"Just chant, one's beliefs are not important its OK as long as you chant" IS NOT NICHIREN DAISHONIN'S FAITH.

"You don’t have to give up anything you’re already doing. You don’t have to convert to Buddhism to chant. If you like meditating, great! Keep meditating. If you like going to church keep going to church. Think of it as meditation...only with tangible results and goals! Your goals! Your results!" -- Jamie Lee Silver

http://chantforhappiness.blogspot.com/

"For this reason, the Buddha said, “[If I used a lesser vehicle to convert even one person], I would be guilty of stinginess and greed, but such a thing would be impossible."

"The monks [whom you are speaking of] preach various teachings, but still they are not able to utter “the lion’s roar.” . . . Nor are they able to refute and convert evil persons who go against the correct teaching. Monks of this kind can bring no benefit either to themselves or to the populace. You should realize that they are in fact shirkers and idlers. Though they are careful in observing the precepts and maintain spotless conduct, you should realize that they cannot achieve anything. [Then a monk raises “the lion’s roar.” . . .] Those who break the precepts, upon listening to his preaching, are all enraged to the point where they attack him. This preacher of the Law, though he may in the end lose his life, is still worthy of being called a person who observes the precepts and brings benefits to both himself and others.’ ”

Jamie is guilty of stinginess and greed. She teaches Ikedaism, not the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. "Just chant, one's beliefs are not important. Believe in Amida, Jesus, the Wiccan Goddesses, Allah. its OK as long as you chant" IS NOT NICHIREN DAISHONIN'S FAITH. Above all, this Buddhism is a faith, not a mindless practice for ephemeral benefits. Jamie's happiness will crumble like a castle built on sand as will those stupid enough to be influenced by her rather than the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin.

More Mappo (Latter Day) on our doorstep

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/10/656284029/mexicos-morgues-are-overflowing-as-its-murder-rate-rises

"My land is peaceful and secure" --

Shakyamuni Buddha

Indonesia Tsunami 2018

More Tsunami

Mappo (Latter Age)

Mappo (Latter Age)

Mappo (Latter Age)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/business/stock-market-tumbles-yields-rise.html

Mappo (Latter Age)

Disbeliever SGI Tim

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2016/05/all-nichiren-priests-and-nichiren.html?m=1

Why would you think Soka Gakkai is correct?

The entire thrust of the Rissho Ankoku Ron is that the Treasure of the Buddha is Shakyamuni and the Treasure of the Law is Myoho renge kyo (Lotus Sutra). 

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." 

                

Clearly, the Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon as taught to him by the Great Muni. 

"Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha."  (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987) 

Same quote in the MW's: 

"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni....but now it became apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha."  (MW V.2, p.149) 

        

"But now since it has been revealed that Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha....etc."(Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori) 

"...Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, he attained Buddhahood n the eternal past......( Kanjin Honzon Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori  P.94) 

"...the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakaymuni who resides within our minds."(Ibid pg 94) 

"The "honzon" at the scene of this transmission of "Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo" from the Eternal Buddha to His Original Disciples is....suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni's Saha-world is a stupa of treasures, in which Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho sit to the left and right of "Myo Ho Renge Kyo". (ibid. 

P.102)  

"Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha.  If the "Life Span of the Buddha" chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. (Noppa, pg. 176, Kaimoku Sho)" 

and from Kanjin Honzon-Sho  (NOPPA) page 56 

"In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past... Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past." 

and

"This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in  manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas." 

"It means that Sakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, and attaining Buddhahood in the eternal past  described as 500 dust-particle kalpa ago. 

"In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired.  It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’  This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." 

Kanjin Honzon-Sho  (NOPPA) page 94: 

"Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world.  It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness.   Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and

future.  All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha." 

            

"Nevertheless, the sects of Buddhism other than Tendai have gone astray concerning the true object of worship. The Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu sects take as their object of worship the Shakyamuni buddha who elliminated illusions by practicing thirty-four kinds of spiritual purification. This is comparable to a situation in which the heir apparent of the supreme ruler of a state mistakenly believes himself to be the son of a commoner. The four sects of kegon, Shingon, Sanron, and hosso are all Mahayana schools of buddhism. among them the Hosso and Sanron sects worship a Buddha who is comparable to the Buddha in the superior -property-of-action aspect. This is like the heir of the supreme ruler supposing that his father was a member of the samurai class The Kegon and Shingon sects look down upon Shakyamuni buddha and declare that Mahavairochana or Dainichi buddha should be the true object of worship. This is like the heir looking down upon his own father, the supreme ruler, and paying honor to one who is not even related to him by blood simply because that person pretends to be the Dharma king.

The Jodo sect considers itself to be most closely related to the buddha Amida, who is an emanation of Shakyamuni, and rejects Shakyamuni himself. The Zen sect behaves like a person of low birth who makes much of his own achievments and despises his father and mother...."

Kaimoku Sho: 

            

The men of these sects who are ignorant of the teachings of the Juryo Chapter are similarly like beasts...." 

In the Nirvana Sutra, Bodhisattva Kasho posed thirty-six questions to the Buddha, but even these cannot compare to the question concerning the bodhisattvas who appeared from the earth.  If the Buddha had failed to dispel the doubts concerning this matter, the sacred teachings of his entire lifetime would have amounted to no more than froth on the water, and the members of the multitude would have remained tangled in the snare of doubt. That was why is was so important for him to preach the Juryo chapter.   

Later, when the Buddha preached the Juryo chapter, he said:  "All the human and heavenly beings and the ashuras at present believe that Shakyamuni Buddha, after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, sat in the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya and there attained the supreme enlightenment."  This passage expresses the view held by all the great bodhisattvas from the time when Shakyamuni first attaned enlightement until the preaching of the Anrakugyo chapter of the Lotus Sutra.  

"However, men of devout faith," the Buddha continued, "the time is limitless and boundless -- a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, nayuta aeons since I in fact attained Buddhahood." 

Three places in the Kegon Sutra the Buddha said: "I have attained enlightenment for the first time in India."  In the Agon sutras he speaks of having "for the first time attained enlightenment"; in the Vimalakirti Sutra he says, "For the first time the Buddha sat beneath the tree"; in the Daijuku Sutra, "It is sixteen years since the Buddha first attained enlightenment"; in the Dainichi Sutra, "Some years ago when I sat in the place of meditation"; in the Ninno Sutra, "twenty-nine years since my enlightenment"; in the Muryogi Sutra, "previously I went to the place of meditation"; and in the Hoben chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "when I first say in the place of meditation."  But now all these passages have been exposed as gross falsehoods by this single pronouncement in the Juryo chapter. 

When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni.  When the Buddha preached the earlier sutras and the theoretical chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the other Buddhas present were pictured as practicing various religious austerities and disciplines side by side with Shakyamuni Buddha.

Therefore the people who pay devotion to one or another of these Buddhas as the object of worship customarily look down on Shakyamuni Buddha.  But now it becomes apparent that Vairochana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and the various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are all in fact followers of Shakyamuni Buddha.   

When Shakyamuni gained enlightenment at the age of thirty, he seized the saha world away from Bonten and the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, who had ruled it previously, and made it his own.  In the earlier sutras and the theoretical of the Lotus Sutra, he called the regions of the ten directions "pure lands" and spoke of the present worlds as an "impure land."  But now he has reversed this in the Juryo chapter, revealing that this world is the true land and the so-called pure lands of the ten directions are impure lands, mere provisional lands. [The Opening of the Eyes, MW Vol.2, pages 148-150]

"If Shakyamuni Buddha had actually attained enlightenment for the first time at the age of thirty, then when he preached the Lotus Sutra, Bonten, Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon and the Four Heavenly Kings who have ruled the present world from countless ages in the past would have been disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha for no longer than a period of forty-some years.

During the eight years when he preached the Lotus Sutra, the beings who assembled to listen to him would have been unable to accept as their master a person who had so recently come to prominence and would have deferred instead to Bonten, Taishaku and the other deities who had from ages past been the lords of this world.

But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment countless aeons ago, then the Bodhisattvas Nikkand o and Gakko, who att  nd the Buddha Yakushi of the eastern region, the Bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi, who attend the Buddha Amida of the western region, along with the disciples of all the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten direction and the great bodhisattvas who are disciples of the Buddha Dainichi as they are shown in the Dainichi and Kongocho sutras --- all of these beings are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha.  Since the various Buddhas themselves are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, it goes without saying that their disciples must be disciples of Shakyamuni.  

And of course the various deities of the sun, moon and stars, who have dwelt in this world from countless ages in the past, must likewise be disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha.  [The Opening of the Eyes, MW Vol.2, pages 151-152]

From the Hoon Sho, Kempon Hokke Seiten:  

".... Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of the Original doctrine as the Object of Worship".  

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 his Parinirvana 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 ThreeTransformations, 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." 

"Having had doubts about the matter, I consulted the passages of the Lotus Sutra, and they reveal why this object of worship has never before appeared. The sutra clearly states that it should not be established before the predicted age of conflict in the Latter Day of the Law.  

Thosee Buddhist scholars and teachers who appeared in this world during the Former and Middle Days of the Law did not establish this object of worship because they honored the Buddha's prohibition.  Had an object of worship of Lord Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment countless aeons before and his attendants ever been made during the Former and Middle Days, it would have been like the sun appearing at night or the moon shining by day Because Bodhisattva Jogyo will establish this object of worship in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day, those four ranks of scholars and teachers who appeared during the Former and Middle Days did not even describe it in words.  

Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu knew of it in their hearts but did not speak to others about it. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che also knew of it, but, as he was bodhisattva of the theoretical teaching, though he taught it in part, he did not expound its true meaning. He taught it indistinctly, like the cry of a cuckoo which one hears just before waking from a dream. Other Buddhist teachers did not say so much as a single word about it. For at Eagle Peak, Shakyamuni Buddha strictly prohibited those scholars and  teachers who were bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching, and who would appear during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days, from disclosing even indirectly prior to the Latter Day anything about Lord Shakyamuni of the essential teaching who attained enlightenment in the remote past and the four Bodhisattvas of the Earth led by Jogyo who have accompanied him ever since."(Major Writings, Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 3, pages 293, 294, 295, Four Bodhisattvas.) 

           

Since SGI is wrong about such a crucial and obvious point what makes you think it is not mistaken about such doctrines as the role of shoju [peaceful practices] and shakabuku [forceful practices], transmission through a sole heir, the master-disciple relationship, actual proof, the role of priests etc. etc.?

"I am so glad that I found this blog".

"I am so glad that I found this blog. I have these thoughts too, all the time! I chant a lot of daimoku and pray for even deeper faith, clarity and appreciation in the Lotus Sutra. What worries me always is this Mentor Disciple push." -- bronzebabe

You don't have to get permission to lecture on the Lotus Sutra and Gosho

"Hello Mark. I have been an SGI member for twenty two years. I have not missed Gongyo in more than nine years and have done many shakubuku. I am a Woman's Division Group Chief and have been a Group Chief for twelve years. I have been passed over by many people for District, Chapter, and other positions in the organization, even some of my shakubuku. I had wanted to be senior leader for at least eight years. I volunteer for all the activities, promote the World Tribune, and often attend at least two meeting a week. I read the Gosho for twenty minutes a day but i was never asked to give President Ikeda's lectures. I think i have much to offer the members and have many ideas to grow my local organization. What's wrong with me?" - SGI member

Response: There is nothing wrong with you except remaining in the pyramidal, authoritarian, top down, cliquish SGI for one more day. There are no hierarchies in Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism. We are all good friends in the Law who receive our guidance equally from the Law, the Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin. You don't have to get permission to lecture on the Lotus Sutra and Gosho. No one need tell you what you have to do or how you have to do it, in order to awaken the masses of being to the Great Pure Law. If you have the same mind as Nichiren, you yourself are a Bodhisattva of the Earth. From the deepest perspective, according to Nichiren, you yourself are a Three Bodied Tathagata of Wonderful Enlightenment. Act like one and tell those controlling cult members to take a hike. You will be welcomed into the sangha of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth by Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren. Send me your full name and address and I will send you several Sutra books and if you gain benefit through a correct faith and practice, I will bestow upon you our banner of propagation, a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon.

Daisaku (flip-flop) Ikeda's paltry wisdom.

"With such paltry wisdom it is unwarranted for you to declare that you will dispel the people's doubts. The monks Kugan and Shoi thought they knew the True Law and intended to save the people, but they fell into the hell of incessant suffering along with their disciples and lay believers. If you, with your limited knowledge of Buddhist doctrines, preach in an attempt to save many people, then surely you and your followers will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. You had better reconsider such preaching from this day forth. I had not felt that I should speak in this way; but I, too, cannot be exempted from the Buddha's warning that if one sees a misguided priest sending others into hell with his evil teachings and fails to reproach that priest and expose his errors, then he himself is an enemy of Buddhism. Moreover, I feel pity that all those, both high and low, who listen to your preaching will fall into the evil paths. Therefore I am speaking out in this way. A wise man is so called because he admonishes the ruler when the country is endangered or because he corrects others' mistaken views. But in your case I can do nothing, because, no matter what error you may see, you will no doubt refuse to correct it for fear of society's reaction. Even if I had Monju's wisdom and Purna's eloquence, they would be wasted on you." -- Letter of Petition from Yorimoto

SGI's unverifiable proof of "person".

"The most compelling evidence I have of the truth of Mr. Ikeda's words is the proof of my own life. In engaging in the process of continually struggling to renew my seeking spirit towards the Law (that is, in carrying out Buddhist practice)" -- SGI member

SGI's proof is the unverifiable proof of "person". Nichiren taught us to abandon this unverifiable proof in favor of the verifiable proof of (the words of ) the Law [Lotus Sutra]. Proof is how faithful one's words and behavior are to the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin, not to the words of Ikeda. The words of the Lotus Sutra are the living body of Shakyamuni Buddha.  SGI's unverifiable proof of "person".

"There is no need to seek impatiently for greatness, fame or wealth." - SGI's false Buddha Daisaku Ikeda

"There is no need to seek impatiently for greatness, fame or wealth. The Earth and Sun do not hurry; they follow their own path at their own pace. If the Earth were to accelerate and complete one rotation in three hours instead of twenty-four, we would be in big trouble! The most important thing in life, too, is to find a sure and certain path and confidently advance along it." -- D. Ikeda

"How long does a lifetime last? If one stops to consider, it is like a single night’s lodging at a wayside inn. Should one forget that fact and seek some measure of worldly fame and profit? Though you may gain them, they will be mere prosperity in a dream, a delight scarcely to be prized. You would do better simply to leave such matters to the karma formed in your previous existences." -- Nichiren

'The Benevolent Kings Sutra states: “Evil monks, hoping to gain fameand profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, or the other princes, and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listens toand puts faith in such doctrines.” -- Nichiren

"Law-devouring hungry spirits are people who renounce the world and spread Buddhism. They think that if they preach the Law people will respect them, and because of their ambition for fame and profit, they spend their entire present lifetime striving to be thought of as better than others. They neither help other human beings nor have a mind tosave their parents. Such people are called Law-devouring hungry spirits, or hungry spirits who use the Buddhist teachings to satisfy their own desires." -- Nichiren

Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the p.59Lotus Sutra. Worldly fameand profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one. Ah, you should be ashamed of them! And you should fear them, too!' -- Nichiren

"Never conduct yourself in a shameful manner. Be unmoved by greed, by the desire for fame, or by anger." -- Nichiren

"The reason is this: All people are concerned about their next lifetime, but the priests and nuns, who would appear to ponder more deeply about this than other men and women, in fact set aside the matter of rebirth in the pure land and merely act as guides in helping people get through this present lifetime. Wise persons and sages are also given to insisting that they are correct and superior to others, that they are heirs to the teachings of a certain founder, and that they have legitimate claim to a certain domain. They place great emphasis uponfame and personal gain, and give little thought to any kind of serious search for the way." -- Nichiren

"Hell is a dreadful dwelling of fire, and the realm of hungry spirits is a pitiful place where, driven by starvation, they devour their own children. The realm of asuras consists of strife, and that of animals is tokill or be killed. The hell of the crimson lotus is so called because the intense cold of this hell makes one double over until one’s back splits open and the bloody flesh emerges like a crimson lotus flower. And thehell of the great crimson lotus is even more horrible. When one falls into such an evil place, the fact that one was a ruler or a general means nothing. Tormented by the wardens of hell, one is no different than a monkey on a string. What use are fame and fortune then? Can one still be arrogant and persist in false beliefs?" -- 

"In volume five of Great Concentration and Insight we read: “These days there are many devilish monks who break the precepts and returnto lay life. Fearing that they will be punished for their action, they then go over to the side of the Taoists. Hoping to gain fame and profit, they speak extravagantly of the merits of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, usurping Buddhist concepts and reading them into their p.225erroneous scriptures. They twist what is lofty and force it into a mean context; they destroy what is exalted and drag it down among the base, striving to put the two on an equal level.” - Nichiiren

"Nichigen is a sage. He is already unrivaled as a scholar of Buddhism. Yet he has discarded all desire for fame and fortune and become my disciple. He has lived the words in the sutra, “We care nothing for our bodies or lives.”2 To repay his debts of gratitude to the Buddha, he has taught you and your fellow believers and inspired you, Matsuno, to make these sincere offerings. All this is truly amazing.

The Buddha stated that, in the latter age, monks and nuns with the hearts of dogs would be as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.3 By this he meant that the priests and nuns of that day would be attached tofame and fortune. Because they wear robes and surplices, they look like ordinary priests and nuns. But in their hearts they wield a sword of distorted views, hastening here and there among their patrons and filling them with countless lies so as to keep them away from other priests or nuns. Thus they strive to keep their patrons to themselves and prevent other priests or nuns from coming near them, like a dog who goes to a house to be fed, but growls and springs to attack the moment another dog approaches. Each and every one of these priests and nuns is certainto fall into the evil paths. Being the scholar that he is, Nichigen must have read this passage in the sutra. His unusual consideration and frequent visits to me and my disciples are deeply appreciated.

In your letter you write: “Since I took faith in this sutra [the Lotus], I have continued to recite the ten factors of life4 and the verse section of the ‘Life Span’ chapter and chant the daimoku without the slightest neglect. But how great is the difference between the blessings received when a sage chants the daimoku and the blessings received when we chant it?” To reply, one is in no way superior to the other. The gold that a fool possesses is no different from the gold that a wise man possesses; a fire made by a fool is the same as a fire made by a wise man.

However, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra..." -- Nichrenn

"Later, he [Devadatta] broke his ties with his family and joined the Buddhist Order, but when there were large gatherings of human and heavenly beings, the Buddha would censure him, calling him a fool or one who eats the spit of others. In addition, being a man who cared deeply about fame and personal profit, he envied the attention that was paid to the Buddha. He then began observing the five ascetic practices in an attempt to appear more admirable than the Buddha. He pounded iron to make a thousand-spoked wheel pattern [to imprint on the soles of his feet], gathered together fireflies to form a tuft of white hair between his eyebrows, and committed to memory sixty thousand and eighty thousand jeweled teachings. He erected an ordination platform on Mount Gayāshīrsha and lured many of the Buddha’s disciples over to his side. He smeared poison on his fingernails and thus attempted to poison the feet of the Buddha. He beat the nun Utpalavarnā to death and rolled a huge rock down on the Buddha, injuring the latter on the toe. He was guilty of committing three cardinal sins and, in the end, gathered about him all the evil men of the five regions of India and strove to harm the Buddha and his disciples and lay supporters." -- Devadatta

"Yet we assume that those who have preceded us in death are wretched, and that we who remain alive are superior. Busy with that task yesterday and this affair today, we are helplessly bound by the five desiresof our worldly nature. Unaware that time passes as quickly as a white colt glimpsed through a crack in the wall,2 ignorant as sheep being led to the slaughter, held hopeless prisoners by our concern for food and clothing, we fall heedlessly into the snares of fame and profit and in the end make our way back to that familiar village in the three evil paths, where we are reborn time after time in the realm of the six paths. What person of feeling could fail to grieve at such a state of affairs, or could failto be moved to sorrow!" -- Nichiren

“They seek after fame and profit and increase their illusions of thought and desire.” --  Nichiren

"...But the people in this evil age are so arrogant, prejudiced, and attached to fame and profit that they are afraid that, should they become the disciple of a humble person or try to learn something from him, they will be looked down upon by others. " -- Nichiren

"...Devadatta, however, did not command such respect from others, so he began to consider whether there was not some way he could gain worldly fame that would surpass that of the Buddha. He came across five criteria by which he might surpass the Buddha and gain recognition from society..." -- Nichiren

"...Again, it says, “Persons who, because they are greedy for fame and profit, preach from such impure motives, will suffer retribution in this realm.” -- Nichiren

"...If one wishes for happiness in one’s next existence, one should renounce one’s desire for fame and fortune and respect the priest who teaches the Lotus Sutra as one would a living Thus Come One, no matter how humble that priest’s station. Thus it is written in the sutra." -- Nichiren

"In China the teachers who led the ten schools of Buddhism of northern and southern China did not in their minds truly understand the relative superiority and inferiority of the various Buddhist teachings, and in preaching them, they were confused as to which were of true profundity. Similarly, Chi-tsang of the Three Treatises school, Ch’eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school, and Tz’u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school were confused in their minds and misled in their preaching. Because they were men who were firm in their aspiration for the way, in the end they set aside their own fame and reputation and gave allegiance to the principles expounded by T’ien-t’ai. But whether the power of their repentance was sufficient to free them from the sufferings of birth and death, or whether, their sin of slandering the Lawbeing weighty and their power of repentance slight, they in the end fell into hell like King Ajātashatru or the Scholar Vimalamitra, it is impossible to say." -- Nichiren

 and lastly, referring to the retired Ikeda:

"The sutra passage then continues in this manner: “Or there will be forest-dwelling monks wearing clothing of patched rags and living in retirement, who will claim they are practicing the true way, despising and looking down on all humankind. Greedy for profit and support, they will preach the Law to white-robed laymen and will be respected and revered by the world as though they were arhats who possess the six transcendental powers. These men with evil in their hearts, constantly thinking of worldly affairs, will borrow the name of forest-dwelling monks and take delight in proclaiming our faults, saying things like this: ‘These monks are greedy for profit and support and therefore they preach non-Buddhist doctrines and fabricate their own scriptures to delude the people of the world. Because they hope to gain fame and renown thereby they make distinctions when preaching this sutra.’ Because in the midst of the great assembly they constantly try to defame us, they will address the rulers, high ministers, Brahmans, and householders, as well as the other monks, slandering and speaking evil of us, saying, ‘These are men of perverted views who preach non-Buddhist doctrines!’” The Great Teacher Miao-lo makes the following comment: “Third is a section that exposes the arrogance and presumption of those who pretend to be sages.” This sutra passage and Miao-lo’s comment on it convey the following meaning. In the evil age there will be many monks who equip themselves with the three robes and one begging bowl and live in a deserted and quiet place, conducting themselves like Mahākāshyapa and the other arhats who have acquired the three insights and the six transcendental powers, respected and revered by the lay believers. When they speak one word regarding the doctrine, it seems like a golden word uttered by the Thus Come Onehimself. These monks will speak slanderously of those who practice the Lotus Sutra, addressing the rulers and high ministers and saying in an attempt to destroy them, “These are men of perverted views and their doctrines are erroneous in nature!”

We confront the authorities and the slanderous Nichiren sects.

"The sutra states, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,” and “If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.” A commentary says, “Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.” Another commentary says, “In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.” Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not even I can save you in your next life."

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The third day of the eighth month in the second year of Kenji (1276), cyclical sign hinoe-ne

To Soya

"Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.”

What does this mean for Daisaku Ikeda, the SGI Vice Presidents and senior leaders, High Priest Nichinyo, and the Nichiren Shu Priests? Why do these men hate us, we who assert, "Above all, follow your Original Teacher Shakyamuni as did Nichiren?" For the same reason  they hated Nichiren. We confront the authorities and the slanderous Nichiren sects.

This is true equality. This is the true Wheel of the Law with the Original Buddha as the axle. Everyone else, including Daisaku Ikeda and his high paid Vice Presidents, the High Priests of the Nichiren Shoshu, and the Nichiren Shu Priests in their flowing robes, are but the spokes of the wheel [as are we]. The wheel will continue to roll without one or several spokes and no one is indispensable in rolling the Wheel of the Law except the Original Teacher without whom the wheel would cease to roll. These people will either have to get real jobs because inscribing and distributing Gohonzon, officiating at weddings and funerals, and ideally, confronting the authorities, doesn't pay much or they will have to move into cottages and huts as did Nichiren. They are not happy with the men, women, and teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth..

These Rev. Ikes of Nichiren Buddhism, "Don't you want your preacher lookin' fine.", couldn't live for a day like Shakyamuni Buddha or Nichiren Daishonin.

Kitagawa Zenchō 北川前肇 The Words of the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren’s Thought.... [Of this there is no doubt]

https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4328

The BS begins at 11:56

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/video/iwa_video.phpiwa=May_2016_1

Nichiren means what he says

"It is not enough to assume that Myoho Renge Kyo is the Lotus Sutra". Nor is it accurate to say that the Lotus Sutra is Shakyamuni's life in sumi ink. The energy of our practice and living movement for Kosen Rufu derives from Nichiren's wisdom of the correct reading of the Lotus Sutra. The Tendai (Tien Tai) sect of Japan did not understand the Lotus Sutra or put faith into its propogation as Nichiren did. For Nichiren it is simply Nam Myoho Renge Kyo alone. The fact that he used Shakyamuni as a way for the people of his time to understand was simply like that of a fisherman who employs a lure to bait the fish. Those Japanese monks who saw Nichiren as a Bodhisattava underling of Shakyamuni Buddha do not understand the principle of wisdom which leads to the "equality of all Buddhas". and were simply swayed by fear of the political power structure of feudal Japan. This issue is embodied in the difference between Nikko Shonin's practice and Niko Shonin's practice in the Minobu contraversy." -- Eric Toro SGI Senior Leader

I have already refuted these concepts in Nichiren's comprehensive teachings on Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo chapter:
http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on.html

https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on_22.html

https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/07/nichirens-comprehensive-teachings-on_65.html; 

and in my response to Dave Baldshun, SGI Vice Study Department Chief:

Understanding The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

By Dave Baldschun

SGI-USA Vice Study Department Leader

Here is the first part of my refutation, If you wish to see the entire refutation, e-mail me.

Dave Baldschun: "Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, SGI President Ikeda has said, “The Gosho are the Buddhist scripture for the Latter Day of the Law” (“The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings,”April 2002 Living Buddhism, p. 8)."

Mark: Let us never forget that we chant Namu Myoho renge kyo, devotion to the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo), not Namu Gosho or devotion to the Gosho. The Lotus Sutra was preached for all people of this Latter Age equally without regard to their capacities. The Gosho was often preached according to the capacity of the individual recipient of the Gosho. In just this first introductory sentence of Dave Baldschun's essay, we have a grievous omission and lack of understanding.

Dave Baldschun: "Studying his writings is an essential part of our Buddhist practice. Reading them can be gratifying and inspiring; it can also be challenging and, without understanding the context in which he wrote, it can be confusing."

Mark: Yes and we should never forget the Lotus Sutra which Nichiren lived and cherished:

"The physical and spiritual which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two distinct aspects; thus the Buddha’s mind found expression as the written words of the Lotus Sutra. These written words are the Buddha’s mind in a different form. Therefore, those who read the Lotus Sutra must not regard it as consisting of mere written words, for those words are in themselves the Buddha’s mind." (On Wooden and Painted Images)

There is no doubt that, here, Nichiren is referencing the twenty-eight Chapter Lotus Sutra. To rely on the SGI to gain understanding and resolve confusion, rather than the Lotus Sutra, is a futile endeavor. Dave Baldschun hides critical information necessary to understand the teachings. Nichiren cherished the twenty-eight Chapter Lotus Sutra till the very last moment of his life.

Dave Baldschun: "Underlying everything Nichiren wrote and did was his boundless compassion and vow to relieve the suffering of all people. He was willing to endure anything for the sake of the Law. He was genuinely humble and at the same time, supremely confident. He was not arrogant. All of this is reflected in his writings. Some of his works are easy to understand, poetic in their beauty and heart rending. Others are more difficult—some because they address doctrinal distortions of his day and others because he references societal views of thirteenth century Japan that seem archaic by today’s standards."

Mark: Thanks to SGI and Taisekaji, the writings have become somewhat difficult to understand and muddled. By forging Gosho and altering Gosho or their translations, a correct understanding of the Gosho has become more difficult. Certainly however, it is not a monumental task and is accessible to everyone, even a beginner on the path. The Nichiren Lotus Sutra faith and practice enables everyone to traverse the thickets of misunderstanding and more importantly, to understand the heart of the Daishonin.

The Lotus Sutra states:

"Of yore i made a vow,

Wishing to cause all creatures

to rank equally without difference with me.

According to the vow I made of old,

Now[all] has been perfectly fulfilled....

[But] the unwitting [remain] confused

And, going astray, never accept my teaching.

I know that all these creatures

Have never practiced the fundemental goodness,

Are firmly attatched to the five desires,

And through infatuation are in distress;

By reason of these desires,

They fall into the three evil paths;

Transmigrating in the six states of existence,

They suffer the utmost misery

Received into the womb in minute form,

Life after life they ever increase and grow,

Poor in virtue and little happiness.

They are oppressed by all the distresses;

They have entered the thickets of heretical views,

Such as 'existence' or nonexistence';

Relying on these [false] views

Altogether sixty-two,

They are deeply attatched to these false laws,

Firmly holding, unable to give them up,

Self sufficient and self inflated,

Suspicious, crooked, and faithless in mind;

During thousands and milliards of kalpas

They have not heard the name of a buddha,

Nor have they heard the True Law. (Lotus Sutra Chapter 2)

If it was so difficult to sort things out, if only one could do so through the Soka Gakkai and the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda, the Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin would be great liars.

Dave Baldschun: "Although he was absolutely confident in his teachings, he was not dogmatic about them. In the “Opening of the Eyes,” he states, “As long as persons of wisdom do not prove my teachings to be false, I will never yield!” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,p. 280).

Mark: How strange that Dave Baldschun would even bring up the idea of Nichiren Daishonin as dogmatic! Nichiren was confident because he had the Scripture of the Fine Dharma and a multitude of experiences to back up his teachings and assertions. Certainly the SGI President and leaders are not persons of wisdom to prove Nichiren's teachings false, although they have tried their best with such teachings as their person above the Law mentor-disciple rubbish and interfaith. The entire purpose of Dave's article is to alter the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, to shoehorn the wide and deep teachings of Nichiren into the narrow and shallow mold of SGI. It is SGI teaching that "Nichiren said this but meant that."

Dave Baldschun: “In his writings,” President Ikeda has said, “the Daishonin repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the heart in Buddhist practice. While on the one hand he teaches that faith and courage are the powers and functions of the heart that enable us to open the world of Buddhahood in our lives, he also cautions against negative functions of the heart such as disbelief and cowardice, which close us off to our potential for Buddhahood. His writings are really a teaching of the heart” (April 2002 Living Buddhism, p. 9).

Mark: How bizarre! The great Nichiren being critiqued by the spiritual pipsqeak Daisaku Ikeda. No one needs Daisaku Ikeda to teach that both hell and heaven exist in the heart because Nichiren already taught that "Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself; both lie only within one’s own heart." (Hell is the Land of tranquil Light).

SGI makes Buddhism appear so difficult, beyond the capacity of ordinary people to comprehend and like some endless austerity. This is to bind and enslave people to the Soka Gakkai and the "Three Presidents" which they have incorporated in their Essential Services. Nichiren, on the other hand, stated,

"A baby has no conscious understanding but, taking the mother’s breast, grows naturally." (This is What I Heard)

Chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo with a correct faith and practice to the Gohonzon is the most important cause and condition to avoid disbelief and cowardice. Reading the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin is the other cause and condition required to develop faith and courage.

As you will see, one way the SGI supports their teachings, is by taking things out of context. That is why we must read the entire Gosho again and again. That is why I put together the 100 passages of Proof demonstrating that Shakyamuni is the Original Eternal Buddha.

Dave Baldschun: '"It is important, therefore, not to take his writings out of context or in a literal sense that was not intended, as highlighted by the following questions and answers.

What does Nichiren mean by the Lotus Sutra? Once Nichiren revealed that the Law of the Lotus Sutra was Nam-myoho-renge kyo, the view of the Lotus Sutra was forever changed. In the context of Shakyamuni’s teaching, in which the Law remains hidden, the Lotus Sutra is provisional. When Nichiren writes about the Lotus Sutra, he does so based on his conviction that the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the correct teaching and practice for our age.

He states “Even if they pray to the gods, the Buddha, or the Lotus Sutra, these calamities will only be aggravated. But it is different when the votary of the Lotus Sutra offers prayers to the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In the final analysis, unless we succeed in demonstrating that this teaching is supreme, these disasters will continue unabated” (“The Treatment of Illness,” WND, 1114).

Mark: Let me put this passage in context for the sake of the future Bodhisattvas of the Earth since the SGI is loathe to do so:

"The three calamities and seven disasters of these past thirty years or more, however, are due solely to the fact that the entire country of Japan hates me, Nichiren. In province after province, district after district, and village after village, everyone from the ruler on down to the common people seethes in anger against me such as the world has never seen. This is the first time that the fundamental darkness has erupted in the lives of ordinary people caught in the illusions of thought and desire. Even if they pray to the gods, the Buddha, or the Lotus Sutra, these calamities will only be aggravated. But it is different when the votary of the Lotus Sutra offers prayers to the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In the final analysis, unless we succeed in demonstrating that this teaching is supreme, these disasters will continue unabated"

Here, what Nichiren Daishonin means by the "essential teaching" is a bodily reading of the Lotus Sutra, the twenty- eight Chapter Lotus Sutra. Thus he states, in the next sentence, " Some people practiced them to an extent but encountered few difficulties because there were no powerful opponents." "Powerful opponents" derive from Chapter 13 of the Lotus Sutra. Apart from the twenty-eight Chapter Lotus Sutra, there is no votary. He is also teaching that even should the SGI chant the Daimoku or invoke the gods or the Buddha, because they have a warped faith and hate the True Votary of the Lotus Sutra (they hate Nichiren because they alter his teachings), their prayers will remain unanswered.

In one fell swoop, Dave Baldshun calls the entire Lotus Sutra provisional, He would have us throw away the entire Lotus Sutra when Nichiren taught that we can not even discard the Theoretical Section represented by the Hoben-pon, let alone the Essential section represented by the Juryo-hon. Is he not an extremely evil man, walking in the footsteps of his master, Daisaku Ikeda?

Here too is the perfect example of the SGI withholding information, hiding the teachings of the Gosho, and doing that which they advise us not to do: '"It is important, therefore, not to take his writings out of context or in a literal sense that was not intended, as highlighted by the following questions and answers." But that is exactly what he did. He took this passage out of context. Apparently, The SGI leaders are incapable of doing what they say, thus not even realizing one of the very initial stages of Buddhist Enlightenment, the stage where one does as one says.

Fortunately, not everyone accepts what the SGI teaches uncritically. I advise everyone to study the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho on their own and in their entirety. I advise everyone also, to not to accept what we say here uncritically. If you examine  side by side our [The Bodhisattvas of the Earth] teachings with the SGI teachings in light of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho, you can determine for yourselves the relative merits of both.

Dave Balsdchun: Nichiren used the imagery and principles of the Lotus Sutra as the basis for his inscription of the Gohonzon. Therefore, when he refers to the Lotus Sutra, he is often, in fact, referring to the Gohonzon.

Mark: This is patently untrue. When Nichiren states, "Lotus Sutra", he means Lotus Sutra. Rarely, if ever, when Nichiren states, "Lotus Sutra", does he mean Gohonzon or Namu Myoho renge kyo. Study the Sutra. Study the Gosho, particularly the Five Major Works. They are not called the Five Major Works for nothing. I suggest, if Dave is going to throw out the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) that he doesn't chant Namu (Myoho renge kyo). In his heart, I think, he chants something else. One other thing, I have heard the SGI say, "The Gosho is the Lotus Sutra of the modern age." I have also heard them say, "The Human Revolution is the Lotus Sutra [or Gosho] for the modern age." I must point out for their sake as well as for those who would be bamboozled by their ornate but meaningless rhetoric, that we do not chant Namu Gosho nor Namu Human Revolution. We chant Namu Myoho renge kyo (Lotus Sutra).

Dave Baldschun: What does it mean when Nichiren refers to himself as a votary of the Lotus Sutra? When Nichiren identifies himself as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, he is stating that he is a votary of the Lotus Sutra of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the context of his teaching. Nichiren used the Lotus Sutra like a blueprint for the inscription of the Gohonzon and it is often used as a metaphor for the Gohonzon. Therefore, he is stating that he is a votary of the Gohonzon. He is not a votary of Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra in which the Law and the Gohonzon remain hidden and theoretical.

Mark: How duplicitous is the SGI! They pay Burton Watson hundreds of thousands of dollars to translate the Lotus Sutra and they promote it, making a lot of money off it, the Intitute of Oriental Philosophy buys priceless ancient fragments of the Lotus Sutra and goes around teaching the scholars in India how wonderful the Lotus Sutra is but, to their members, the recipient of this writing by Dave Baldschun, they say, "close, ignore and abandon" the Lotus Sutra. It is frightening [Dave Baldshun's and Daisaku Ikeda's fate]. The Daimoku (Namu Myoho renge kyo) is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the body. If you kill the body, the heart dies and visa versa. SGI is killing both the Lotus Sutra and it's heart.

When Nichiren says, "Gohonzon" or "mandala", he means Gohonzon or mandala and when he says "Lotus Sutra", he means Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo).