Shakya Buddha of the Chapter of the Measure of Life IS the Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra

Hokyo hoju ji  [WEALTH IS SLIGHT; THE DHARMA IS IMPORTANT]

I have received the hundred bamboo shoots and the one sack of sweet potatoes which you sent. In the seventh [fascicle] of the Sutra of Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma (Myoho renge kyo) it says, "If again there should be a person who, filling a great trichiliocosm with the seven jewels, makes offering to the Buddha as well as Pratyekabuddhas and Arhats, the merit which that person obtains is not as much as that very greatest merit (good fortune) of receiving and even one four-line verse of this Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokekyo)".

In [fascicle] ten of the Line Commentary Mongu) it says, "When it says that to offer the seven jewels to the Four Saints is not as good as keeping one verse it is that the Dharma is the teacher of the Four Saints. As that which produces, that which nurtures, that which achieves (accomplishes), that which prospers [Enlightenment] there is nothing that surpasses the Dharma. Therefore, the person is slight; the Dharma is important."

In [fascicle] ten of the Notes (Ki) it says, "It is as when a father and mother must guard their child with the four protections: now in the case of giving rise to the mind [of Enlightenment], its deriving from the Dharma he regards as producing (giving birth), pursuing it from beginning to end he regards as nurturing, fulfilling the Ultimate Effect [Buddhahood] he regards as achieving, responding to the Dharma Realms [as a Buddha] he regards as prospering. Although the four are not the same, they take the Dharma as their basis (root)."

The sense of the Sutra, as well as of Tendai and Myoraku. is that receiving and keeping or guarding and keeping one verse of the Dharma Flower Sutra is superior to making offering to all beings, making offering to Arhats, or making offering to all Buddhas by filling up a great trichiliocosm with the wealth of the seven jewels. In the Sutra it says, "It is not as much as that very greatest merit (good fortune) of receiving even one four-line verse of this Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokekyo)". Tendai says, "The person is slight; the Dharma is important." Myoraku says, "Although the four are not the same, they take the Dharma as their basis (root)." When we calculate this, relating all the beings of the nine realms to the Buddha, the good fortune (merit) of all beings is as light as a hair and the Buddha's good fortune (merit) is like a great mountain; the good fortune (merit) of all the Buddhas is as light as the three ounce robes of the Deva Brahma and the weight of good fortune (merit) of one character of the Dharma Flower Sutra is as heavy as the great earth. When they say, "The person is slight" they call the Buddha "the person'; when they say, "The Dharma is important", it is the Dharma Flower Sutra.

Now the Sutras before the Dharma Flower Sutra as well as the treatises praising the merits of the Buddha are the Buddha; this Dharma Flower Sutra praised the merits of the Sutra: it is like the father and mother of the Buddha. The inferiority of the Flower Garland Sutra (Kegongyo), the Vairocana Sutra (Dainichikyo), and so on is like one hair to a great mountain or like three ounces to the great earth.

And even when one compares the very lowest practitioner of the Hokekyo with the very highest monk of the Kegon or Shingon, they are superior and inferior like the Emperor Shakra and a monkey or a lion and a dog. Moreover, when a commoner curses a king, it is worth his life, when the practices of the [other] Sutras say they are superior to the Practicioner of the Dharma Flower Sutra, the country must necessarily be destroyed and they enter hell.

When there are no enemies, one pretends not to know; for example, even Masakado and Sadato, when there were no Sadamori or Yoriyoshi, administered their provinces and their wives and children were peaceful and secure and so on. When there are no enemies, dew rises up to the sky and rain falls to earth; at the time of an adverse wind the rain rises up to the sky and when the sun emerges the dew falls to earth. So the Six Sects of the Kegon and so on, when there was no Dengyo Daishi, were like dew and the Shingon was also like this. You should think that if strong enemies appear and I attack them with the Dharma Flower Sutra, even the Abbot of Hieizan, of Toji, of the Omuro, so on will be like dew meeting the sun.

In the case of the Dharma Flower Sutra for more than two thousand two hundred years there has not yet been a person who has preached completely and spread it in accordance with the Sutra. It is not that Tendai and Dengyo did not know, but since the time had not arrived and the capacities were not there, they ended without writing [about it] completely. The people who become disciples of Nichiren will easily know [about it]. Within the whole of Jambudvipa there is not yet a hall or stupa (pagoda) where they have written or made the form or image of the Shakya Buddha of the Chapter of the Measure of Life (Juryo hen) of the Original Doctrine (Hommon) of the Dharma Flower Sutra. How could it not be revealed? Because it is extensive, I will stop.

The bamboo Shoots [you sent] are one hundred and twenty and in [after] more than two thousand years the Dharma Flower Sutra is revealed. It is because. although the donation was slight, the intention was important. At the present time be it with agricultural matters or with constructing the shrine the common people have no free time at all. Because your intention is profound, will the Dharma [now] be revealed?

Respectfully.

The eleventh day of the Fifth Month

Nichiren

(Signature)

Answer to Lord Nishiyama

In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin talks extensively about the superiority of the Dharma over the Buddha. Yet, he states in his concluding sentences:

"...Within the whole of Jambudvipa there is not yet a hall or stupa (pagoda) where they have written or made the form or image of the Shakya Buddha of the Chapter of the Measure of Life (Juryo hen) of the Original Doctrine (Hommon) of the Dharma Flower Sutra. How could it not be revealed?..."

Question: Is Nichiren Daishonin inconsistent? It seems as if he is contradicting himself.

Answer: Shakya Buddha of the Chapter of the Measure of Life IS the Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra. It is the second Great Secret Law in terms of the person, Shakyamuni Buddha.

How to make an SGI Senior Leader sweat

Member: I've been reading the Gosho.

Sr. Leader: Oh, very good.

Member: It says in many Gosho that we should revere the Gohonzon as the Ceremony in the Air, the transmission of the Daimoku from Buddha Shakyamuni of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Could you expound upon this and why do we worship the Gohonzon as the life of Nichiren Daishonin?

Sr. Leader: Thats a very good question. Although it is true that that is taught in the Gosho, President Ikeda explains that what is vitally important is that we do our human revolution so that we can realize our happiness and the happiness of others. We do this by chanting Nam Myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon. This is what the Daishonin meant.

Member: I'm not sure that you answered my question. Why do we consider the Daishonin to be the True Buddha when he refers over and over to Shakyamuni Buddha as the Original Eternal Buddha. If we need to have the same mind as Nichiren to become happy, it seems to me, having the mind of Nichiren as True Buddha is having a different mind than he. I'm confused.

Sr. Leader: Please don't worry about it. What's important is to continue to practice with your fellow SGI members alongside Sensei. By following Sensei's guidance, you will overcome your difficulties and become happy. Buddhahood is a state of life full of energy, compassion, and good fortune. It's impossible to imagine right now what our life will be in twenty or thirty years. If you observe a tree for six months or a year, you will not notice how much it has grown but after twenty years you will see that it has grown into a magnificent tree that can withstand even a hurricane. Your question about Shakyamuni is interesting but as Sensei teaches, the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha have lost their power in Mappo. Since we are practicing with the same faith as the Daishonin, you can be sure that you are practicing correctly and will realize many benefit.

Member: Then why did the Daishonin teach that the cause of misfortune was abandoning the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha?

Sr. Leader, sweating profusely though smiling broadly: We are running out of time and I'm sure we have others who have questions. Why don't you ask Joe Bob your Chapter Chief who just came back from a training session in Japan. I'm sure he can answer all your questions.

Another member: I've been chanting for 6 years. How do I balance my hectic daily life with my activities as a junior group chief.

Sr. Leader, [with a sigh of relief] ........ 

Nichiren on Gohonzon [Supreme Object of Worship]

"A Stupa of treasures is hanging in the sky above the Saha-World of the Eternal Buddha. The letters of myo ho reng kyo are seen in the center of the Stupa. On either side of the letters are seen Buddha Sakyamuni and the Many-Treasures Buddha. Buddha Sakyamuni is accompanied by the four Bodhisattvas and Manjusri and Maitreya are sitting in the lower seats. All the other Bodhisattvas, including those taught by the historical Buddha Sakyamuni and those who have come from the other worlds of the ten quarters are also on the ground. This shows that these Buddhas are the manifestations of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and that the worlds of theirs are the manifestations of the Saha-World of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni. We should worship all these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in this arrangement. This is the Honzon, or the true object of worship. This Honzon was not revealed during the lifetime of the Buddha except when he expounded the eight consecutive chapters (XV to XXII) of the Lotus Sutra."-- Kanjin Honzon  Sho, NOPPA Translation

Nichiren says in "Reply to Lady Nichinyo":

I for the first time reveal, as a banner of the spread of the Hokkekyo the Great Mandala which even Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, and so on, and Tendai, Myoraku, and so on did not reveal. This is not at all something which I, Nichiren made myself. It is the Object of Worship which is from the print block of the Great Muni, the World Honored One within the Stupa of Taho and the Separate-Body Buddhas.

From the Kaimoku Sho: 

"All the sects except the Tendai Sect worship wrong objects. The Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu Sects worship Buddha Shakyamuni regarded as the person who eliminated illusions and attained enlightenment for the first time under the Bodhi Tree. They are as wrong as a crown prince who thinks that he is the son of a subject. The Kegon, Shingon, Sanron and Hosso Sects are Mahayana. The Hosso and Sanron Sects worship Buddha Shakyamuni as defined in the provisional Mahayana. They are as wrong as a crown prince who thinks that he is the son of a military officer. The Kegon and Shingon Sects despise Buddha Shakyamuni and worship Buddha Vairocana. They are as wrong as a prince who deserts his father and follows another king of unknown ancestry. The Jodo Buddhists hold that Buddha Amitabha is their Buddha, and do not worship Buddha Shakyamuni. They do not know that Buddha Amitabha is one of the manifestations of Buddha Shakyamuni. The Zen Buddhists are like a man of low birth who criticizes his parents when he gets some position in society. They despise the Buddhas and sutras. All these sects worship wrong objects. In ancient times people did not know their fathers. They were like birds and beasts. They do not know the favors of Buddha Shakyamuni." The sects who do not know the Chapter of the Duration of the Life of the Tathagata in the Lotus Sutra are like beasts. They do not know the favors of Buddha Shakyamuni."  

In the Kanjin-honzon-sho it says:

"During the fifty years of his teaching from the time of his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree till hisParinirvana under the Salatree, the Buddha expounded many sutras. In these sutras he described a wide variety of pure lands, such as the Pure Land of Flower-Store, the Pure Land of Esoteric Adornment, the Pure Land of Three Transformations, the Pure Land of Peaceful Life, and the Pure Land of Emerald. These pure lands are either the abodes of the followers of the Lesser Vehicle, or of the partially-enlightened Bodhisattvas, or of the perfectly enlightened Bodisattvas. 

These pure lands are, however, impermanent. They are established on in the kalpa of composition. The expounder of these sutras is the historical Buddha, and the Buddhas of these pure lands are the manifestations of the historical Buddha. Therefore, when the historical Buddha enters into Parinirvana, the Buddhas of these pure lands pass away, and their pure lands also disappear. But the Saha-World of the Original Buddha is the eternal pure land, free from the three calamities and the four kalpas. In this eternal world the Buddha never disappeared in the past, nor is to appear in the future. All living beings under him are one with him because they have the wisdom of the Buddha in their minds." 

He also states in this same work...

"During the fifty years of his teaching from the time of his enligtenment under the bo-tree till his attainment of Nirvana under the Sala-tree, the Buddha expounded a great number of sutras. ... Buddha Shakyamuni as the expounder of these sutras is not eternal, because the eternity of the Buddha is for the first time revealed in the latter half of the [Lotus Sutra]....In this (saha) world, the Buddha is eternal, has never been extinct, nor is to be reborn... The Buddha made no mention of this truth in the first half of the [Lotus Sutra], because he had not yet found hearers intelligent enough to understand it. 

"This truth is embodied in the five Words, or rather in the Seven Words, Na-mu-myo-ren-ge-kyo, or 'The Most Honorable Lotus of the Perfect Truth,' which also means 'Adoration be to the Lotus of the Perfect Truth' when taken as the formula of invocation. The Five Words being the expression of the most profound teaching of the buddha, the Buddha didn't entrust them even to the hitherto most repected Bodisattvas ... instead, he transmitted them to the Bodhisattvas equal to the dust-atoms of one thousand worlds in number who appeared from the gaps of the earth for the first time in the fifteenth chapter of the [Lotus Sutra].  

"The true object of worship should be the Buddha at the moment of this transmission. ... 

"In history, however, no one has ever worshipped the Buddha as revealed in this scene. ... an image of the true object of worship is destined to appear for the first time at the beginning of the Period of Deprivation." 

Warm and fuzzy news

http://news.yahoo.com/foundation-us-nuclear-system-showing-cracks-131405128.html

Daisaku Ikeda's nuclear disarmament proposals have had about as much influence as used toilet paper or God. Gorbachev likens the new cold war to a "bloody festering wound" and Russia's pal China has enough MIRV [Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles] delivery systems to destroy half our land based silos and, at least, our hundred largest cities. Russia has at least 5000 warheads, 3000 of which are as powerful as 10 or more megatons [equal to at least four hundred billion tons of TNT or 3 tons of TNT for every man woman and child on earth]. The US arsenal is nearly as large, if not larger [because who really knows?]. To make matters worse, we have a war monger Congress and Senate and we are looking at the kings of war mongers, including Hillary running for president. NATO is putting up "electric nuclear powered fences" and plans on going ahead with their plan to place missles all around the grizzly's home in Poland and the Baltics and the grizzly is mean and irritable. Fuggettabout an asteroid, Japan, or Yellowstone exploding. Worry about nuclear bombs accidently or purposefully exploding.  Anger, avarice, and stupidity have penetrated so deeply that only Namu Myo renge kyo can lead us away from our own destruction.

Ikedabuku

SGI's principle practice.

SGI's merely self-empowered religious practice blinds the Buddha-eye of all living beings

"Persons who do not fully understand this sutra, the Lotus, look at passages in the sutra that say that, if one reads the sutra, one will be reborn in the human or heavenly realms; they look at passages that speak of going to the Tushita heaven or the heaven of the thirty-three gods; or they look at passages that speak of rebirth in [Amida’s] land of Peace and Sustenance; and they suppose that though one may practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in this impure land of ours, and though its principles may be very admirable, one cannot hope thereby to reach the stage where there is no more regression in one’s progress to enlightenment. So they assert that one must continue to be reborn again and again for long ages in this impure land, hoping for the dawn of [Maitreya’s] appearance some 5,670 million years in the future; or they claim that, when one is reborn in the realm of animals or that of human beings, the process of rebirth blots out all memory of previous existences and hence one can never put an end to one’s sufferings. Still others object that the Lotus Sutra represents a type of self-empowered religious practice and hence is very difficult to carry out.

Errors of this kind in all likelihood come from a failure to distinguish between the two roads to salvation, that put forward in the sutras prior to the Lotus and that of the Lotus. Persons who propound such views not only lead themselves astray into the darkness of delusion, but they blind the Buddha eye of all living beings."

Nichiren goes on to say...

"But according to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Tushita heaven is to be counted among the lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions, the Western Paradise too is none other than one of the lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions, and the realms of human and heavenly beings are none other than such lands. When the Lotus Sutraaddresses evil persons, it speaks of the evil that is a part of the Ten Worlds, and assures them that, since evil persons too are endowed with the five types of vision, even the most evil of all persons are capable of being saved. When it addresses women, it assures them that women are endowed with the Ten Worlds and that women in any of the Ten Worldscan attain Buddhahood. So long as one, through the Lotus Sutra, sets one’s mind on the attainment of perfect and true enlightenment, one can never be dragged back into the nine realms of unenlightened existence by the power of karma."

SGI members are one eyed turtles [regarding distinctions and non-distinctions]

"When teachers of the Flower Garland school come to interpret the passage in the Flower Garland Sutra that reads, “The mind, the Buddha, and all living beings—these three are without distinction,” they take it to refer to three things, the one mind [of the individual], the enlightenment [of the Buddha], and the lack of enlightenment [of living beings]. In interpreting this passage, they are borrowing the terminology found originally in The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana.

The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his interpretation of the two words “wonderful” and “Law” in the title, the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, borrows this same passage from the Flower Garland Sutra and takes it to be referring to the wonderful nature of the three elements [living beings, Buddha, and mind]. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai Chih-che adopts the same interpretation." -- Nichiren

The mistaken interpretations of the SGI and the Zen School can be traced back to the way in which they interpret such passages of the earlier Sutras. They are no different than the teachers of the Flower Garland School who misinterpret the above passage of the Flower Garland Sutra to mean that there are no distinctions between the unenlightened mind, the enlightened mind, the Buddha, and all living beings. The lack of distinction refers to their wonderful nature or Myoho, not to their phenomenal aspects. Distinctions and non-distinctions are two aspects of the fundamental Law of Myoho. To fail to make distinctions, to fail to point out errors of thoughts and desires, mistaken teachings, and evil men, is to abandon the teaching appropriate for this defiled age.

I Nichiren am the Messenger of the Sovereign [Shakyamuni Buddha].

"Although it may sound like self-aggrandizement, the following declaration is based on the Sutra: I, Nichiren, have three aspects, which are of significance to all the people of Japan, from the Emperor to the most humble citizen. The first aspect is that of Parent, the second is that of Teacher, the third is that of Messenger of the Sovereign The Sutra states: [he is] 践 the messenger of the Buddha',  [he is] 奏 the eyes', and also [he is] 奏the sun and the moon'.  Chang'an comments, 践 he makes it possible for an offender to be rid of evil, thus behaving as a parent to the offender.'....

I committed myself to the point of being beheaded, determined to let Shakyamuni, Taho and all the Buddhas of the Ten Directions consider what they should do about it. This behavior went beyond the contributions to Buddhism of both T'ien t'ai and Dengyo, surpassed Fukyo Bodhisattva's practice of propagation, and equaled the offering of Aryasimha, a level of offering that had been unmatched since his time; thereby my name was added to the Successors of the Law, changing the number from twenty-five to twenty-six." -- Reply to Shimoyama

The Will and Testament of the Great Priest Nichiju

"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 heart of the Lotus Sutra: The doctrine of Namu Myoho renge kyo

"Question: Of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, which is the heart, which is the most essential?

Answer: Some would say that each chapter is essential to the matter that it deals with. Some would contend that the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters are the heart, others that the “Expedient Means” alone is the heart, or that the “Life Span” alone is the heart. Some would say that the heart is the passage telling how 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, others that the passage on the “true aspect of all phenomena” is the heart.

Question: What is your opinion?

Answer: I believe that the words Namu-myoho-renge-kyo constitute the heart.

Question: What is your proof?

Answer: The fact that Ānanda, Manjushrī, and the others wrote, “This is what I heard.”

Question: What do you mean by that?

Answer: Over a period of eight years, Ānanda, Manjushrī and the others listened to the immeasurable meanings of the Lotus Sutra, never missing a single phrase, a single verse, a single word. Yet, after the Buddha had passed away, at the time of the compilation of his teachings, when the 999 arhats took up their writing brushes and dipped them in ink, they first of all wrote “Myoho-renge-kyo,” and after that they intoned the words, “This is what I heard.” Therefore, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo must be the heart of the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters that compose the work, must they not?

Therefore, the Dharma Teacher Fa-yün of Kuang-che-ssu temple, who is said to have lectured on the Lotus Sutra ever since the distant age of Sun Moon Bright Buddha, states, “The words ‘This is what I heard’ indicate that one is going to transmit the doctrines one has heard preached. The title, which precedes these words, sums up the sutra as a whole.”

The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, who was present on Eagle Peak when the Lotus Sutra was preached and heard it in person, writes, “The word ‘this’ [of ‘This is what I heard’] indicates the essence of a doctrine heard from the Buddha.” And the Great Teacher Chang-an writes, “The transcriber [Chang-an] comments on T’ien-t’ai’s explanation of the title of the Lotus Sutra, saying, ‘Hence [his explanation of the title in] the preface conveys the profound meaning of the sutra. The profound meaning indicates the heart of the text.’” 

In this passage, “the heart of the text” signifies that the daimoku, or title, of the text is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. As the Great TeacherMiao-lo states, “It is the heart of the Lotus Sutra that encompasses all the doctrines preached by the Buddha in the course of his lifetime.”

India comprises seventy states, but they are known collectively by the name India. Japan comprises sixty provinces, but they are known collectively by the name Japan. Within the name India are contained all the seventy states, as well as all their people, animals, treasures, and so forth. Within the name Japan are contained all the sixty-six provinces. The feathers sent as tribute from Dewa, the gold of the province of Mutsu, and all the other treasures of the nation, as well as the people and animals, and temples and shrines, are contained within the two characters that form the name Japan.

One who possesses the heavenly eye can look at the two characters of the name Japan and see all the sixty-six provinces along with their people and animals. One who possesses the Dharma eye can see all the people and animals now dying in one place, now being born in another place.

It is like hearing someone’s voice and knowing what the person must look like, or seeing someone’s footprints and judging whether the person is large or small. Or it is like estimating the size of a pond by looking at the lotuses that grow in it, or imagining the size of the dragons by observing the rain that they cause to fall. Each of these examples illustrates the principle that all things are expressed in one."

[Bodhisattvas of the] EARTH to SGI

"A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha on your altar is a great slander" -- SGI leader

"Crucifixes, mezuzahs, Ganesha [in India], dream catchers, saintly shrines,  and photographs of Daisaku Ikeda are OK" -- same SGI leader 

"Depend upon what the Buddha taught, not upon the oral tradition."

"The Buddha says determining the future, "Depend upon the teaching, not upon the people. Bodhisattva Nagarjuna says, "If one depends upon the scripture it is a correct argument; if one does not depend upon the scripture it is an incorrect argument." T'ien-t'ai says, "Again, if it conforms to the scripture, quote and use it. If there is no corresponding sentence or corresponding meaning, then one should not believe and accept. " Dengyo says, "Depend upon what the Buddha taught, not upon the oral tradition." If one follows these scriptures, treatises and commentaries, then one should not base oneself on dreams. Once should only treasure the passages in the scriptures and treatises..."

Why don't you too set up a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha as did Nichiren?

On Sado Island Nichiren Daishonin enshrined the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha That Came From the Sea.

"When I was in the Province of Sado between mountains and wilds far away from a village was a samadhi place called Tsukahara. There was a hall with a single room and four walls in that place. On the roof the boards did not meet and all 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 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 nary a person appeared to give me food." -- Reply to the Bhikshuni Myoho", STN, v. 2, 15

The Fourteen Slanders derive from the Lotus Sutra [not Nichiren].

"To those who are haughty (1) and lazy (2)
And to those with self-centered views (3),
Do not preach this Sutra.
Common shallow people (4),
Deeply attached to the five desires (5),
Who on hearing cannot apprehend (6),
Do not preach it to them.
If any people do not believe in (7)
And vilify this Sutra (10)
Then they cut [themselves] off [from] all
The Buddha-seeds in the worlds;
Or if again they sullenly frown (8),
And cherish doubts and perplexities (9),
Listen to my declaration
Concerning the recompense of such people's sins:
Whether during the Buddha's lifetime
Or after his extinction,
If there be any who slander
Such a Sutra as this,
Who, seeing those who read and recite,
Write or hold this Sutra,
Scorn and despise (11), hate (12) and envy (13) them
And bear them a tenacious grudge (14).
Concerning the recompense of such people's sin,
Listen now again:
After their lifetimes end
They will enter into the Avici hell...." (Lotus Sutra Chapter 3, The Parable of the Burning House)

Former SGI leader's Florida Nature and Culture Center [FNCC] experience

"I went to FNCC many times for culture department meetings. A couple years ago it was reinvented as a monument to Ikeda, including two exhibits full of memorabilia. We were honored to be able to tour his private quarters (snide remark). All conference discussion and presentations revolved around master/disciple relationship. One exhibit was the list of honorary degrees from all the obscure universities. I remember wondering what happened to the "rest" of Buddhism? The gosho, Nichiren, the Gohonzon? No one ever speaks of those anymore. I attended a gosho lecture prep where a senior-most leader said that it was "arrogance" to add our own thoughts to lecture material. That we were to neither "add to nor subtract from" ikedas lectures. As if no one else's thoughts or ideas matter at all. Then I tried again to read Ikeda's writings. I am highly intelligent, educated, well read. I could not derive any meaning from Human Revolution, except that Ikeda is "extraordinary", misunderstood by ordinary beings who don't believe in his extra-ordinariness. I had always thought that Buddhism was a truth based religion and couldn't surmise how that squares with a leader who is so untruthful as to purchase honorary degrees and hire hack writers. If I had it to do over, I would never had contributed to this man's ego-driven insatiable lust for power and authenticity. What a cheat and a fraud." -- Former SGI leader

"SGI members are all Buddhas" -- SGI Teaching

"Suppose someone declares that he has already attained the most perfect enlightenment. When asked for the reason, [he replies] 'It is because [the tathagata teaches that all sentient beings] have Buddha-nature.  Since who ever is in possession of the Buddha-nature should have already attained the most perfect enlightenment, [I declare] that I have attained enlightenment now.' It should be understood that such a person is guilty of the pârâjikas [worst offense possible, punishable by expulsion from the Buddhist order]." -- Nirvana Sutra

According to the Nirvana Sutra which Nichiren calls our "true good friend", SGI members in calling themselves Buddhas are guilty of the worst offense possible.

Daisaku Ikeda nails it perfectly. His disciples are "unthinking masses".

"When democracy is put into practice by the unthinking masses, liberty will be misinterpreted as license; rights will be claimed while duties remain unfulfilled; and the loss of order will allow evil to become rampant" Complete Works of Daisku Ikeda p. 176    

Daisaku Ikeda's disciples are mad crazy

"I have been commended 55 awards of honorable professor and doctorates from all over the world. This is my glory as a representative of all of you. The world is praising you. I would like you to be proud of this truth. (Applause) I am certain that the fortune will flow to you, your children, and grand children." (Applause) -- Daisaku Ikeda 26th Japanese headquarter's meeting

Why SGI rival sects will prosper far into the future

"I think its only you whose sad. I'm elated." -- Don Gropp vapidly stupid long time SGI member on SGI's prayers for the demise of the Nikken sect

I'm sure the Nichiren Shoshu, Nichiren Shu, and the Honmon Butsuryu Shu are also elated. If SGI Daimoku is as effective at destroying the rival sects as it was in saving the Sho Hondo [Grand Main Temple], the rival sects will prosper far into the future.

SGI's teachings are easy to believe and easy to understand

While our teachings are difficult to believe and difficult to understand [because ours are based on the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren].