the Avīchi hell.'

If one enters a grove of sandalwood trees, though one may not even touch the trees, one’s whole person becomes imbued with their scent. And similarly, if one draws near to those who slander the Law, the good roots that one has gained through religious practice will be totally destroyed and one will fall with the slanderers into hell. That is the reason volume four of The Annotations on 'Great Concentration and Insight' says: 'Though one may not be evil to begin with, if one associates with and is friendly with evil persons, one is bound in time to become an evil person oneself, and one’s evil reputation will spread throughout the world.'" [On the Nation's Slander of the Law]

The words of Daisaku Ikeda prove that he is a false Bodhisattva destined for Avici Hell...

“I have met and shared thoughts with people of many different philosophical, cultural and religious backgrounds, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism.

My consistent belief, reinforced through this experience, is that the basis for the kind of dialogue required in the twenty-first century must be humanism: one that sees good in that which unites and brings us together, evil in that which divides and sunders us. As I review my own efforts to foster dialogue in this way, I gain a renewed sense of the urgent need to redirect the energies of dogmatism and fanaticism--the cause of so much deadly conflict--toward a more humanistic outlook. 

In a world rent by terrorism and retaliatory strikes, by conflicts premised on ethnic and religious differences, such an attempt may appear to some a hopeless quest. But even so I believe that we must continue to make efforts toward this goal."

In promoting SGI interfaith, Daisaku Ikeda destroyed his own castle from within and everone who call themselves his disciples 

SGI/Nichiren Shu are both proponents of Interfaith

Remember, they both fail to practice as Nichiren Daishonin teaches..."The exclusive faith and practice of (Namu) Myoho renge kyo." There is no interfaith in the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren. Yet, they have the nerve to call themselves "Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism". One can not chant the Daimoku and expect benefit and protection with their warped faith.

"Now in this latter, evil age, great evil arises less from secular wrongdoing than in connection with the doctrines of the religious world. When people today, who are unaware of this, endeavor to cultivate roots of good, events that lead to the ruin of the world occur all the more. Although superficially it may seem to be an act of good to provide support to the priests of the Tendai, True Word, and other schools of the present age, in reality it is a great evil surpassing even the five cardinal sins and the ten evil acts."

"Question: As I understand it, a teacher is someone who has grasped the central meaning of the sutras and treatises and who writes commentaries explaining them. If that is so, then it is only natural that the teachers of the various schools should each formulate doctrines according to their own understanding, and on that basis write their commentaries, establish principles, and dedicate themselves to the attainment of enlightenment. How could such efforts be in vain? Toinsist that the Lotus Sutra alone holds the position of absolute superiority is to adopt too narrow a view, I believe.

Answer: If you think that to proclaim the absolute superiority of the Lotus Sutra is to take too narrow a view, then one would have to conclude that no one in the world was more narrow-minded than Shakyamuni Buddha. I am afraid you are greatly mistaken in this matter..."

“These various sutras expound partial truths such as ‘the mind itself is the Buddha, and the Buddha is none other than the mind.’ The Zen followers have allowed themselves to be led astray by one or two such sentences and phrases, failing to inquire whether they represent the Mahayana or the Hinayana, the provisional teachings or the true teaching, the doctrines that reveal the truth or the doctrines that conceal it. They merely advance the principle of nonduality without understanding the principle of duality, and commit an act of great arrogance, claiming that they themselves are equal to the Buddha. They are following in the tracks of the Great Arrogant Brahman of India and imitating the old ways of the Meditation Master San-chieh of China. But we should recall that the Great Arrogant Brahman, while still alive, fell into the hell of incessant suffering, and that San-chieh, after he died, turned into a huge snake. How frightful, how frightful indeed!"

"The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead toBuddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood."

"The non-Buddhist schools of such men as Vatsa and Vaipulya, which appeared in India after the Buddha’s passing, are even more wrong in their views and more cunning in their doctrines than their counterparts before the Buddha [because they borrowed ideas from Buddhism]. Similarly, since the introduction of Buddhism to China in the Later Han dynasty, non-Buddhist views and writings have become even more wrong and cunning than the pre-Buddhist writings of Confucianism that deal with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of antiquity. Also the teachers of the Flower Garland, Dharma Characteristics, True Word, and other schools, jealous of the correct doctrines of the T’ien-t’ai school, brazenly interpret the words of the true sutra in such a way that they will accord with the provisional teachings."

"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] Mahayana 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 Opening of the Eyes

Nichiren on why one only preaches the Lotus Sutra

"Question: Among the Buddhist teachers of China, there are some who give all their attention to the provisional Mahayana sutras and do not attempt to deal with the true sutra. What is the reason for this?

