The character Myo is the rain of the Law. Even in the depths of hell Myo is the rain that puts out the great fires of suffering and delusion. Everything changes save for the eternal nature of the Law and the Buddha. Jihi or Buddhist mercy is the essential nature of Myo. Buddha Shakyamuni displayed his mercy by confronting the nine great persecutions for the sake of the people and Nichiren overcame the five great persecutions. Both these great men renounced a life of luxury for the sake of the Law. Both could have been or done anything they chose, monarch, adviser to the nation; entrepreneur, physician, or general. They chose to preach the Law, living in the open under the stars or in thatched hermitage. Neither was respected by the powers that be. Ajatashatru loosed a herd of wild elephants on the Buddha and Hojo Takenobu sentenced Nichiren Daishonin to death. Never let those depraved SGI leaders who claim to have attained what they have not degrade your faith or your efforts for the Law. You will see in ten or fifteen years who is being tormented by the guards of hell and who is enjoying the boundless benefit of the Law. The rain of Myo benefits all equally, not just "holy" leaders or priests who are anything but holy or true priests. You yourself are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, exalted beings who drink the life sustaining rain of the Law. Never forget this. Never forget the gratitude we owe to Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Even the lowly Dhammapada far surpasses the Koran. How much more so the Lotus Sutra?
Buddhism [from the Dhammapada]
” In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, Ancient and inexhaustible. ”
” In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, Ancient and inexhaustible. ”
“All things, including you too shall pass away. Knowing this, how can you quarrel?
“It is better to conquer your own mind, than to win a thousand battles.”
“The mind is everything; what you think you become”
“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“Never speak harsh words. For they will rebound upon you.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth”
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
Islam: (From the Koran)
“cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads”
“Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other,”
“When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them”
“Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you.”
“Believers, know that the idolaters [non-Muslims] are unclean. ”
“Jews are like pigs and monkeys”
“Reclining in paradise with bashful virgins for companions, they will call for abundant fruit and drink.”
“Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please.”
"Trust in my God and my savior, Sensei"
"Well it was a day full of happiness, compliments, appreciation and confidence. I can face anything in my life, as I have complete faith, trust in my God and Gohonzon and of course not to forget my darling My Sai [my savior Sensei]." -- SGI India member Aruna
"Todos Somos Budas" - Core Soka Gakkai teaching that even they don't really believe
Ryokan? Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? They who must sign the SGI Code of Conduct?
Zen, Soka Gakkai, and Nichiren Shoshu believers are practitioners of an "outside way".
One of Nichiren's teachings on Zen:
"It is customary among physicians to name anyone who departs from the basic practices of medicine a 'practitioner of outside ways.' In human society one speaks of those relatives who are of a surname other than one’s own as 'outside relatives.' And in Buddhism, that which departs from the sutras and treatises is known as an 'outside way.'”
"It is customary among physicians to name anyone who departs from the basic practices of medicine a 'practitioner of outside ways.' In human society one speaks of those relatives who are of a surname other than one’s own as 'outside relatives.' And in Buddhism, that which departs from the sutras and treatises is known as an 'outside way.'”
The Nirvana Sutra states, 'If there is any person who does not abide by the expositions of the Buddha, you should understand that this person is a servant of the devil.' And volume nine of On 'Great Concentration and Insight' says, 'Before the Lotus Sutra, they were disciples of an outside [non-Buddhist] way.'”
The Zen school describes itself as something “not transmitted by the Buddha and patriarchs.” [What is your opinion on this?]
Answer: If that is so, then why does the Zen school talk about the 'twenty-eight patriarchs of India' and the 'six patriarchs of China'? If you speak in this way, you are refuting your own assertion that the teachings were entrusted to Mahākāshyapa, are you not? How do you explain this contradiction in your own words?
The Zen school says, 'This superior way of ours has not been transmitted by the sages of the past.'
Answer: If that is so, then the Zen school of today can have no real understanding of this 'superior way' either. And if it has no real understanding of it, then it is not true Zen!
All the Zen school does is sing about a 'superior way,' resting in arrogance, never correcting its deluded views but instead boasting of 'perceiving one’s true nature.' Its greatest mistake is to create gaps between people’s capacities and the Buddha’s teachings. In doing so, it impedes the enlightening process of the Buddha’s teachings and falls ever deeper into error.
The Zen followers talk about a doctrine 'outside the sutras' and practice this thing 'outside the sutras'; they say their doctrine is 'independent of words or writing,' yet they love to take up their brushes and write about it. Their words and their hearts fail to match—how could they be other than followers of the heavenly devil, disciples of a non-Buddhist way?
It is through the use of words and letters that the Buddha saves living beings."
A joyful mind
"In turbid water the moon does not abide; in a withered tree there are no birds. In the body of a woman without a mind [of faith] the Buddha does not abide. A woman who keeps the Hokekyo is like clear water: the moon of the Buddha Shakya takes up residence [there]. For example, although, when a woman is first pregnant, she is not aware of it in her own body, as the months gradually add up and the days pass, she first wonders if it is so and later thinks that it is certain. A woman of insight even knows whether it is a boy or a girl. The doctrine of the Hokekyo is also thus. When one believes Namu Myoho renge kyo in one's mind, the Buddha Shakya is conceived with the mind as His lodging. Though at first one does not know it, as the months gradually add up, the Buddha in one's mind appears and a joyful mind gradually emerges." -- Letter to Lord Matsuno's Wife
The horribly poor perception and judgement of a Soka Gakkai leader
"I have never known Petry to ever say anything worthwhile or truthful. He is like an intellectual gnat attacking an intellectual giant (John Ayres). What Petry mistakes for the truth is his own inability to deal with facts that he does not like. He simply makes up "facts" that are more suitable to him.This is the best that the Minobu sect has to represent themselves. Typical. His ignorance of his own sect and Nichiren’s Buddhism is very helpful for orthodox Nichiren sects." -- Terry Ruby SGI leader
I suggest you search John Ayres on Google Groups Alternate Religion Buddhism of Nichiren. Then we can most easily judge the perception and judgement of the late SGI leader Terry Ruby. Were you to find it to be deficient, it is a warning to you who remain in the Soka Gakkai or to those who are thinking of joining. A good search term would be John Ayres and Reginald Carpenter and go down a half dozen or so posts. SGI Thomas Pass the Doobie's (of the Chanting Growers Group) perception and judgement is not much better than Terry Ruby's. Should Thomas wish to come here and argue SGI's or Nichiren's doctrines, I would be more than happy to host him.
In the arbn archives, you will find actual proof that John Ayres rather than "an intellectual giant" is a disturbed individual (for slandering the Lotus Sutra). He was at one time a staunch Nichiren Shoshu defender. Strange that SGI Terry Ruby would support such a man and a Nichiren Shoshu member. Was it because John Petry of the Nichiren Shu destroyed Ruby's arguments about the true nature of the Nichiren faith and the true nature of Soka Gakkai? Soka Gakkai members have no core principles except one...protect the Soka Gakkai and Daisaku Ikeda no matter what.
Why is Nichiren the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra and Daisaku Ikeda a poseur?
"But the sutra says, “How much more will this be so after his passing?” By this we know that, in a future age after the passing of the Buddha, there are bound to be persecutions and difficulties even greater and more fearful than those that occurred during his lifetime. If even the Buddha had difficulty bearing up under such persecutions, how can ordinary people be expected to bear them, particularly when these troubles are destined to be even greater than those that occurred during the Buddha’s lifetime?
Though one might wonder what great persecutions could possibly be more terrible than the huge rock thirty feet long and sixteen feet wide that Devadatta rolled down on the Buddha or the drunken elephant that King Ajātashatru sent charging after him, if persecutions greater than those that arose during the Buddha’s lifetime keep occurring again and again to someone who is not guilty of the slightest fault, then one should realize that that person is a true votary of the Lotus Sutra in the age after the Buddha’s passing."
Can you believe what Daisaku Ikeda used to teach?
"In this sect (Nichiren Shoshu), the Living Essence, Uninterrupted Light of the Law has been bestowed like the transferal of the water of the Law from one vessel to another upon each specifically chosen High Priest in the lineage until the present day. To the last, the True Buddha is Nichiren Daishonin, and **we must revere the inner enlightenment of the High Priests, which is only bestowed on and between High Priests, in the same way that we revere the Daishonin." -- Daisaku Ikeda, May 3, 1979
" ... the 'Treasure of the Priest' refers to the High Priests in the line of Nikko Shonin, who are the only ones who have received the transmission of the Living Essence of the Law until the present day. Furthermore, all of the Priests are the disciples of the High Priest. They are the House of the Law. Consequently, no matter what the circumstances may be, we must hold the Priests in a place of importance." -- Daisaku Ikeda, February 28, 1978
No priests in Soka Gakkai?
Italian SGI leaders [responsabili] are known as "Ministers of Worship."
The claim:
The claim:
"Soka Gakkai is a modern lay Buddhist movement. It is the largest Buddhist sect in Japan with 8 or more million members and an additional 4 million members in other countries. [8] “Soka Gakkai” translates as “Value-Creation Society.” The organization follows the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin (1222–82), a Japanese monk who crafted a reinterpretation of Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra. Since its founding in1930, The Soka Gakkai has been the object of a lot of criticism and even persecution. Unlike other Nichiren sects, Soka Gakkai does not have a class of priests, and its emphasis is on the practitioner rather than dogma......"Daveler16 (talk) 21:51, 10 July 2014 (UTC)
The reality:
The organization follows the teachings of Nichiu, Nichikan, Nichigen, and the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakka. Like other Nichiren sects, Soka Gakkai has a priestly class [in Ghana, in Singapore, and not to mention the business suited SGI priests of Shinanomachi*, Tokyo] but it's emphasis is on Daisaku Ikeda rather than doctrine.
"At the present time, the Soka Gakkai itself is the one and only group of united priests which receives and inherits the 'lifeblood of faith.'" -- Daisaku Ikeda, Seikyo Shinbun, 9/18/93
Receiving the same benefits as Shakyamuni Buddha
"Shakyamuni’s practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in these five characters, we will naturally be granted the same benefits as he was.
With full understanding of Shakyamuni’s teachings, the four great voice-hearers said, “This cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought.” They represent the world of the voice-hearer that is within ourselves. The Buddha stated, “At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us, and what I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way.” ShakyamuniBuddha, who has attained perfect enlightenment, is our own flesh and blood. His practices and the resulting virtues are our bones and marrow. The “Treasure Tower” chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, “He who is capable of guarding the Law of this sutra will thereby have offered alms to me and to Many Treasures. . . . One who guards this sutra will also have offered alms to the emanation Buddhas who have come here adorning and making brilliant all the various worlds.” Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions represent the world of Buddhahood within ourselves. By searching them out within us, we can receive the benefits of all these Buddhas. This is what is meant by the following passage: “If one listens to them [the preachers of the Law] for even a moment, one will immediately attain supreme perfect enlightenment.” The “Life Span” chapter reads, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.” The Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives is the eternal Buddha since time without beginning, who obtained the three bodies more than numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. The “Life Span” chapter states, “Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life span that I acquired then has yet to come to an end but will last twice the number of years that have already passed.” He was speaking of the world of the bodhisattva within ourselves. The bodhisattvas, as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, who emerged from beneath the earth, are the followers of the Shakyamuni Buddha present in our lives. They follow the Buddha just as T’ai-kung Wang and Tan, the Duke of Chou, served as ministers to King Wu of the Chou dynasty and later assisted his son and successor, the infant King Ch’eng; or just as the Chief Minister Takenouchi supported Empress Jingū and later her grandson Crown Prince Nintoku as a highly valued minister. The bodhisattvas Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, Pure Practices, andFirmly Established Practices represent the world of the bodhisattvawithin ourselves. The Great Teacher Miao-lo says: “You should understand that one’s life and its environment at a single moment encompass the three thousand realms. Therefore, when one attains the Buddha way, one puts oneself in accord with this fundamental principle, and one’s body and mind at a single moment pervade the entire realm of phenomena.” -- Nichiren's most important writing
The Soka Gakkai "Lotus Sutra" by Zen man Burton Watson is not an excellent translation
Burton Watson translates a passage from Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra as follows:
"At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: "The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for a measurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra.
For this reason, after the Thus Come One has entered extinction, you must single-mindedly accept, uphold, read, recite, explain, preach and transcribe it, and practice it as directed. In any of the various lands, wherever there are those who accept, uphold, read, recite, explain, preach, transcribe, or practice it as directed, or wherever the sutra rolls are preserved, whether in a garden, a forest, beneath a tree, in monks quarters, in the lodgings of white-robed laymen, in palaces, or in mountain valleys or the wide wilderness, in all these places one should erect towers and offer alms. Why? Because you should understand that such spots are places of religious practice. In such places have the Buddhas gained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, in such places have the Buddhas turn the wheel of the Law, in such places have the Buddhas entered parinirvana."
Bunno, Kato, Etal. translates the same passage:
"At that time the Buddha addressed Emminent Conduct and the host of other Bodhisattvas: "The divine powers of buddhas are so infinite and boundless that they are beyond thought and expression. Even if I, by these divine powers, through infinite, boundless hundred thousand myriad kotis of asemkheya kalpas, for the sake of entailing it, were to declare the merits of this sutra, I should still be unable to reach the end of those [merits]. Essentially speaking, all the laws belonging to the Tathagata, all the mysterious, essential treasuries of the Tathagata, and the very profound conditions of the Tathagata, all are proclaimed, displayed, revealed, and expounded in this sutra.Therefore you should, after the extinction of the Tathagata, wholeheartedly receive and keep, read and recite, explain and copy, cultivate and practice it as the teaching. In whatever land, whether it be received and kept, read and recited, explained and copied cultivated and practiced as the teaching; whether in a place where a volume of the sutra is kept, or in a temple, or in a grove, or under a tree, or in a monastery, or in a lay devotee's house, in a palace or a mountain, in a valley or in the wilderness, in all these places you must erect a caitya and make offerings. Wherefore? You should know that [all] these spots are the thrones of enlightenment. On these [spots] the buddhas attain Perfect Enlightenment; on these [spots] the buddhas roll the wheel of the Law; on these [spots] the buddhas [enter] parinirvana." (Lotus Sutra, Chapter 21, The Power of the Tathagata)
Leon Hurvitz translates this same passage;
"The Buddha then addressed Him of Superior Practice along with the others in the great assembly of Bodhisattvas. "The spiritual powers of all Buddhas are similarly immeasurable and boundless, beyond conception or imagining. Were I, for the sake of entrusting this scripture to others, to expound its merits and virtues for untold and limitless hundreds of thousands of myriad millions of eons by means of these-spiritual powers of mine, I would still not be able to exhaust its riches. In short, all the Teachings that I as a Tathagata possess, all the spiritual powers that I have at my disposal, all my unseen storehouses and all my extremely profound activities are expounded, revealed and explained in this scripture. For this reason, after my parinirvana, you should wholeheartedly accept and hold to it, study and recite it, understand and expound it, write it down and make copies of it and, just as you preach it, so practice in accordance with it.
"If there is anyone in any land or country who accepts, holds to, studies, recites, understands, expounds, writes down, copies or practices it as he preaches it, be it in a place where Scripture books reside, or in a garden, or in a grove of trees, or under a tree, or in a monk's quarters, or in the lodging of a white-clad layman, or within the halls of the nobility, or on a mountain, or in a valley, or in an open plain, therein will a stupa be raised and an offering be made. And for what reason? Know that such a place is indeed a seat for enlightenment: in such places Buddhas find Complete and Perfect Enlightenment, in such places Buddhas turn the Wheel of the Dharma, in such places Buddhas enter parinirvana."
"Because you should understand that such spots are places of religious practice."(Watson)
"You should know that [all] these spots are the thrones of enlightenment." (Bunno)
"Know that such a place is indeed a seat for enlightenment."(Hurvitz)
Now, my dear readers, don't you think that, after seeing these highlighted sentences and reading again and again the three translated passages above, that the SGI advisers to Watson had an agenda to mute the Buddha's message and passion for the Lotus Sutra? Please, think about it. Watson's passage is drab and passionless. Bunno's is vibrant and filled with passion and Hurvitz's is to the point. Do you think the Buddha was passionless or circumspect? The SGI are psychological manipulators. Do not be fooled.
Documentary proof of the principle, Transmission Through the Sutra Scrolls and Writings of Nichiren Daishonin.
"Do not put faith in traditions handed down orally." -- Nichiren Daishonin
Nichiren on plagiarism and foolishness
"The translators of the newer versions of the sutras learned about T’ien-t’ai’s doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life when they came to China. When they translated Sanskrit sutras into Chinese, some put T’ien-t’ai’s principle into their translations, and others claimed that the originals they had brought from India already contained it. Some of the scholars of the T’ien-t’ai school were simply pleased that other schools were expounding the same doctrine as theirs, while others praised the Buddhism of India and slighted that of China, or discarded their original doctrines and adopted new ones. These scholars yielded to their devilish nature and to foolishness. Ultimately, however, without the seed of Buddhahood, that is, the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, sentient beings cannot become Buddhas, and any statue or painting would be an object of devotion in name only."
"Mentor/Disciple, they are shoving it down our throats"
Half of a recent WT was devoted to mentor and disciple. This is the rule rather than the exception.
"Ghandi was not great because he had publications tauting (touting) him, neither was Martin Luther King.
If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that.
I am ready to drop all of my subscriptions to SGI pubs.
I would rather read experiences (sanitized by the SGI to sound all the same) rather than read this mentor and disciple stuff.
What is going on with this M&D [sic] crap?
Re: Mentor & disciple, I am sick of it.
They are shoving it down our throats. I think it is their way of solidifying SGI doctrine, which is to be based on this concept. They've had to throw out much of the Shoshu doctrine, and so we have THIS. If we don't buy into it we're bound for the hell of incessant suffering. I wouldn't mind the concept so much if they didn't take it upon themselves to decide who my mentor is going to be. It might be a nice idea if the mentor wasn't mandated.
This summer's Living Buddhism is also almost entirely devoted to the "Mentor/Disciple relationship". This is a pretty strong push in the publications right now, and my feeling about it is that M/D has become a sort of "caulk" for the SGI. As long as the M/D relationship is a prime point of faith, it can be used to distract attention from any policy or doctrinal issue.
As I discussed last week, Japan (and perhaps to a limited extent our own study department in Santa Monica) is very engaged right now in trying to sort through exactly what form of Nichiren Buddhism we are going to be teaching as we nobly march forward into the 21st century. This involves a lot of interpretation, decision-making,and discussion to which we gaijin are cordially not invited. If faith becomes a matter of a personal loyalty oath to an individual rather than about our own inherent Buddhahood, or if we can somehow be convinced that our own inherent Buddhahood is contingent on a fantasy relationship with someone we've never met, then the subject can always be changed whenever there's a conflict. If (like some of us) you have problems with the Gakkai's choice to continue slandering other forms of Nichiren Buddhism, a layer of M/D caulk can be applied to sort of give the appearance of a flat wall of agreement,and the subject can be changed to the questioner's lack of faith and need to build a better fantasy relationship with his or her mentor. It is a strategic means whereby the organization can avoid dealing with the inevitable cultural conflicts which have arisen and will continue to arise. Personally , I think it is doomed to failure, since the caulk will only cosmeticallycover any cracks and not actually strengthen the structure.
At the end of the day, though, people will be able to meet together and chant without an emphasis on building a fantasy relationship if that's what they want to do. If the current emphasis is really disturbing to you,, you can always chant and study with people who feel likewise. The only thing I would offer as a caveat is to try to keep things positive. Our Fifth Wave gatherings out here are not about venting frustrations with any particular group or any particular organization's way of doing things. They are an opportunity for people to get together and do faith, practice and study of Nichiren Buddhism.
Hang in there, hope you are well, Best, Byrd in LA
Yes, I think you have expressed the reality pretty well here. And this is one of the reasons non-denominational meetings will continue to be interesting to a lot of people. Americans have a real aversion to being compelled to admire or emulate anyone. It may not be true, but we like to flatter ourselves that we choose our own leaders and we decide whom we will admire. Non-denominational gatherings will just simply continue to make it possible to understand Buddhism without using a mandatory Mentor as an intermediary between ourselves and the Lotus Sutra, or ourselves and Buddhism. That's one of the basic rules of the Fifth Wave, I think - no mandatory mentors.
Well, I hope everyone has a good week this week. I myself have started a new morning exercise routine. I'm hobbling a bit, but otherwwise feeling well. Best regards, Byrd in LA
"...If President Ikeda is a great, wise, man, people will flock to him. We don't need the publications to tell us that..."
Maybe we need a little reminding now and then...For example, a recent issue of "Living Buddhism" repeats the name "Ikeda" some 200 times within its 13 pages..not counting footnotes or direct references Ikeda makes to himself...
That's right...the word "Ikeda" is printed over 200 times in one issue...mostly with gushing adulation about his mentorship, his wisom, his compassion...and of course, how the "lifeblood" of Nichiren flows through him to us...
Just reading one issue of Living Buddhism you see the name "Ikeda" 200 times...maybe the guys over there are slipping...I suggest they set a target for 1000 times in the next issue!
Welcome to Ikeda Buddhism. Well, has it really come to that? Is this truly the direction we've been on ALL ALONG? I REALLY do wonder.
I bring this up all the time with my SGI friends and either they are embarrassed about it or don't like it. Ikeda calls the shots in the SGI."
"Trustworthy teachers do not exist in the Latter Age" -- Nichiren
"Usually teachers are persons. However, trustworthy teachers do not exist in the Latter Age; so there is much evidence of regarding the dharmas as teachers.." (Shugo Kokka-ron, noppa, p.2)
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