Coersive characteristics of the Soka Gakkai

http://web.archive.org/web/20110710181224/http://www.elenagreco.com/articles/cults.pdf

“Soka Gakkai is an organization which purports to practice Nichiren Buddhism, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. It is very loosely based on Buddhist philosophy and the Lotus Sutra, but the main practice of this group is to chant “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (known as daimoku) in order to gain whatever is desired, whether it be a new job, a new car or a better relationship—a practice which fits in well with Western materialism.

Soka Gakkai has its own political party in Japan and claims 8 million members there, as well as possibly 300,000 in the United States, and is said to have $100 billion in assets (Magee 1995). Soka Gakkai is seen in Japan “’as a very structured, organized, militarist group that wields immense political power,’ according to Takayoshi Kitagawa, a professor of sociology at Senshu University in Tokyo” (Magee 1995).

Its leader is charismatic and ambitious Japanese politician and businessman, Daisaku Ikeda, who is revered by Soka Gakkai’s followers (Dawson 2001). It seems that many of the newer American followers do not know much about Ikeda, simply seeing him as their religious leader, and have no idea of his political aspirations or corruption or the extent to which Soka Gakkai is a puppet of his political machinations. They are very aware of him in Japan, where he is of concern to many citizens because of his outspoken desire to take over the government.

Soka Gakkai is evangelical in the extreme, and “propagating Buddhism” (albeit their brand of Buddhism) is one of their key missions, which is in essence recruitment into their organization. Members are taught that this makes them good Buddhists. “Love-bombing” is a frequently-used tactic in this group. As indicated in the chart below, when group members flatter you, show great interest or respect for you, or shower you with love, you tend to “feel understood or accepted, thereby making the group very enticing” (Myers 2005, p. 275). When people pay attention to us and are kind to us or interested in us, we tend to trust them and want to be part of their group. Soka Gakkai has recruiting drives twice a year and members cater seriously to potential recruits (Pariser 1995). This is a major part of their organization.

There is much fear generated, both by reports of terrible things being done to people who speak out about abuses and corruption (Magee 1995), and as a means of recruitment. As indicated previously in this paper, fear can be used to persuade, and it is used in that manner in Soka Gakkai. When I attended a chanting meeting with a friend, I heard one woman share that she was introduced to Soka Gakkai by someone when she was in a hospital, that the hospital technician told her that she believed that something bad was going to happen to her health, and that she should starting chanting to avoid that. She did start chanting, and nothing bad happened to her, which she then attributed to chanting. This is a good example of making the person feel powerless by attributing something positive in the person’s life to the group or practice when it could have been attributed to the person’s intention or personal power (number 2 on the coercive tactics chart). I attended a few meetings with a friend, and every time I ran into someone else in another setting who was a mutual friend of ours, that other person mysteriously knew all about my visits to other meetings. Obviously, information about new recruits was shared and strategy was discussed. One of them said to me that, pertaining to a recent event in my life, they were afraid something bad was going to happen to me, and that I had better come to meetings and chant to avoid that. Having already heard the story of the other woman, I was wise to the coercive tactic that was being applied to me, but I wonder if I would have been so wise if I hadn’t already heard that. That someone would attempt to put fear into me in order to coerce me was something that I found abusive and distasteful, but I would imagine that it works for some, just as it did for the woman who was coerced by the hospital technician."

"The great majority of lay believers and priests are guilty of slandering the correct teaching."

“If a woman who believes in the Lotus Sutra should ever fall into the evil paths as a result of jealousy or ill temper or because of excessive greed, then the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, the Buddha Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions would immediately be guilty of breaking the vow they have upheld over the span of countless kalpas never to tell a lie. Their offense would be even greater than the wild falsehoods and deceptions of Devadatta or the outrageous lies told by Kokalika. But how could such a thing ever happen? Thus a person who embraces the Lotus Sutra is absolutely assured of its blessings.

On the other hand, even if one does not commit a single evil deed throughout one’s entire lifetime, and observes the five precepts, the eight precepts, the ten precepts, the ten good precepts, the two hundred and fifty precepts, the five hundred precepts, or countless numbers of precepts; even if one learns all the other sutras by heart, makes offerings to all the other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and accumulates immeasurable merit, if one but fails to put one’s faith in the Lotus Sutra; or if one has faith in it, but considers that it ranks on the same level as the other sutras and the teachings of the other Buddhas; or if one recognizes its superiority, but constantly engages in other religious disciplines, practicing the Lotus Sutra only from time to time; or if one associates on friendly terms with priests of the Nembutsu, who do not believe in the Lotus Sutra but slander it; or if one thinks that those who insist the Lotus Sutra does not suit the people’s capacity in the latter age are guilty of no fault, then all the merit of the countless good acts one has performed throughout one’s life will suddenly vanish. Moreover, the blessings resulting from one’s practice of the Lotus Sutra will for some time be obscured, and one will fall into the great citadel of the Avichi hell as surely as rain falls from the sky or rocks tumble down from the peaks into the valleys.

Even if one has committed the ten evil acts or the five cardinal sins, so long as one does not turn one’s back on the Lotus Sutra, one will without doubt be reborn in the pure land and attain Buddhahood. On the other hand, we read in the sutra that, even if one observes the precepts, embraces all the other sutras, and believes in the various Buddhas and bodhisattvas, if one fails to take faith in the Lotus Sutra, one is certain to fall into the evil paths.

Limited though my ability may be, when I observe the situation in the world these days, it seems to me that the great majority of both lay believers and members of the clergy are guilty of slandering the correct teaching.”

Karmic retribution and karmic reward

Karma is not the only determinant of weal and woe. It is however, the most important because it is only through a correct Buddhist faith and practice that one can overcome negative karma. Let me give you the example of the causes of diseases as revealed by the Buddha. There are five or six major categories of the causes of disease taught by the Buddha. All, save for disease caused by karma, can be cured by a skilled physician, medicine, and the healing power of the person. Disease caused by karma [weighty causes and effects] can only be cured by the healing power of a correct faith and practice of Buddhism. Likewise, the most severe external [environmental] manifestations [effects] of weighty human causes [thoughts, words, and deeds] are floods, great winds, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and war. As in the case of the most severe internal effects [severe illness], only through Buddhist faith and practice can we cure the most severe external “illnesses”. If the Earthquake, Tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in Japan is not due to karma, there are no seminal events that can be attributed to karma.

According to Nichiren Daishonin and Vasubhandu’s Dharma Analysis Treasury, the Abhidharmakosa [which is based on Vasubandu's exhaustive study of the Hinayana Sutras], the Japan disaster was caused by the karma of the people. By the principle of the most severe bad karma causing the most catastrophic events, the cause of the Japanese disaster is the Soka Gakkai whose karma it is to subvert the Law and the Buddha. Nichiren occasionaly cited the Dharma Analysis Treasury, the doctrines contained therein [windy circle], or the schools derived from this treatise. Also, according to this most important doctrine of the Dharma Analysis Treasury [the greatest good karma causing the most auspicious events], by far, the most important cause of the formation of planets and galaxies, for example, is due to the power of karmic reward of living beings. The slanderers with a piddling faith and understanding of the Buddhist teachings, those like Reverend Ryuei who criticize Nichiren and his followers, should first of all believe Nichiren Daishonin and then, if they still have any doubts, they should read Vasubandu’s Abhidharmakosa: 

abhidharmakosa.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/kosa-study-materials.pdf

A tribute to Ben E. King

“All assertions that lack scriptural proof are to be branded as false.”

"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. Let me quote from one of the sutras and from the commentary of one school, and see if I can resolve your confusion.

The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra says: “[Because people’s natures and desires are not alike], I preached the Law in various different ways. Preaching the Law in various different ways, I made use of the power of expedient means. But in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth.”

Hearing this pronouncement, Great Adornment and the others of the eighty thousand bodhisattvas replied in unison, voicing their understanding that “[as for those living beings who are unable to hear this sutra . . . ] though immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable asamkhya kalpas may pass, they will in the end fail to gain unsurpassed enlightenment.”

The point of this passage is to make clear that, no matter how much one may aspire to the Buddha way by calling upon the name of Amida Buddha, or by embracing the teachings of the Zen school—relying on the sutras of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods preached by the Buddha during the previous forty years and more—one will never succeed in attaining supreme enlightenment, even though a countless, limitless, inconceivable number of asamkhya kalpas should pass.

And this is not the only passage of this type. The “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra states, “The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth.” It also says, “[In the Buddha lands of the ten directions] there is only the Law of the one vehicle, there are not two, there are not three.” These passages mean that only this [Lotus] sutra represents the truth.

Again, in the second volume it says, “I am the only person who can rescue and protect others.”1 And it speaks of “desiring only to accept and embrace the sutra of the great vehicle and not accepting a single verse of the other sutras.” These passages mean that only Shakyamuni Buddha can save and protect all living beings, and that one should wish to accept and uphold only the Lotus Sutra, and never even a verse from any other sutra.

It also says, “If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world. . . . When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell.” This passage means that, if one does not believe in the Lotus Sutra but instead turns against it, one will immediately destroy the seeds for attaining Buddhahood in this world. After death, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering.

Examining these passages, T’ien-t’ai concluded that it was statements such as these that had prompted the words, “Is this not a devil pretending to be the Buddha?” If we merely rely upon the commentaries of various teachers and do not follow the statements of the Buddha himself, then how can we call our beliefs Buddhism? To do so would be absurd beyond description!

Therefore, the Great Teacher Chisho stated that, if one claims that there is no division of Mahayana and Hinayana among the sutras and no distinction of partial and perfect among revelations of the truth, and therefore accepts all the words of the various teachers, then the preachings of the Buddha will have been to no purpose.

T’ien-t’ai asserted, “That which has a profound doctrine and accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so.” He also said, “All assertions that lack scriptural proof are to be branded as false.” How would you interpret such statements?" -- Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra

It is the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin that lead to emancipation, not the Kempon Hokke, SGI,  other sects, scriptures or persons.

Buddhism or Ikedaism?

"Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to an hour of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Nichiren is referring to the Twenty-four Successors and their disciples in the Former Days, Nan-Yueh, Tientai, Chang-an, Miao-le, Saicho and their disciples in the Middle Days, and he and his disciples in the Latter Day. This passage states "Buddhism", not "Ikedaism".

Josei Toda and Nichiren Daishonin discuss the Lotus Sutra

Josei Toda: I will not ask whether you are sincerely practicing, because propagation is something you should carry out of your own initiative. Instead, I want to ask whether your businesses are doing well, whether you are making money, and whether you are enjoying good health. 

Nichiren Daishonin: I have not enough to eat. I am living off grass, brachen, and melted snow. I wear the hide of deer that have died in the forest and icicles grow from my scraggly beard. My only visitors are the winter hares, racoons, and roe deers. It is very cold in my hermitage. But deep within this mortal flesh I preserve the ultimate secret Law inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, at Eagle Peak. 

Josei Toda: You should chant more Daimoku. Our environment reflects our life condition. Why would you think anyone will practice this teachings without showing any actual proof? You should follow in the footsteps of Taisaku here, he is well on the way to becoming a billionaire by teaching the Dharma to silk robed laymen.

Nichiren Daishonin: I desire and am satisfied with little. My only wish is to attain Buddhahood, overcome my heavy karma for long having slandered the Law in countless past lives, and to help others do the same.

Josei Toda: That's not enough Nichiren. You should aspire to "five Cadillacs" and having enough money to donate a dozen community centers to the Soka Gakkai to which you should be forever grateful.

Nichiren Daishonin: You may think that those who believe in the layman Taisaku double tongue are prospering, but you should see what has become of those who paid for the construction of Shinonamachi, Fukushima, and the Tokyo seventh ward community centers. Again, the lord Abe is the ruler of Japan and partner to the SGI New Komeito but by his conduct he has called down on himself an enemy almost as great as the land of Jambudvipa. The era of widespread temple building is long over.

Josei Toda: You just don't get it. The Gohonzon is a happiness-manufacturing machine. How can you be happy without money and tons of adoring members?

Nichiren Daishonin: Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one.

Josei Toda [ruffled]: What do you have to be arrogant about Nichiren? You don't have a pot to piss in and barely a handful of followers. If you had a correct faith, you would have had 750,000 followers who worship the ground Taisaku and me walk on and in this very life. Chill out Nichiren. Have a couple glasses of sake with me. I really shouldn't because my liver is shot from all that sake but just this once.

Nichiren Daishonin: Slanderers are as numerous as the dust particles of the land while true believers are as few as the specks of dirt that can fit on a fingernail. What were you saying about enjoying good health? Your eyes are yellow and your complexion is sallow . Although I too suffer from poor health, having had persistent abdominal pains and chronic diarrhea for years... the persecutions, continuously running for my life, having had barely enough to eat, the endless debates, and worrying about my disciples, my spirit dwells in this body as the moon is reflected in muddy water, or as gold is wrapped in a filthy bag. Your mind however, is clouded and warped from long having embraced the slanderous teachings of Taisekaji.

Ikedaism superior to Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism?

The Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin are a delectable porterhouse steak while Ikedaism is a dried out, mystery meat, have it my way, burger. Though the finest steak house in the world has one ten thousandth the customers and revenues of Burger King, very few would argue that Burger King serves better food than Peter Luger’s Steak House. Likewise, very few could argue that Ikedaism is superior to Nichiren Daishonin’s Lotus Sutra Buddhism.

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Spring has arrived!

Redneck Ed [Edgar Foreman] and Anthony "Amp" Elmore, or Danny Nagashima as archetypes of American Buddhism?

"...One therefore must always consider the country when propagating the Buddhist teachings. One should not assume that a teaching suited to one country must inevitably be suited to another as well..." -- Nichiren

According to Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism, what kind of country is the United States?

“Now, in widely propagating the Buddhist teachings and bringing salvation to all people, one must first take into consideration the teaching, the capacity of the people, the time, the country, and the sequence of propagation. The reason is as follows. In terms of the time, there are the periods of the Former, the Middle, and the Latter Days of the Law, and in terms of the teachings, there are the Hinayana and the Mahayana doctrines. In terms of the practices to be adopted, there are shoju and shakubuku. It is a mistake to practice shakubuku at a time when shoju is called for, and equally erroneous to practice shoju when shakubuku is appropriate. The first thing to be determined, therefore, is whether the present period is the time for shoju or the time for shakubuku.

“Shoju is to be practiced when throughout the entire country only the Lotus Sutra has spread, and when there is not even a single misguided teacher expounding erroneous doctrines. At such a time, one may retire to the mountain forests, practice meditation, or carry out the five, the six, or the ten practices. But the time for shakubuku is very different from this. It is a time when many different sutras and teachings spring up here and there like so many orchids and chrysanthemums, when the various schools command a large following and enjoy renown, when truth and error stand shoulder to shoulder, and when Mahayana and Hinayana dispute which is superior. At such a time, one must set aside all other affairs and devote one’s attention to rebuking slander of the correct teaching. This is the practice of shakubuku.

“If, failing to understand this principle, one were to practice shoju or shakubuku at an inappropriate time, then not only would one be unable to attain Buddhahood, but one would fall into the evil paths. This is firmly laid down in the Lotus and Nirvana sutras, and is also clearly stated in the commentaries by T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo. It is, in fact, an important principle of Buddhist practice.

“We may compare these two kinds of practice to the two ways of the civil and the military used in governing a nation. There is a time when military measures should take precedence, and a time when civil measures ought to be emphasized. When the world is at peace and calm prevails within the country, then civil measures should take precedence. But when the barbarian tribes to the east, south, west, and north, fired by wild ambitions, rise up like hornets, then military measures should come first.

Though one may understand the importance of both civil and military arts, if one does not understand the time, donning armor and taking up weapons when all countries are calm and peaceful and there is no trouble anywhere throughout the world, then one’s actions will be wrong. On the other hand, one who lays aside one’s weapons on the battlefield when enemies are marching against one’s ruler and instead takes up a writing brush and inkstone is likewise failing to act in accordance with the time.

“The methods of shoju and shakubuku are also like this. When the correct teaching alone is propagated and there are no erroneous doctrines or misguided teachers, then one may enter the deep valleys and live in quiet contentment, devoting one’s time to reciting and copying the sutra and to the practice of meditation. This is like taking up a writing brush and inkstone when the world is at peace. But when there are provisional schools or slanderers of the correct teaching in the country, then it is time to set aside other matters and devote oneself to rebuking slander. This is like taking up weapons on the battlefield.

“Therefore, the Great Teacher Chang-an in his commentary on the Nirvana Sutra states: ‘In past times the age was peaceful, and the Law spread throughout the country. At that time it was proper to observe the precepts and not to carry staves. But now the age is perilous, and the Law is overshadowed. Therefore, it is proper to carry staves and to disregard the precepts. If both past and present were perilous times, then it would be proper to carry staves in both periods. And if both past and present were peaceful times, then it would be proper to observe the precepts in both of them. You should let your choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other.’ The meaning of this passage of commentary is perfectly clear.

“In past times the world was honest, people were upright, and there were no erroneous teachings or erroneous doctrines. Therefore, one could behave in a proper manner and carry out one’s religious practices peacefully and amicably. There was no need to take up staves and berate others, no occasion to attack erroneous teachings.

“But the present age is a defiled one. Because the minds of people are warped and twisted, and provisional teachings and slander alone abound, the correct teaching cannot prevail. In times like these, it is useless to practice the reading, reciting, and copying [of the Lotus Sutra] or to devote oneself to the methods and practices of meditation. One should practice only the shakubuku method of propagation, and if one has the capacity, use one’s influence and authority to destroy slander of the correct teaching, and one’s knowledge of the teachings to refute erroneous doctrines.

“As we have seen, it is said that one should let one’s choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other. Therefore, we must look at the world today and consider whether ours is a country in which only the correct doctrine prevails, or a country in which erroneous doctrines flourish." -- A Sage and an Unenlightened Man

We, unlike SGI, refuse to alter so much as a dot of the teachings

Soon, the only fundamentalist followers of Nichiren in the 21st century will die off with nary a youth to take over the mantle. Ordinarily this would be a sad thing, an unfortunate thing, a bad thing. However, thanks to Nichiren Daishonin who has left behind his relics [writings], one after another youth will read the Kaimoku Sho, Kanjin Honzon Sho, the Hoon Sho, the Senji Sho, and the Rissho Ankoku Ron and will adopt Nichiren's manner of spreading, upholding, and preserving the teachings. 

Do you know what I say to our detractors? "You are destined for the Avici Hell. Furthermore, for criticizing the true votaries who refuse to alter a dot of the teachings, not only are you certain to fall into hell after you die but you are already there. What a pity. What a shame."

"Among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering." -- Nichiren

"Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?

Japan today is filled with followers of Jikaku, Chisho, and Kobo— there is not a single person who is not a slanderer of the Law. "Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?"Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?

If we stop to consider the situation, it is very much like what prevailed in the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Great Adornment or the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha All Bright King. In the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King, even though people repented of their wrongdoings, they still had to suffer for a thousand kalpas in the Avichi hell. What, then, of the situation today? The True Word teachers, the followers of the Zen school, and the priests of the Nembutsu show not the slightest sign of repentance in their hearts. Can there be any doubt that, as the Lotus Sutra says, they “will keep repeating this cycle for a countless number of kalpas” ?

Because Japan is a country where the correct teaching is slandered, heaven has abandoned it. And because heaven has abandoned it, the various benevolent deities who in the past guarded and protected the nation have burned their shrines and returned to the Capital of Tranquil Light.

Now there is only I, Nichiren, who remain behind, announcing and giving warning of these things. But when I do so, the rulers of the nation treat me like an enemy. People by the hundreds curse me and speak ill of me, attack me with staves and sticks, swords and knives. Door after door is closed to me, house after house drives me away. And when the authorities find that even such treatment does not stop me, they intervene in the matter. Twice they sent me into exile, and once, on the twelfth day of he ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), they very nearly cut off my head.

The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, “Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, marauders will appear from other regions, and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder.”

The Great Collection Sutra states: “There may perhaps be various kings of the Kshatriya class who act in a way contrary to the Law, causing anguish to the voice-hearer disciples of the World-Honored One. Perhaps they may curse and revile them or beat and injure them with swords and staves, or deprive them of their robes and begging bowls and the other things they need. Or perhaps they may restrain and persecute those who give alms to the disciples. If there should be those who do such things, then we will see to it that their enemies in foreign lands rise up suddenly of their own accord and march against them, and we will cause uprisings to break out within their states. We will bring about pestilence and famine, unseasonable winds and rains, and contention, wrangling, [and slander]. And we will make certain that those rulers do not last for long, but that their nations are brought to destruction.”

As these passages from the sutras indicate, if I, Nichiren, were not here in Japan, then one might suppose that the Buddha was a teller of great lies for making such predictions, and that he could not escape falling into the Avichi hell.

On the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei, I stood in the presence of Hei no Saemon and several hundred others and declared, “Nichiren is the pillar of Japan! Doing away with Nichiren is toppling the pillar of Japan!”

The passages of scripture I have quoted indicate that, if the rulers, heeding the slanders of evil monks or the vicious talk of others, should inflict punishment on persons of wisdom, then warfare will immediately break out, great winds will blow, and attackers will appear from foreign lands. In the second month of the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272), fighting did in fact break out between two factions of the ruling Hojo family; in the fourth month of the eleventh year of Bun’ei, there were violent winds; and in the tenth month of the same year, the Mongol forces attacked Japan. Has not all of this come about because of the treatment that has been given to me, Nichiren? This is exactly what I have been predicting from times past. Can anyone be in doubt about the matter?

The errors preached by Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho have for many long years been spread about the country, and then, on top of them, have come the confusions propagated by the Zen and Nembutsu schools. It is as though, in addition to adverse winds, one should be visited by huge waves and earthquakes as well. With all this, the nation has been brought to the verge of destruction. In the past the grand minister of state usurped the power of government, and after the Jokyu Disturbance the imperial court ceased to exercise its rule and the seat of authority shifted east to Kamakura. But these were no more than internal disturbances; the nation as yet had not faced invasion from abroad.

Moreover, though at that time there were those who slandered the Law, there were also a few people who continued to uphold the correct doctrine of the Tendai school. And in addition, at that time no wise person had appeared who would attempt to remedy the situation. As a result, things were relatively peaceful.

If the lion is sleeping and you do not wake him, he will not roar. If the current is swift but you do not pull against it with your oar, no waves will rise up. If you do not accuse the thief to his face, he will remain unruffled; if you do not add fuel to the fire, it will not blaze up. In the same way, though there may be those who slander the Law, if no one comes forward to expose their error, then the government will continue for the time being on its regular course, and the nation will remain undisturbed.

For example, when the Buddhist teachings were first introduced to Japan, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. But later, when [Mononobe no] Moriya began burning Buddhist statues, seizing priests, and putting the torch to Buddhist halls and pagodas, then fire rained down from heaven, smallpox broke out in the nation, and there were repeated military clashes.

But the situation now is far worse. Today those who slander the Law fill the entire country, and I, Nichiren, attack them, strong in my determination to uphold what is right and just. We battle no less fiercely than the asuras and the god Shakra, or the Buddha and the devil king.

The Golden Light Sutra states, “There will be times when enemies among the neighboring states will begin to think as follows: ‘We must call out all our four types of troops and destroy that country [where the slanderers of the Law live].’ ”

The same sutra also says: “There will be times when the rulers of neighboring states, observing the situation and mobilizing their four types of troops, will make ready to set out for the country [where the slanderers of the Law live], determined to subdue it. At that time we [the great deities] will instruct all the countless, limitless numbers of yakshas and other deities who are our followers to assume disguises and protect these rulers, causing their nemies to surrender to them without difficulty.”

The Sovereign Kings Sutra states the same thing, as do the Great Collection and Benevolent Kings sutras. According to the statements of these various sutras, if the ruler of a state persecutes those who practice the correct teaching and instead sides with those who practice erroneous teachings, then the heavenly kings Brahma and Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings will enter the bodies of the worthy rulers of neighboring states and will attack his state. For example, King Krita was attacked by King Himatala, and King Mihirakula was overthrown by King Baladitya. Kings Krita and Mihirakula were rulers in India who attempted to eradicate Buddhism. In China, too, all those rulers who tried to destroy Buddhism were attacked by worthy rulers.

But the situation in Japan today is much worse. For here the rulers appear to be supporters of the Buddhist teachings, but they assist the priests who are destroying Buddhism and persecute the practitioner of the correct teaching. As a result, ignorant people all fail to realize what is happening, and even wise persons, if they are no more than moderately wise, have difficulty grasping the situation. Even the lesser deities of heaven, I suspect, do not understand. For this reason, the confusion and depravity in Japan today are even greater than those in India or China in the past.

In the Decline of the Law Sutra the Buddha speaks as follows: “After I have entered nirvana, in the troubled times when the five cardinal sins prevail, the way of the devil will flourish. The devil will appear in the form of Buddhist monks and attempt to confuse and destroy my teachings. . . . Those who do evil will become as numerous as the sands of the ocean, while the good will be extremely few, perhaps no more than one or two persons.”

And the Nirvana Sutra says, “Those who thus are able to take faith in works such as this Nirvana Sutra will be as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. . . . But those who are not able to take faith in this sutra will be as numerous as the specks of dirt in all the worlds of the ten directions.”

These passages from the scriptures are extremely apt, considering the times we live in, and they are deeply etched in my mind. Nowadays in Japan one hears people everywhere declaring, “I believe in the Lotus Sutra,” and “I, too, believe in the Lotus Sutra.” If we took them at their word, we would have to conclude that there is not a soul who slanders the Law. But the passage from the sutra that I have just quoted says that in the Latter Day the slanderers of the Law will occupy all the lands in the ten directions, while those who uphold the correct teaching will take up no more land than can be placed on top of a fingernail. What the sutra says and what the people of the world today say are as different as fire is from water. People these days say that, in Japan, Nichiren is the only one who slanders the Law. But the sutra says that there will be more slanderers of the Law than the great earth itself can hold.

The Decline of the Law Sutra says that there will be only one or two good persons, and the Nirvana Sutra says that the believers can fit into the space of a fingernail. If we accept what the sutras say, then in Japan Nichiren is the only good person, the one who fits into the space of a fingernail. Therefore, I hope that people who are seriously concerned about the matter will consider carefully whether they want to accept what the sutras say, or what the world says.

Someone might object that the passage in the Nirvana Sutra speaks about the votaries of the Nirvana Sutra being as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail, while I am talking about the Lotus Sutra. I would reply to this as follows.

The Nirvana Sutra itself says, “[When this sutra was preached . . . the prediction had already been made] in the Lotus Sutra [that the eight thousand voice-hearers would attain Buddhahood].” The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, “The Nirvana Sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and saying that it is the ultimate.” The Nirvana Sutra is calling the Lotus Sutra the ultimate. Therefore, when followers of the Nirvana school state that the Nirvana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra, it is the same as calling a retainer a lord or a servant a master.

To read the Nirvana Sutra means to read the Lotus Sutra. For the Nirvana Sutra is like a worthy who rejoices to see another holding his sovereign in esteem even when he himself is treated with contempt. Thus the Nirvana Sutra would despise and regard as its enemy anyone who tried to demote the Lotus Sutra and praise the Nirvana Sutra instead.

With this example in mind, one must understand the following point. If there are likewise those who read the Flower Garland Sutra, the Meditation Sutra, the Mahavairochana Sutra, or some other sutra, and they do so thinking that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to those sutras, then they are doing violence to the very heart of those sutras. One must also understand the following point. Even though one reads the Lotus Sutra and appears to believe in it, if one thinks that one may also attain the way through any other sutra as well, then one is not really reading the Lotus Sutra.

For example, the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang wrote a work in ten volumes entitled The Treatise on the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra in which he praised the Lotus Sutra. But Miao-lo criticized the work, saying, “There are slanders in it— how can it be regarded as sincere praise?”

Chia-hsiang was in fact an offender against the Lotus Sutra. Thus, when he was defeated by T’ien-t’ai and served him, he no longer lectured on the Lotus Sutra. “If I were to lecture on it,” he said, “I could not avoid falling back into the paths of evil.” And for seven years, he made his own body a bridge [for T’ien-t’ai to walk on].

Similarly, the Great Teacher Tz’u-en wrote a work in ten volumes entitled Praising the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra in which he praised the Lotus Sutra, but the Great Teacher Dengyo criticized it, saying, “Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart.”

If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering. Even men like Chia-hsiang and Tz’uen were actually slanderers of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. And if such can be said of them, it applies even more to men like Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, who displayed open contempt for the Lotus Sutra.

There are those like the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang, who ceased giving lectures, dispersed the group of disciples that had gathered around him, and even made his body into a bridge for T’ien-t’ai. But in spite of these actions, the offense of his earlier slanders of the Lotus Sutra was not, I expect, so easily wiped out. The crowd of people who despised and abused Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, although they later came to believe in his teachings and became his followers, still carried the burden of their former actions and had to spend a thousand kalpas in the Avichi hell as a result." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Many SGI members too are destined for hell

"If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering. Even men like Chia-hsiang and Tz’uen were actually slanderers of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. And if such can be said of them, it applies even more to men like Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, who displayed open contempt for the Lotus Sutra." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

SGI replaces "truth" with "gain" but not Nichiren

"...Though one may perform meritorious deeds, if they are directed toward what is untrue, then those deeds may bring great evil, but they will never result in good. On the other hand, though one may be ignorant and make meager offerings, if one presents those offerings to a person who upholds the truth, one’s merit will be great. How much more so in the case of people who in all sincerity make offerings to the correct teaching!"

The Lotus Sutra is to the Q'uran as gold is to stones

"Thus all the Buddhist sutras are to the non-Buddhist scriptures as gold is to stones. And all the various Mahayana sutras, such as the Flower Garland, Mahavairochana, Meditation, Amida, and Wisdom sutras, are to the Lotus Sutra as fireflies are to the sun or moon, or anthills to Mount Hua." 

Ashvaghosha the Buddhist genius

In The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, Ashvaghosha writes about the skandas [aggregates]: 

"As the World-honored one, considering the inferior intellectual caliber of Shravakas (Men of Learning) and Pratyekabuddhas (Men of Self Realization), taught them only the doctrine of the non-personal atman, [and did not make any further demonstration of the doctrine], the people have in the meantime formed a fixed idea of the transitoriness of the five skandhas, and being terrified of the thought of birth and death, have fanatically craved for Nirvana. 

In order that this clinging may be eliminated, be it clearly understood that the essence of the five skandhas is uncreate, there is no annihilation of them; that since there is no annihilation of them, they are in their [metaphysical]origin Nirvana itself."

Nichiren reproves Bill Aiken, SGI Director of Public Affairs

“I thought this conference marked an expansion and deepening of the dialogue between the Obama Administration and the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain communities, as well as a growing recognition of the contributions these faiths are making in American society." -- Bill Aiken SGI representative.

"Whenever I come upon a person who honors the True Word teachings, I tell him that True Word is an evil doctrine that will destroy the nation." -- Nichiren Daishonin

TEPCO, the Soka Gakkai, and the Pepper Lunch scandal

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60+ articles on the Soka Gakkai cult

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