Answer: When the Buddha appeared in the world, he spent the first forty and more years of his preaching life expounding the Hinayana andprovisional Mahayana sutras, and only after that did he preach the Lotus Sutra. [In the “Expedient Means” chapter] he states, “If I used a lesser vehicle to convert even one person, I would be guilty of stinginess and greed, but such a thing would be impossible.” By this, the Buddha means that, if he had only expounded the pre-Lotus Sutra works and had not preached the Lotus Sutra, he would have been guilty of the error of stinginess and greed.

Later, when he preached the "Entrustment" chapter, he extended his right hand and three times patted the heads of the bodhisattvas who had gathered from throughout the major world system and from four hundred ten thousand million nayutas of lands in the eight directions and instructed them, saying, “In the future you must preach the Lotus Sutra. If there are persons who do not have the capacity to accept it, you should expound some of the other profound doctrines from p.233the sutras I preached in the previous forty and more years, nurturing their capacities in this way, and thereafter preach the Lotus Sutra.”

Still later, in the Nirvana Sutra, he repeated this message, saying, “After the Buddha has entered extinction, there will be four ranks of bodhisattvas who will preach the Law. And there will be four standards to follow with regard to the Law. But if in the end these bodhisattvas do not propagate the true sutra, then you should know that they are in fact manifestations of the heavenly devil.”

Therefore, in the period of five hundred to nine hundred years following the demise of the Thus Come One, Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna andBodhisattva Vasubandhu appeared and widely propagated the sacred teachings of the Thus Come One.

Bodhisattva Vasubandhu at first wrote a work entitled The Dharma Analysis Treasury, representing the doctrines of the HinayanaSarvāstivāda school, in which he set forth the doctrines preached by the Buddha over a period of twelve years in the Āgama sutras. He made no attempt whatever to elucidate the Mahayana teachings. Next, he wroteThe Treatise on the Ten Stages Sutra, The Commentary on “The Summary of the Mahayana,” and other works in which he discussed the provisional Mahayana teachings expounded by the Buddha in the first forty and more years of his preaching life. And last, he wrote The Treatise on the Buddha Nature, The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, and similar works in which he outlined the true Mahayana teachings. The career ofBodhisattva Nāgārjuna followed the same general pattern.

The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, a Buddhist teacher of China, classified the teachings of Shakyamuni’s lifetime into the distinct categories of Mahayana and Hinayana and provisional teachings and true teaching.

With regard to the other Buddhist teachers, they explain to a certain extent the meaning and principles of the teachings, but their views are not clearly expressed or lack sufficient passages of proof to support them. Among the scholars, translators, and Chinese teachers of the latter age, there are those who distinguish clearly between the Mahayana and the Hinayana teachings, but within the Mahayana teachings they do not distinguish between the provisional Mahayana and the true Mahayana. Or, though in their words they may seem to be making such a distinction, in their hearts and minds they cannot free themselves from their attachment to the provisional Mahayana teachings. The situation is like that described [in the “Expedient Means” chapter] when it says: “If bodhisattvas who never regress, their number like Ganges sands, [with a single mind should join in pondering and seeking], they could not understand it either.”

The EXCLUSIVE faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra is not ecumenical. Nichiren too and his disciples and believers are not ecumenical. We practice the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra.

There is no faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day without Nichiren Daishonin. It is thanks to Nichiren Daishonin that we have faith in the Lotus Sutra and over thirty million people are chanting and spreading the Daimoku (granted, not all of whom have the same faith as Nichiren). Many people criticize Nichiren but do they have thirty million followers reciting the Daimoku and Lotus Sutra daily thanks to THEIR bodily reading of the Lotus Sutra?

The votaries of the Lotus Sutra fight: The armies of Mara (Emma); the enemies of the Lotus Sutra known as delusion; ecumenicists who deny the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra; those who deny the exalted position of Shakyamuni Buddha; and lastly, the ignorant laymen, priests, and the rulers of our respective countries who persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.

Let us look at the word narcissism:

1). Excessive love or admiration of oneself. See synonyms at conceit.

2). A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem.

3). Erotic pleasure derived from contemplation or admiration of one's own body or self, especially as a fixation on or a regression to an infantile stage of development.

4). The attribute of the human psyche characterized by admiration of oneself but within normal limits.

Conceit is a near synonym: 1. A favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one's own abilities or worth.

Here is what Nichiren says about conceit:

The Mongol Envoys:

"I CAN hardly express my joy at learning of your safe return from Kamakura. And I have received your news about the beheading of the Mongol envoys. It is indeed a pity that, while the priests of the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools, who are the enemies of our country, did not have their heads cut off, the innocent Mongol envoys have been beheaded. Those who are unaware of the particulars of the matter will no doubt think that I say this out of conceit because my prophecy has been fulfilled. Yet during this period of more than twenty years, this is what I have been privately lamenting about day and night to my disciples, and what I have publicly declared time and again."

