SGI celebrates the birth of a building. We celebrate the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha

SGI claims a rainbow appeared and a cherry tree blossomed during the opening ceremony for their Hall of the Great Vow of Kosen Rufu. Nichiren teaches that on the eighth day of April, the birthday of the Buddha, the following occurred:

"The eighth is the day on which Shakyamuni Buddha, the father of all people, was born. On that day thirty-two mystic phenomena occurred. First, flowers blossomed and fruit ripened on all the plants and trees. Second, every kind of treasure welled forth from the earth. Third, without a single drop of rain falling, water welled up in all the fields and paddies. Fourth, night became as bright as day. Fifth, not a single sorrowful voice was heard throughout the entire major world system. All of the other signs that appeared were as auspicious as these. From that time on, for a period of over 2,230 years, the eighth day has been selected for the holding of auspicious events."

Moreover, why does SGI celebrate the birth of a building or the day Ikeda made a trip to Disneyland but never once have they celebrated the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha? Certainly, they are inferior even to the practitioners of the Lesser Vehicle.

Nichiren goes on to say:

"Moreover, now when everyone else in Japan has abandoned Shakyamuni Buddha, what roots of goodness from the past, I wonder, account for your believing in the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha, and for all of you not only gathering on the eighth day and making offerings, but sending flowers and incense to Nichiren deep in the mountains? How truly praiseworthy!

Can we be counted among those who have abandoned Shakyamuni Buddha? Can the Soka Gakkai? Think about this. You don't need to think hard about this.

Let's learn Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism correctly

SGI: "The prime point of Chapter 7 of the Lotus Sutra is the eternal bond of mentor and disciple."

Nichiren: "The prime point of Chapter 7 of the Lotus Sutra is major world system dust particle kalpas [sanzen-jintengo]."

"This you should fear above all."

"Many critricize the SGI for the notion that the SGI possesses vast amounts of wealth. Yet, how would it be possible for a true genuine and successful movement for world peace based on the wisdom of the inner most Dharma wisdom, at this time in human history, given the vast and sprawling nature of our global socio-economic system, to pursue such a lofty goal amidst the power and organization of so many nation-state systems to compete in the realm of ideas and value systems. " -- Etoro

Could you please site some clear passages from the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin to support your assertion? People hear and chant Namu Myoho renge kyo for free. The Gohonzon can be bestowed for pennies. Meeting with friends and family members also doesn't cost a dime. The Lotus Sutra costs twelve dollars and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin too are inexpensive or can be studied for free. 

"Neither Buddhas nor gods would ever accept contributions from those who slander the correct teaching. Then how can we human beings accept them? The deity of Kasuga Shrine proclaimed through an oracle that he would accept nothing from those with impure hearts, though he should have to eat the flames of burning copper; that he would refuse to set foot in their homes, though he should have to sit on red-hot copper. He would rather come down to a miserable hut with weeds choking the passageway, or to a poor thatched house. He declared that he would never visit persons lacking in faith, even if they hung sacred festoons for a thousand days to welcome him, but that he would go to a house where the people have a mind of faith, even though they might be in mourning for a parent. Lamenting that slanderers have overrun this country, the benevolent gods have abandoned it and ascended to heaven. “Those with impure hearts” means those who refuse to embrace the Lotus Sutra, as is stated in the fifth volume of the sutra. If the gods themselves regard alms from slanderers as more abominable than the flames of burning copper, how could we human beings possibly accept them? If someone were to kill our parents and then try to offer us some gift, could we possibly accept it? Not even wise persons or sages can avoid the hell of incessant suffering if they accept offerings from slanderers. Nor should you associate with slanderers, for if you do, you will share the same guilt as they. This you should fear above all."

This is the place we live to enjoy happiness, not in the three hundred million dollarIkeda Hall for the Great Vow of Kosen rufu which houses a slanderous pseudo-Buddhist bureaucracy.

SGI should ask the Buddha and Buddhist gods for forgiveness

SGI should ask the Buddha and Buddhist gods for forgiveness for altering the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren. Then they should bestow upon their members a real Gohonzon, a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon.

"The eyeless and earless may be excused"

"The eyeless and earless may be excused, but let all those persons who have eyes and ears examine and heed these sutra passages. What persons now can say, “I read these sutra passages, I believe in them!” and yet direct all their hatred at Nichiren alone? If they truly believe these sutra passages, then let them call forth the [three types of] powerful enemies described in them and show proof that they do indeed read these passages and believe them. Unless they do so, then to be angry at Nichiren, who reads and recites these passages as they are intended to be read, is to be angry at the passages themselves, is it not? And to do so is to look with contempt on the envoy of the Buddha!"

No safety in the threefold world department

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/12/29/frighteningly-enormous-solar-flare-upd?ref=yfp

SGI's faulty bizarre absurd logic

SGI member: Why did Nichiren always write Namu Myoho renge kyo?

SGI leader: Because he wanted his disciples and believers to chant Nam Myoho renge kyo.

Honmon Butsuryu Shu [HBS] makes the same claim, "in a Buddhaless world"

"The fact is that the Buddha of the Lotus Sutra has a life span that is immeasurable; he abides constantly in the world without ever entering extinction. But the Zen school, as we have seen, regards the Buddha as already having entered extinction, and therefore it may be said to embrace the view of the non-Buddhists that things cease to exist. This is an erroneous view that contradicts the golden words of the Buddha, “These phenomena are part of an abiding Law, [and] the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding.”

The Human Revolution is not even a sutra

"Moreover, Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment [on which Kōbō bases his argument] is not even a sutra. To base one’s arguments on a treatise is to commit the error of turning one’s back on what is superior and following what is inferior. It also violates the Buddha’s teaching that one should 'rely on the Law and not upon persons.'” 

Nichiren on how to correctly judge others

"...But whether they are correct or incorrect in their views is to be judged solely on the basis of the doctrines they expound. It is not to be decided on the basis of whether or not they have keen capacity or can display supernatural powers."

Imagine

Imagine a paradise on earth. What would it look like, sound like, smell like, taste like, feel like?  Mine would be peace, happiness, harmony, liberty, joy, long, and pain free existences for every man, woman, child, gentle, loving, affectionate creature. Clean pure lakes, rivers, oceans, forests, and air. Freedom of speech, movement, and belief. Freedom from abrasive speech, crude speech, abusive speech, violent and hateful speech. A land of comforting souls, loving souls, kind souls, laughter and smiles. Gentle rains, cool breezes, warm sunny days. Families, states, nations, regions and a world without conflict. Relationships lasting an entire lifetime without a cross word bespoken. Honesty. Equality. Sharing. Encouragement. Creativity. The smell of lilacs, roses, lilies. The taste of sweet dew. Death in sleep in a loved one's arms after a full, rich, and rewarding day. Now compare it to the reality in which we live. Is there a way to bridge the chasm? Is there a way to create a paradise here on earth? When? How? The Buddha and Nichiren teach that when the Mystic Law alone flourishes and all the people chant in one voice, Namu Myoho renge kyo, there will be a paradise here on earth.

Even the most evil of all persons are capable of being saved

"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.

The idea that one should seek rebirth in the Tushita heaven is found frequently in the Hinayana sutras, and in a few cases in the Mahayana sutras as well. The idea that one should strive for rebirth in the Western Paradise is found in many Mahayana sutras. All these passages are examples of that which should be opened up and merged [with the Lotus Sutra].

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 Sutra addresses 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 Worlds can 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."

Nichiren on how our leaders can save our countries

"Then the Buddha said: Listen carefully. You must not propagate it in the first millennium of the Former Day of the Law or in the second millennium of the Middle Day following my death. In the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, slanderous monks will fill the land of Jambudvīpa, so that all the heavenly gods will demonstrate their rage, comets will appear in the sky, and the earth will quake like the movement of huge waves. Innumerable disasters and calamities, such as drought, fires, floods, gales, epidemics, famine, and war, will all occur at once. The people of Jambudvīpa will don armor and take up bows and staves, but since none of the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, or benevolent deities will be able to help them, they will all die and fall like rain into the hell of incessant suffering. At this very time, rulers can save their countries and the people be freed from calamities and in their next life escape the great fires of hell if they embrace and believe in this great mandala of the five characters.'”

How can you guys be so gullible?

Why do you think SGI headquarters is so overjoyed at being recognized by the Italian state? That's right, tax-free status.

Scary S--t

"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.

Nichiren and I will correct Patrarch Bartholomew since SGI won't

SGI Quarterly staff: How can religion come to be seen as a "savior of humanity," not a threat to humanity?

Patriarch Bartholomew: On the sixth day of creation, God created man and woman in His divine image and likeness. Yet, what most people overlook is that the sixth day is not dedicated to the formation of Adam alone. That sixth day was shared, according to the Book of Genesis, with "living creatures of every kind; cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the Earth.î This close connection between humanity and the rest of creation is a powerful reminder of our intimate relationship with the environment. While there is undoubtedly something unique about our creation in God's image, there is more that unites us than separates us, not only as human beings but also with creation. It is a lesson we have learned the hard way in recent decades. The connection is not merely emotional; it is profoundly spiritual, providing a sense of continuity and community as well as an expression of identity and compassion with all of creation. In the seventh century, Abba Isaac the Syrian said: "A merciful heart burns with love for all creation: for human beings, birds and beasts--for all God's creatures." When we recognize this connection, then we shall be instruments of peace and life, not tools of violence and death. Then everything will assume its divine purpose, as God originally intended for the world."

Nichiren Daishonin: "I expounded this principle a long time ago, so it should not be new to you. One of the six stages of practice in the perfect teaching is the stage of perception and action. At this stage “one acts as one speaks and speaks as one acts.” Those at the stage of being a Buddha in theory only and at the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth believe in the perfect teaching; but even though they praise it, their actions fail to reflect their words. For example, countless people study the non-Buddhist works known as the Three Records and the Five Canons, but not even one case in ten million is found where a person governs society and behaves as the texts teach. Thus it is very difficult to establish peace in society. One may be letter-perfect in reciting the Lotus Sutra, but it is far more difficult to act as it teaches. The “Simile and Parable” chapter states, “If this person... on seeing those who read, recite, copy, and uphold this sutra, should despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them...” The “Teacher of the Law” chapter 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?” The“Encouraging Devotion” chapter reads, “Many ignorant people will attack us with swords and staves... again and again we will be banished.” The “Peaceful Practices” chapter states, “It [the Lotus Sutra] will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.” Although these quotations from the sutra are the Buddha’s prophecies, there is no reference to when these persecutions will occur. In the past, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging and the monk Realization of Virtue read and lived these passages. But setting aside the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, now, in the Latter Day, in all Japan only Nichiren seems to be doing so. From the present situation, I can well imagine how followers, relatives, disciples, and lay supporters must have grieved in the past when during the reigns of evil kings so many of their sage monks met persecution.

Nichiren has now read [and lived] the entirety of the Lotus sutra. Even a single phrase or verse assures one's enlightenment; since I have read the entire sutra, how much more certain is my enlightenment. I am more confident than ever. Though I may sound presumptuous, my most fervent wish is to realize the the security and peace of the entire land. In an age when none will heed me, however, it is beyond my power. I will close now to keep this brief."

Commentary: How much more difficult to create peace and harmony with the Bible and Q'uran as your guide?

SGI too are pigeons pecking at filth

SGI: "Joining the Ramadan forum gave us a clear understanding about the culture and philosophy of our Muslim brothers and sisters," commented Pogi Figuracion, an SGI-Philippines young men's group member. "Although we have different beliefs, we share a common goal to help achieve peace and deeper understanding in Mindanao, the Land of Promise."

Nichiren: "[In ancient China] the royal consorts Mo Hsi, Ta Chi, and Pao Ssu were charming in manner and excelled all others in beauty. But because the rulers in their foolishness became infatuated with them, these women brought about the downfall of the nation. And now Zen priests, Precepts priests, and Nembutsu advocates of our own time such as Shōichi, Dōryū, Ryōkan, Dōami, Nen’ami, and other teachers of their kind are like domestic pigeons that peck at filth, or like the beautiful Hsi-shih who deceived the king of Wu. They adhere to their Hinayana precepts, which are like stinking waste or donkey’s milk,..."

SGI leader Jamie Lee Silver, self-styled expert on Nichiren's teachings, answers a readers question

Question: 2. Do I Have to Change Religions to Chant?

Answer: No. You can keep practicing whatever religion brings you joy. Just remember that when you chant to the Gohonzon that it is NOT a GOD. The Gohonzon is your own life, so don't beg when you chant. When you chant to the Gohonzon you are declaring what you want.

Response: Follow Jamie or those like her and you will fall into the lower worlds of existence as sure as an arrow aimed at the earth could never miss the target.

Scientology's EARTHFEST and SGI's Earth Charter and Seeds of Change

SGI leader Nestor Torres serenades the Dalai Lama as Nichiren turns in his grave