On Curing Karmic Disease:

"The Great Teacher Chi-tsang of Chia-hsiang-ssu temple was among the most outstanding scholars in China. He was the founder of the Three Treatises school, and lived on Mount Hui-chi in Wu. Believing that none could equal him in knowledge, he raised the banner of his pride to its highest. He challenged the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai to discuss the meaning of the passage that states, "Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, [this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand]

In the debate Chi-tsang was soundly defeated and thereupon renounced his misguided beliefs. In order to expiate his serious offense of slander of the correct teaching and of those who uphold it, he gathered more than one hundred eminent scholars and begged the Great Teacher T’ient’ai Chih-che to lecture to them. Chi-tsang used his body as a bridge for the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai to climb [onto the preaching platform], supporting T’ien-t’ai’s feet with his head. Moreover, he served T’ien-t’ai for seven years, cutting firewood and drawing water for him. He ceased giving lectures of his own, dispersed his followers, and in order to purge himself of his great conceit, refrained from reciting the Lotus Sutra. After the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s death, Chi-tsang had an audience with the emperor of the Sui dynasty to pay his respects. As he was leaving, he clutched His Majesty’s knees and tearfully bade him farewell. Sometime later, Chi-tsang looked into an old mirror and, seeing his reflection, condemned himself for his past errors. All these many acts of penitence were done to eradicate his karmic disease."

On Omens:

"The priests of Nembutsu today are exactly like the evil monks mentioned in the above sutra. Moreover, the great conceit of the school’s teachers exceeds that of Devadatta a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times. I will briefly describe the strangeness of the True Word school. Its priests paint a picture of the nine honored ones seated on an eight- petaled lotus in the center of the Womb Realm. Then they climb onto this picture, and stepping on the faces of the Buddhas, conduct their ceremony of anointment. It is as if they were trampling on the faces of their own parents or treading on their emperor’s head. Such priests as these fill the entire country and have become the teachers of both high and low. No wonder the nation faces ruin!" How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra:

"Question: The Flower Garland school propounds the doctrine of the five teachings and declares all the other sutras to be inferior, and the Flower Garland Sutra, superior. The True Word school puts forth the doctrine of the ten stages of the mind, declaring that all the other sutras, being exoteric teachings, are inferior, while the True Word school, because it represents the esoteric teachings, is superior. The Zen school rejects all the sutras as belonging to the realm of written teachings and asserts “a separate transmission outside the sutras, independent of words or writing.” Because enlightenment, they say, is gained merely by sitting and facing the wall, the Zen school alone is superior. The Pure Land school sets forth two kinds of practices, correct and sundry. The Lotus Sutra and the various other sutras are rejected as belonging to the category of sundry practices, and hence one is urged to “discard, close, ignore, and abandon” them. The three Pure Land sutras, on the other hand, they claim, are adapted to the people’s capacity and are wonderful sutras belonging to the realm of correct practices. Thus each school in its conceit maintains its own biased attachment. But which one represents the true intention of Shakyamuni Buddha?"

The Lotus Sutra teaches:

'Cease, cease! No need to speak.

My dharma is subtle and hard to imagine.

Those of overweening pride,

If they hear it, shall surely neither revere it nor believe in

it." (Lotus Sutra Chapter 2)

and the moment the Buddha was about to reveal the Wonderful Dharma:

"While he was speaking these words, in the assembly bhiksus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas to the number of five thousand straightway rose from their seats and, doing obeisance to the Buddha, withdrew. For what reason? This group had deep and grave roots of sin and overweening pride, imagining themselves to have attained and to have borne witness to what in fact they had not. Having such faults as these, therefore they did not stay. The World-Honored One, silent, did not restrain them.

At that time the Buddha declared to Shariputra: "My assembly has no more branches and leaves, it has only firm fruit. Shariputra, it is just as well that such arrogant ones as these have withdrawn. Now listen well, for I will preach to you." (ibid. Chapter 2).

Dharmajim writes:

“Now, weave together all of these observations. Imagine you are a disciple of the Buddha. Imagine you are a monk who has meticulously followed the vinaya, the complex code, or way of life, for Buddhist monastics. Now imagine that the Buddha announces that this code is a provisional teaching. I can understand why some monks would become offended, especially if they had generated a sense of self and personal achievement around this.

“Or imagine that you had cultivated the ability to enter into rarefied meditative states, the higher dhyanas. This had taken years of dedication and practice. Now the Buddha says that this is a provisional teaching. I can understand why some who had invested so much time and effort into this practice might feel insulted. I can even believe that some of them would get up and leave the assembly.”

The Lotus Sutra Chapter 7 states:

"Bhikshus, when the Thus Come One knows of himself, that the time of his Nirvana has come, that the assembly is pure, that their faith and understanding are solid and firm, that they fully comprehend the Dharma emptiness and have deeply entered into Dhyana Samadhi, he will gather together the host of Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers and speak this Sutra for them, saying, ‘there are not two vehicles by which extinction is attained. There is only the One Buddha Vehicle by which extinction can be attained.’"

Nobody likes to be chastised or rebuked. There are those in the SGI who have been practicing for thirty or more years and have converted hundreds of people to the Gakkai and there are those in the Nichiren Shoshu who have a lot invested in the Daigohonzon and Nichiren as True Buddha. Then, there are others in the Nichiren Shu who follow Udana-in Nichiki, as a duckling follows it's mother. When we tell them to follow the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren, they turn red, they are afraid, and defensive, or they get up and leave.

Are these not the conceited ones, the narcissistic ones who fail to believe the auspicious words of the Buddha and the sage Nichiren?

The conceited will not debate the issues, thinking themselves too good to debate or too enlightened to even consider a rain challenge which they dismiss out of hand. The narcissistic spew venom from afar for fear of smudging their make-up or dirtying their hands.

"If in some other region

there are beings reverent and with faith beseeching,

again I am in their midst

to proclaim the unsurpassed Dharma,

though you who do not hear this

will say that I am extinct." (Lotus Sutra Chapter 16)

Those that claim that Shakyamuni is not always present preaching the dharma, too, are conceited and narcissistic. Failing to believe that the Buddha only appears to pass on as an expedient, they wallow in delusion.

"I do this lest, by always seeing me,

they should beget hearts unrestrained and self-indulgent,

be dissolute and only fixed upon the five forms of desire

and thereby fall into evil ways."

Those who think of themselves as Buddhas just as they are, merely by virtue of their being alive or merely by virtue of the organization they belong to, are like this, conceited and narcissistic.

Now let me say something about poisoning the well and peeing in the soup. Perhaps there are those who will consider me narcissistic or conceited for what I am about to say:

I am a filter in which the impurities in the Nichiren faith and practice are strained and removed. Citing the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren, my points are proven. All who proclaim the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha supreme will quickly reach the other shore. Those who deny the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha, are base and shallow.

Nichiren Daishonin states:

"I have made a vow. Even if someone says that he would make me the ruler of Japan on the condition that I give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Amida Sutra for my salvation in the next life, or even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say 'Namu Amida-butsu,' and no matter how many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow that I will become the pillar of Japan, I will become the eyes of Japan, and I will become the great vessel of Japan." -- Kaimoku Sho (Opening the Eyes)

I am not the first nor will I be the last to read the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, realize their truths, and come to the same conclusions as Nichiren. Those who come later and share our beliefs (those who carefully study the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin), I pray will be ever more faithful and wise in defending what the Buddha has entrusted to us. Nichiren says, now is the time to outlaw misleading religions and philosophies, not the time to bask in the pleasure of ten thousand prayers.

Another positive comment consonant with the Eagle Peak blog by Unknown

Perhaps once Nichiren was dead, Mara wanted to bring chaos into the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra (as he sought to bring chaos into Shakyamuni's teachings, once Shakyamuni had died), so he set up conditions for a worldwide shift in pronunciation, just to lessen the effects of the "good medicine for Mappo" (i.e. the Daimoku), Funny thing is, only Taisekiji adopted the practice of a six-syllable Daimoku. Most other Nichiren sects kept the "nam mu". We are discussing a linguistic point here, but the real reason for chanting "Nam mu myo ho renge kyo" is doctrinal, not linguistic. To remove a kanji from the chant is insane as well as uncalled for.

A note worth mentioning : the Fuji school was a tiny insignificant sect until it buckled up with the Soka Kioku Gakkai (a school fraternity of teachers).

Never forget the gratitude we owe to Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin

The character Myo is the rain of the Law. Even in the depths of hell Myo is the rain that puts out the great fires of suffering and delusion. Everything changes save for the eternal nature of the Law and the Buddha. Jihi or Buddhist mercy is the essential nature of Myo. Buddha Shakyamuni displayed his mercy by confronting the nine great persecutions for the sake of people and Nichiren overcame five great persecutions. Both these great men renounced a life of luxury for the sake of the Law. Both could have been or done anything they chose, monarch, adviser to the nation; entrepreneur, physician, or general. They chose to preach the Law, living in the open under the stars or in thatched hermitage. Neither was respected by the powers that be. Ajatashatru loosed a herd of wild elephants on the Buddha and Hojo Takenobu sentenced Nichiren Daishonin to death. Never let those impoverished SGI leaders who claim to have attained what they have not degrade your faith or your efforts for the Law. You will see in ten or fifteen years who is being tormented by the guards of hell and who is enjoying the boundless benefit of the Law. The rain of Myo benefits all equally, not just "holy" leaders or priests who are anything but holy or true priests. You yourself are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, exalted beings who drink the life sustaining rain of the Law. Never forget this. Never forget the gratitude we owe to Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin.