The Forceful Practices

It is important to determine how and when the gentle [shoju] and forceful preaching [shakubuku] methods  are to be performed. Nichiren writes:

"There are monks who preach the Dharma in various ways, but still they are not able to utter 'the lion's roar' and refute evil persons who deny the Dharma. Monks of this kind can bring no merit 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 are incapable of attaining Buddhahood." (Opening of the Eyes)

The SGI, the Nichiren Shu, and the Nichiren Shoshu argue that the shoju method is the predominant preaching method to be employed in the USA, [at this time] because the USA is merely a passively evil country:

"When the country is full of ignorant or evil persons, then shoju is the primary method to be applied, as described in the Anrakugyo chapter. But at a time when there are many persons of perverse views who slander the Law, then shakubuku should come first, as described in the Fukyo chapter." (ibid)

"...This is because there are two kinds of countries, the country that is passively evil, and the kind that actively seeks to destroy the Law. We must consider carefully to which category Japan at the present time belongs."(ibid).

They cite as proof that the USA is merely passively evil since we are allowed to practice and spread the True Law throughout the United States. 

On the other hand, Nichiren teaches in the Gift of Rice:

"The sixth volume of the Lotus Sutra reads, "No affairs of life or work are in any way different from the ultimate reality" and "The true path of life lies in the affairs of this world." 

Here are some ways the USA is actively evil: 1). It is engaged in war after war. 2). It has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. 3). It is one of the greatest sources of global pollution. 4). It is the most glaring example of greed is good and other perverse views 5). It is the most powerful Christian country in the world. The USA has killed, is killing, and will kill many potential votaries of the Lotus Sutra. It therefore is actively engaged in destroying the Law. 

If we are incapable of uttering the lion's roar, we will fail to attain Buddhahood.

"When the time is right to propagate the supreme teaching, the provisional teachings become enemies. If they are a source of confusion, they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the two types of practice, this is shakubuku, the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With good reason, T-ien-t'ai stated: 'The practice of the Lotus Sutra is shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.'  The four easy practices in the Anrakugyo chapter are shoju. To carry them out in this age would be as foolish as sowing seeds in winter and expecting to reap the harvest in spring." (On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings)

There are three aspects to attaining Buddhahood through the power of the Lotus Sutra. The first is faith, the second is practice, and the third is study. Practice encompasses practice for oneself and practice for others. There are two methods of practice for others, the shoju method (gentle approach) and the shakabuku method (forceful approach). We can liken the two approaches to the gentle compassion of a mother and the strict compassion of a father. If a child's problem behavior is not overly serious the mother, through gentle caring and guidance can assist the child. If a child's problem behavior is totally out of control, the child carrying a gun to school, for example, the strict and stern admonishments of a father is appropriate to alter the destructive course of the child. The two methods of propagation are like this.

In the world, during the times of Shoho (~ 3000-2000 years ago) and  Zoho (~ 2000-1000 years ago), society and individuals (as a whole) exhibited only mildly abherent and abhorant behaviors, so the shoju method was the principle and appropriate method to employ to awaken the people. From approximately 1000 years ago to the present, individuals and society became so steeped in the Three Poisons (Anger, Avarice and Stupidity) that shakabuku became the principle and appropriate method of propagation.

"In terms of the practices to be adopted, there are shoju and shakabuku. It is a mistake to practice shakabuku at time when shoju is called for, and equally erroneous to practice shoju when shakabuku is appropriate. The first thing to be determined, therefore, is whether the present period is the time for shoju or the time for shakabuku." (Conversations between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man).

"The methods of shoju and shakubuku are also like this. When the True Law alone is propagated and there are no erroneous doctrines or misguided teachers, then one may enter the deep valleys and live in quiet contentment, devoting his time to reciting and copying the Sutra and to the practice of meditation...But when there are provisional sects and slanderers of the Law  in the country, then it is time to set aside other matters and devote oneself to rebuking slander...One should practice shakubuku...."(ibid)

"Shoju is to practiced when throughout the entire country only the Lotus Sutra has spread, and when there is not even a single misguided teacher expounding erroneous doctrines.

We live in a horrendous time.

In his treatise, The Establishment of the Right Law to Save the Country, Nichiren states:

"We should rather eliminate heretical teachings than perform ten thousand prayers."

"But the present age is a defiled one. Because the minds of people are warped and twisted, and provisional teachings and slander alone abound, the True Law cannot prevail. In times like these, it is useless to practice the reading, reciting and copying [of the Lotus Sutra] or to devote oneselves to the methods and practices of meditation. One should practice ONLY shakabuku, and if one has the capacity, use his influence and authority to destroy slander of the Law, and his knowledge of teachings to refute erroneous doctrines."(ibid).

The Daishonin states in another Gosho, "All teachings are ultimately the revelation of Buddhist truth". Shakabuku is the method for refuting teachings when they are a source of slander or confusion. Included among these teachings are the the omniscience of science and Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and occult theology. All these teachings lead to suffering and their adherents all assert that their teachings are equal or superior to those of the Lotus Sutra. These teachings and their adherents must be taken severely to task, as Aryasinha did, even at the cost of his life. Do you think Aryasinha lost his life for practicing shoju?

There is a balance between the preservation of the purity of the teachings and a liberal interpretation of the teachings in order to convince others to convert. If you compromise the teachings in your eagerness to be everything to everybody, you end up being nothing to nobody. In effect you are doing neither shoju nor shakabuku but merely destroying the teachings. Is this not the case with the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shu today?

In those few cases when a person is either readily ammenable to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra or when a Lotus Sutra adherent's faith and practice is basically correct and one's faults not overly serious, no strict admonishments are necessary. In this case, the shoju method may be employed. Having faith in Jesus while praying to the Gohonzon, is a serious transgression. Another example is studying the Human Revolution at the expense of studying the Lotus Sutra.

Speaking about Brahamanism, Nichiren writes:

"Erroneous teachings such as these are too numerous to be counted. Their adherents pay as much respect and honor to the teachers who propounded them as the various deities pay to the God Taishaku or the court ministers pay to the ruler of the empire But not a single person who adheres to these ninety five higher or lower teachings ever escape from the cycle of birth and death." (Opening of the Eyes)

In reference to Taoists he declares:

"But since such a man knows nothing about the past or the future, he can not assist his parents, his sovereign or his teacher in making provisions for their future lives, and he is therefore guilty of failing to repay the debt he owes them. Such a person is not a true wise man or sage."(ibid)

We would never employ gentle practices with the Hindu or Taoist adherents, why should we with Christian adherents?

The Lotus Sutra states, "In the whole universe there are not even two vehicles, how much less a third."(LS Ch. 2).

Nichiren Daishonin was a very strict teacher out of great compassion for humanity. In one of his Five Major Writings, "Establishing the Right Law to Save the Country", he  teaches that the cause of personal, societal, and environmental problems are mistaken ideas, false views, false religions, and false beliefs. He asserted, whether to use one or the other methods (gentle or assertive), depends not on the inborn capacity of the individual, not on the land, and not on the order of propagation [of the teachings] but rather on the time and the teachings themselves. During the Former and Middle Days, one gained emancipation through shoju but today in Mappo, the defiled degenerate age, one gains emancipation through the shakabuku method. Only the most powerful medicine will do for the most serious illnesses: Nuclear weapons, war having killed hundreds of millions of people in the twentieth century alone, pollution, famine, , massive earthquakes, floods, nuclear accidents,  new deadly strains of disease, the destruction of the rain forests, massive and growing dead zones in the sea..., problems one would expect to encounter in this Defiled Age. Nichiren  Daishonin taught these are caused by the rampancy of misleading philosophies and religions incapable of transforming the Three Poisons [Greed, Anger, and Animality] into the Three Noble Attributes of the Buddha, Dharma Body, wisdom, and emancipation.

Nichiren performed the forceful practices towards all save for his own faithful disciples and believers. The heretical sectarians of his day and even some of his "adherents" arrogantly admonished him to cease and desist, that his methods were too confrontational, too difficult to practice. In response to such criticism, he wrote:

"Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles....I was born as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity and distress." (Establishing the Right Law for the Peace of the Land)

The provisional Buddhist teachings have sprouted here and there like so many weeds, even in the United States. There are more than one thousand provisional Buddhist denominations and permutations and their evil doctrines are embraced by millions of believers or supporters. Even worse, radical Christian fundamentalism and Bibleism is spreading to all corners of the heartland, its adherents actively working to stifle the sowing of the seeds of Myoho and to destroy our basic human rights of free speech and freedom of religion.

Let us forcefully awaken them to the best of our ability, teaching them of the manifest evil of their misguided beliefs and the workings of the Law of Cause and Effect. It is not the time to employ the gentle practices. We must assiduosly practice shakabuku.

THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018

Nichiren on the forceful practices

It is important to determine how and when the gentle [shoju] and forceful preaching  [shakubuku] methods  are to be performed. Nichiren writes:

"There are monks who preach the Dharma in various ways, but still they are not able to utter 'the lion's roar' and refute evil persons who deny the Dharma. Monks of this kind can bring no merit 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 are incapable of attaining Buddhahood." (Opening of the Eyes)

The SGI, the Nichiren Shu, and the Nichiren Shoshu argue that the shoju method is the predominant preaching method to be employed in the USA, [at this time] because the USA is merely a passively evil country:

"When the country is full of ignorant or evil persons, then shoju is the primary method to be applied, as described in the Anrakugyo chapter. But at a time when there are many persons of perverse views who slander the Law, then shakubuku should come first, as described in the Fukyo chapter." (ibid)

"...This is because there are two kinds of countries, the country that is passively evil, and the kind that actively seeks to destroy the Law. We must consider carefully to which category Japan at the present time belongs."(ibid).

They cite as proof that the USA is merely passively evil since we are allowed to practice and spread the True Law throughout the United States. 

On the other hand, Nichiren teaches in the Gift of Rice:

"The sixth volume of the Lotus Sutra reads, "No affairs of life or work are in any way different from the ultimate reality" and "The true path of life lies in the affairs of this world." 

Here are some ways the USA is actively evil: 1). It is engaged in war after war. 2). It has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. 3). It is the greatest source of global pollution. 4). It is the most glaring example of greed is good and other perverse views 5). It is the most powerful Christian country in the world. Since, at the very least, the USA has killed, is killing, and will kill many potential votaries of the Lotus Sutra, it actively seeks to destroy the Law. 

Nichiren teaches that, if we are incapable of uttering the lion's roar, we will fail to attain Buddhahood.

"When the time is right to propagate the supreme teaching, the provisional teachings become enemies. If they are a source of confusion, they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the two types of practice, this is shakubuku, the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With good reason, T-ien-t'ai stated: 'The practice of the Lotus Sutra is shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.'  The four easy practices in the Anrakugyo chapter are shoju. To carry them out in this age would be as foolish as sowing seeds in winter and expecting to reap the harvest in spring." (On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings)

There are three aspects to attaining Buddhahood through the power of the Lotus Sutra. The first is faith, the second is practice, and the third is study. Practice encompasses practice for oneself and practice for others. There are two methods of practice for others, the shoju method (gentle approach) and the shakabuku method (forceful approach). We can liken the two approaches to the gentle compassion of a mother and the strict compassion of a father. If a child's problem behavior is not overly serious the mother, through gentle caring and guidance can assist the child. If a child's problem behavior is totally out of control, the child carrying a gun to school, for example, the strict and stern admonishments of a father is appropriate to alter the destructive course of the child. The two methods of propagation are like this.

In the world, during the times of Shoho (~ 3000-2000 years ago) and  Zoho (~ 2000-1000 years ago), society and individuals (as a whole) exhibited only mildly abherent and abhorant behaviors, so the shoju method was the principle and appropriate method to employ to awaken the people. From approximately 1000 years ago to the present, individuals and society became so steeped in the Three Poisons (Anger, Avarice and Stupidity) that shakabuku became the principle and appropriate method of propagation.

"In terms of the practices to be adopted, there are shoju and shakabuku. It is a mistake to practice shakabuku at time when shoju is called for, and equally erroneous to practice shoju when shakabuku is appropriate. The first thing to be determined, therefore, is whether the present period is the time for shoju or the time for shakabuku." (Conversations between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man).

"The methods of shoju and shakubuku are also like this. When the True Law alone is propagated and there are no erroneous doctrines or misguided teachers, then one may enter the deep valleys and live in quiet contentment, devoting his time to reciting and copying the Sutra and to the practice of meditation...But when there are provisional sects and slanderers of the Law  in the country, then it is time to set aside other matters and devote oneself to rebuking slander...One should practice shakubuku...."(ibid)

"Shoju is to practiced when throughout the entire country only the Lotus Sutra has spread, and when there is not even a single misguided teacher expounding erroneous doctrines.

We live in a horrendous time.

In his treatise, The Establishment of the Right Law to Save the Country, Nichiren states:

"We should rather eliminate heretical teachings than perform ten thousand prayers."

"But the present age is a defiled one. Because the minds of people are warped and twisted, and provisional teachings and slander alone abound, the True Law cannot prevail. In times like these, it is useless to practice the reading, reciting and copying [of the Lotus Sutra] or to devote oneselves to the methods and practices of meditation. One should practice ONLY shakabuku, and if one has the capacity, use his influence and authority to destroy slander of the Law, and his knowledge of teachings to refute erroneous doctrines."(ibid).

The Daishonin states in another Gosho, "All teachings are ultimately the revelation of Buddhist truth". Shakabuku is the method for refuting teachings when they are a source of slander or confusion. Included among these teachings are the the omniscience of science and Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and occult theology. All these teachings lead to suffering and their adherents all assert that their teachings are equal or superior to those of the Lotus Sutra. These teachings and their adherents must be taken severely to task, as Aryasinha did, even at the cost of his life. Do you think Aryasinha lost his life for practicing shoju?

There is a balance between the preservation of the purity of the teachings and a liberal interpretation of the teachings in order to convince others to convert. If you compromise the teachings in your eagerness to be everything to everybody, you end up being nothing to nobody. In effect you are doing neither shoju nor shakabuku but merely destroying the teachings. Is this not the case with the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shu today?

In those few cases when a person is either readily ammenable to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra or when a Lotus Sutra adherent's faith and practice is basically correct and one's faults not overly serious, no strict admonishments are necessary. In this case, the shoju method may be employed. Having faith in Jesus while praying to the Gohonzon, is a serious transgression. Another example is studying the Human Revolution at the expense of studying the Lotus Sutra.

Speaking about Brahamanism, Nichiren writes:

"Erroneous teachings such as these are too numerous to be counted. Their adherents pay as much respect and honor to the teachers who propounded them as the various deities pay to the God Taishaku or the court ministers pay to the ruler of the empire But not a single person who adheres to these ninety five higher or lower teachings ever escape from the cycle of birth and death." (Opening of the Eyes)

In reference to Taoists he declares:

"But since such a man knows nothing about the past or the future, he can not assist his parents, his sovereign or his teacher in making provisions for their future lives, and he is therefore guilty of failing to repay the debt he owes them. Such a person is not a true wise man or sage."(ibid)

We would never employ gentle practices with the Hindu or Taoist adherents, why should we with Christian adherents?

The Lotus Sutra states, "In the whole universe there are not even two vehicles, how much less a third."(LS Ch. 2).

Nichiren Daishonin was a very strict teacher out of great compassion for humanity. In one of his Five Major Writings, "Establishing the Right Law to Save the Country", he  teaches that the cause of personal, societal, and environmental problems are mistaken ideas, false views, false religions, and false beliefs. He asserted, whether to use one or the other methods (gentle or assertive), depends not on the inborn capacity of the individual, not on the land, and not on the order of propagation [of the teachings] but rather on the time and the teachings themselves. During the Former and Middle Days, one gained emancipation through shoju but today in Mappo, the defiled degenerate age, one gains emancipation through the shakabuku method. Only the most powerful medicine will do for the most serious illnesses: Nuclear weapons, war having killed hundreds of millions of people in the twentieth century alone, pollution, famine, , massive earthquakes, floods, nuclear accidents,  new deadly strains of disease, the destruction of the rain forests, massive and growing dead zones in the sea..., problems one would expect to encounter in this Defiled Age. Nichiren  Daishonin taught these are caused by the rampancy of misleading philosophies and religions incapable of transforming the Three Poisons [Greed, Anger, and Animality] into the Three Noble Attributes of the Buddha, Dharma Body, wisdom, and emancipation.

Nichiren performed the forceful practices towards all save for his own faithful disciples and believers. The heretical sectarians of his day and even some of his "adherents" arrogantly admonished him to cease and desist, that his methods were too confrontational, too difficult to practice. In response to such criticism, he wrote:

"Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles....I was born as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity and distress." (Establishing the Right Law for the Peace of the Land)

The provisional Buddhist teachings have sprouted here and there like so many weeds, even in the United States. There are more than one thousand provisional Buddhist denominations and permutations and their evil doctrines are embraced by millions of believers or supporters. Even worse, radical Christian fundamentalism and Bibleism is spreading to all corners of the heartland, its adherents actively working to stifle the sowing of the seeds of Myoho and to destroy our basic human rights of free speech and freedom of religion.

Let us forcefully awaken them to the best of our ability, teaching them of the manifest evil of their misguided beliefs and the workings of the Law of Cause and Effect. It is not the time to employ the gentle practices. We must assiduosly practice shakabuku.

Opening of the Eyes: Five Holy Proclamations MAIN DISCOURSE Part 2 Chapter VIII with Commentary

I, Nichiren believe as soon as the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra appears, all those gods such as the Sun God and the Moon God who heard the preaching of the Lotus in three meetings at two places (on Mt. Sacred Eagle and in a stupa appearing high in the sky) will hurry to his aid just as a magnet attracts pieces of iron and the moon reflects itself on the water. They will bear his difficulties and carry out the vows they made before the Buddha at those meetings.

Nevertheless, they have not come to rescue me, Nichiren. Is it because I am not a votary of the Lotus Sutra? I must reconsider the sutra in light of my own background in order to see what is wrong with me.

Some might ask how do I know that the Pure Land and Zen Schools today are enemies of the Lotus Sutra and 'evil friends' of all people. To this I would not answer in my own words. Instead, I would show them the ugly faces of the slanderers of the true dharma reflected in the mirror of sutras and commentaries although I can't help those who were born blind.

In the eleventh chapter, "The Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures," in the Lotus Sutra fascicle four, it is written:

Then Taho Buddha in the stupa of treasures offered

half of his seat to Sakyamuni Buddha and the great

crowd saw the two Buddhas sit cross-legged on the

lion-shaped throne in the stupa of the seven treasures.

Sakyamuni Buddha spoke out resoundingly to monks,

nuns, laymen, and laywomen: 'who will expound the

Lotus Sutra widely in this world? Now is the time. I

shall enter Nirvana before long, and therefore hope

to transmit this Lotus Sutra to someone so that it may

be preserved after My death.'

This was the first proclamation of the Buddha. 'Then Sakyamuni Buddha, wishing to repeat what he had said, declared in verse in the same chapter":

The Saintly Master, the Taho Buddha,

Who had passed away a long time ago,

Came riding in the stupa of treasures

For the sake of the dharma

Why don't you, everyone

Strive to preserve the dharma?

Buddhas in My manifestation

As numerous in number

As the sand in the Ganges River

Also came to hear the dharma.

Leaving their wonderful worlds,

Parting from their disciples,

And giving up the offerings made to them

By gods, men, and dragon-gods,

They came here to have the dharma

Forever preserved

Just as a strong wind

Sways the twigs of a tree

Those Buddhas employ these expedients

To have the dharma forever preserved.

Listen everyone!

Who will uphold this sutra,

And read and recite it

After my death?

Now is the time for you

To make your vows before Me.

This was his second proclamation. Sakyamuni continued on:

The Taho Buddha

And the Buddhas of my manifestation

Who have assembled here

Know this desire of Mine.

Good men! consider thoroughly

before making a great vow

to preach this sutra

For it is difficult to do so.

It is not so difficult

to preach all other sutras,

Which are as numerous

As the sands of the Ganges River,

It is not so difficult

To take Mt. Sumeru

And throw it over to

Countless Buddha-lands

As it is difficult

To preach this sutra

In the evil world

After My death.

It is not so difficult

To carry a stack of hay

And remain unburnt in the conflagration

Burning down the whole world

As it is difficult

To uphold this sutra

And preach to even one person

After My death.

Good men!

Who will uphold this sutra

And read and recite it

After My death?

Now is the time for you

To make a vow before the Buddha.

This was the third proclamation of Sakyamuni Buddha. The fourth and fifth, which appear in the 'Devedatta' chapter, will be considered later.

The meaning of these words in the "Appearance of the Stupa " chapter is clear. It is as clear as the great sun shining in the sky or a mole on a white face. Nevertheless, those who were born blind, those who have slanted eyes, who are one eyed, who believe that only their own teachers are wise men, or those who are stuck to false teachings will not be able to see. Despite all the difficulties, however, I will try to write down here for those who would aspire for Buddhahood.

It is difficult to have the chance of hearing the Lotus Sutra, harder than to see the once-in-3,000-years peach flowers at Hsi Wang-mu's orchard or the udonge blossom, which is said to bloom once in 3,000 years to foretell the coming of the Wheel-Turning King. You should also know that even the eight year war between Han Kao-tsu and Hsiang Yu for the control of China, the seven year war in Japan between Minamoto-no-Yoritomo and Taira-no-Munemori, the struggle for power between the asura demons and Indra, or the battle between a monster bird konji-cho and a dragon king at Lake Anavatapta, does not exceed in importance and intensity the war between the Lotus and all other sutras. The Lotus Sutra was spread over Japan twice; due to Grand Master Dengyo and me, Nichiren. Blind persons will not believe this; it can't be helped. These words in the Lotus are an assessment through the meeting of Sakyamuni, Taho, and other Buddhas from all over the universe of all the Buddhist scriptures that exist in Japan, China, India, the Dragon Palace, heaven and all the worlds of the universe.

You might wonder whether those sutras such as the Flower Garland, Hodo, Hannya, Jimmitsu, Ryoga, Great Sun Buddha, and Nirvana are among what the Lotus Sutra calls the 'nine easier' ones or the 'six difficult' ones to spread after the death of Sakyamuni Buddha. To this question, people have different answers. Flower Garland scholars such as Tu-shun, Chih-yen, Fa-tsang, and Ch'en-kuang say, 'Both the Flower Garland and Lotus Sutras are among the 'six difficult' ones. In name they are two separate sutras, but they are one in principle or in what they preach, just as there are four separate gates leading to the one one truth.'

Venerable Hsuan-tsang, Grand master T'z u-en and other Fa-hsiang scholars maintain, 'Both the Jimmitsu-kyo and Lotus Sutra are among the 'six difficult' ones because they preach the most sophisticated of the 'consciousness-only' doctrine expounded at the third or final stage, according to Fa-hsiang theology.'

Chi-tsang (Chia-hsiang) and others of the San-lun School maintain: 'The Hannya and Lotus Sutras are different in name but identical in body; they preach the same dharma.'

Venerable Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, and other Indian-Chinese Chen-yen (Shingon) scholars say, 'The Great Sun Buddha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra are the same in principle; they both are among the 'six difficult ones.' However, Grand Master Kobo in Japan states, "The Great Sun Buddha Sutra is not among either the 'six difficult' nor the 'nine easier' ones. It is not among the scriptures preached by Sakyamuni; it was preached by the 'dharma-body' of the Great Sun Buddha.' Some say, 'As the Flower Garland Sutra was preached by the 'reward-body' of the Buddha, it does not belong to either the 'six difficult' ones nor the 'nine easier' ones.' Founders and scholars of these four schools maintain this; later scholars repeat the same.

It is regrettable to say that if I, Nichiren spoke up against them without reservation, people today would not even look at me. They would further heap injustices upon me even to the point of slandering me to the king and endangering my life. Nevertheless, in the Nirvana Sutra preached under the twin sala tree, the will of our compassionate Father Sakyamuni Buddha, it is said that we should rely on the dharma preached by the Buddha, not upon interpretations by teachers. It means that bodhisattvas, who are to lead the people after the death of the Buddha, are divided into four groups. In the fourth group are the highest ranking bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra and Manjusri, and even they should not be trusted unless they preach with sutras in hand.

It is also said in the Nirvana Sutra that we should rely only upon perfect sutras, not upon the imperfect sutras. This means that we must distinguish the true sutra from provisional ones before relying upon it. In the Juju bibasha-ron by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna it is also said that we should rely upon the true sutra and not upon provisional ones. Grand Master T'ien-t'ai says, 'Adopt whatever agrees with the sutra, and not believe in that which is not found in the sutra in word or in meaning,' while Grand Master Dengyo states, 'Rely upon the words of the Buddha; do not believe in what has been transmitted orally.' Enchin, the Grand Master Chisho, states that we should transmit the Buddhas's teaching only from sutras.

Commentary:

People who think the time for clarifying the relative and absolute worth of the sutras is over are wrong. It will last for tens of centuries. Prepare yourselves for the long haul. Sutra means teaching or sound and vibration. Even the bark of the dog is a sutra. The Q'uran is a sutra. There is a hierarchy of sutras. The Lotus Sutra is the King of Sutras.

The last paragraph of this section is most profound. It supports our contention that Enlightenment and Buddhahood lies in the "Succession of the Scrolls of the Sutra" and demolishes the oral or secret teachings of the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu. It also supports the principle of relying on the Five Major Works of Nichiren rather than the inauthentic and shallow works attributed to Nichiren that are the basis of the SGI and Nichiren Shoshu theology.

Five Holy Proclamations Chapter VIII cont...

Now, as for the assessments of the sutras by the founding fathers of the four Buddhist schools, their judgments seem to conform, more or less, to sutras and their commentaries. However, they all seem to stick to the teaching of their own schools without correcting the errors of their own teachers. Their opinions are formed from egotism and distorted interpretations of sutras. It is self decorated egocentricity! Men of Vatsiputra and Vaipula Schools, after the death of the Buddha, were stronger in theology than Brahamanism before the rise of Buddhism in India. Confucianism since the Later han, when Buddhism was introduced to China, became more intricate than Confucianism in the time of the Three Emperors and Five Rulers, when Buddhism was unknown in China. In the same way, teachers of such schools as Kegon, Hosso, and Shingon, envious of T'ien-t'ai's true teaching, tend to resort to distorted interpretations of the true Lotus Sutra in order to fit it into their provisional teachings. Surely, those who aspire to enlightenment should not be biased, stay away from sectarian quarrels and not despise other people.

It is said in the Lotus that among the sutras which had already been preached, are now being preached, and will be preached, the Lotus Sutra is supreme. Commenting on this, Grand Master Miao-le states,: 'Besides the Lotus Sutra, some sutras claim to be the king of sutras, but they are not really the first among sutras as they do not claim to be one among those which have already been preached, are being preached, and will be preached.' He also asserts, 'Although the Lotus Sutra is incomparable dharma above all the scriptures preached in the past, present, and future, many are confused about this, and they will suffer for ever from slandering the true dharma.'

Surprised by this statement in the Lotus Sutra and his commentary on it, I have read all the Buddhist scriptures and commentaries by later teachers. As a result all my doubts have melted away. It is not even worth mentioning that ignorant men of the Shingon School today believe that their's is superior to the Lotus Sutra because they have finger signs and mantras or simply because Grand Master Jikaku said so.

(I) Likewise, it is said in the Mitsugon-kyo (Secret Solemnity Sutra): 'Such sutras as the Juji-kyo (Ten Stages), Flower Garland Sutra, Daiju-kimnara-kyo (Great Tree King Kimnara), Jinzu-kyo (Supernatural Powers), and Shoman-gyo (Shrimala) are all begotten from this Mitsugon-kyo. As such, this sutra is superior to all the Buddhist scriptures.'

(II) The Daiun-gyo (Great Cloud Sutra) says: 'This Daiun-gyo is the Wheel-Turning Noble King among sutras because it preaches the real nature of the people and everlasting Buddha-nature.'

(III) The Six Paramita Sutra states:

All the true dharmas preached by numerous

Buddhas in the past and all the 84,000 wonderful

dharmas I am preaching in this world can be

grouped in five categories: 1. sutras, the Buddhas

teachings; 2. commandments; 3. commentaries on

sutras; 4. Buddha-wisdom; and 5. mystic spells.

With these five, I shall preach and converty all the

people. Even if the people are incapable of upholding

the sutras, commandments, commentaries, and 

Buddha-wisdom, I can still enable them to attain

enlightenment. Even if they have committed such

sins as the 'four major sins,' 'eight major sins,' or

'five rebellious acts', or even if those issendai

(icchantika), who slander Mahayana sutras, have

committed serious sins, I can still enable them to

purge themselves of their sins and obtain emancipation

and enlightenment at once. It is to such people that I

preach the teachings of the mystic spells. These five

categories of teachings are analogous to the 'five tastes'

of milk and four milk products, the most refined of which

is the wonderful taste of "clarified butter" (daigo or ghee).

The teaching of the mystic spells is like the taste of ghee,

which is the most exquisite of the five. It can cure various

sicknesses and keep both body and mind healthy. So, the

teaching of the mystic spells is the most admirable teaching

of Buddhism because it can extinguish the serious sins of

the people.'

(IV) Next, in the Gejjimmitsu-kyo (The Profound Secrets Sutra), it is stated:

The Bodhisattva Shogiisho (Superlative Truth)

again said to the Buddha that the World Honored One was

at first in the Deer Park in Baranasi, where He preached

the true teaching of the Four Noble Truths to those who

aspires for the Hinayana sage of sravaka. It was such a

rare teaching never preached before by gods or people.

Nevertheless, the preaching preached then was imperfect,

not without room for improvement and criticism. It was the

source of endless controversy.

In the second period of preaching for those who aspired to

practice Mahayana Buddhism. the Buddha preached that all

phenomena are void without substance, without life and death,

originally constant and unchanging, and in the state of Nirvana.

This was the preaching of the true dharma without revealing the

true intention of the Buddha. It was rarer than the one preached

in the first period, but still there was room for further improvement,

It was not yet a perfect teaching and was a source of constant

squabbling.

And now in the third period, the Buddha preached, for those who

seek the teaching for all to obtain Buddhaood, that all phenomena

are void without substance, without life and death, originally constant

and unchanging, in the state of Nirvana, and of no substance. This is

the preaching of the true dharma with the Buddha's intention clearly

revealed. It is the most wonderful and rarest of all sutras. What the

Buddha preaches now is the supreme teaching with no room for

improvement or criticism. It is the perfect teaching, which could not

cause any controversy.

(V) The Daihannya-kyo (Great Wisdom Sutra) states: 'By following 

whatever teaching one listens to, either within Buddhism or outside, 

as an expedient, one can grasp the exquisite principle of the 'wisdom'

in this sutra. All worldly matters and actions can be led into ultimate 

truth by this 'wisdom." Nothing exists outside the realm of ultimate 

truth.'

(VI) It is said in the Great Sun Buddha Sutra, fascicle one:

Bodhisattva Kongo! Practicing Mahayana Buddhism

means to aspire to the teaching of void and know

that there is no 'self' in all phenomena. Why is that

so? It is because practitioners of mahayana Buddhism

in the past observing the arayashiki (alaya-consciousness),

the substance of all phenomena, knew that all phenomena

are illusory.

Bodhisattva Kongo! He thus abandoned the teaching of

egolessness, won freedom of mind, and realized that

he was originally without birth or death.

The so-called 'emptiness' is beyond the realm of the six

sensory organs and is without form or boundary, beyond

futile squabbles and is analogous to space. A phenomena

is not an entity in itself.

The great Sun Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kongo that

Buddhahood is to know one's mind as it is.

(VII) Then it is asserted in the Flower Garland Sutra:

Among the people in all worlds, there are few who

aspire to the sravaka way. Even fewer people seek

the pratyekabuddha way. Those who seek the Mahayana

teaching are extremely rare. Even then it is easier to seek

the Mahayana teaching as compared to having faith in this

Flower Garland Sutra, which is extremely difficult to do. How

much more difficult it is to uphold it, remember it correctly,

practice as it teaches, and understand it truly! It is not so

difficult to sustain on the head all the worlds in the universe

for as long as one kalpa without moving an inch as it is to

have faith in this dharma. It is not so meritorious to offer

various things of joy to people as numerous as the dust of

all the worlds in the universe for as long as one kalpa as it

is to believe in this dharma. It is not so difficult to sustain

ten Buddha-lands in a palm and float in the air for as long

as one kalpa as it is to believe in this dharma. It is not so

meritorious to offer things of joy to people as numerous

as the dust of ten Buddha-lands for as long as one kalpa

as it is to believe in this dharma. It is not so meritorious

to revere and give offerings to Buddhas as innumerable

as the dust of ten Buddha-lands for as long as one kalpa

as it is to uphold this sutra.

VIII Finally it is said in the Nirvana Sutra:

Although these Mahayana scriptures have immeasurable

merits, they can not even be compared with this Nirvana

Sutra. The latter is a hundred, a thousand, a hundred

thousand trillion times, or infinite number of times more

meritorious than the former. Good men! It is analogous to

a cow producing milk, which in turn produces cream, which

in turn produces curdled milk, which in turn produces butter,

which in turn produces clarified butter called daigo. This daigo

is the supreme product and it cures all sicknesses of the people

who take it as if it contained all medicines in it. Good men!

The Buddha is the same. He preached the Flower Garland

Sutra, which in turn produced Hodo Sutras, from which

stemmed the Hannya Sutra, from which was produced the

Nirvana Sutra. The Nirvana Sutra is like the taste of daigo,

an allegory of the Buddha-nature expounded in the Nirvana

Sutra.

Each of the eight sutras cited above thus claims to be the supreme one. However when compared to the references in the Lotus Sutra to 'the sutras preached in the past, being preached at present, and will be preached in the future' and 'six difficult' and 'nine easier ones,' those statements look like stars compared to the moon and the nine mountain ranges of the world compared to Mt. Sumeru.

Commentary:

Even Nichiren Daishonin can not open the eyes of those blind since birth. But the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) can. Nichiren Daishonin writes:

"Therefore, when you chant the daimoku of this sutra, you should be aware that it is a more joyful thing than for one who was born blind to gain sight and see one’s father and mother, and a rarer thing than for a man who has been seized by a powerful enemy to be released and reunited with his wife and children." (The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra)

"Again if anyone offers a three-thousand-great-thousandfold world full of the precious things in homage to buddhas, great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats, the merit this man gains is not equal to the surpassing happiness of he who receives and keeps but a single fourfold verse of this Law-Flower Sutra" (Lotus Sutra Chapter 23, Bodhisattva Medicine King)

The fourfold verse is none other than Namu Myoho renge kyo.

"Just as Mount Sumeru is the highest among the various mountains, so this Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) holds the highest position among all the sutras."(ibid, chapter 23)

"..., so it is also with this Law-Flower Sutra (Myoho renge kyo); amongst all the sutras it is the highest;" and "it is the most illuminating;" and "it is the most honorable;" and "it is the king of all sutras;" and "it is the father of of all the wise and holy men;" and "amongst all the sutras preached by tathagatas, bodhisattvas or preached by sravakas, it is the supreme." (ibid passages from Chapter 23)

"Star Constellation King Flower! This sutra (Myoho renge kyo) is that which can save all the living; this sutra can deliver all the living from pain and sufferings; this sutra is able to greatly benefit all the living and fulfill their desires. Just as a clear, cool pool is able to satisfy all those who are thirsty, as the cold who obtain a fire [are satisfied], as the naked who find clothing, as [a caravan of] merchants who find a leader, as children who find their mother, as at a ferry one who catches the boat, as a sick man who finds a doctor, as in the darkness one who obtains a lamp, as a poor man who finds a jewel, ...., so it is with this Law-Flower sutra; it is able to deliver all the living from all sufferings and all diseases, and is able to unloose all bonds of mortal life." (ibid Chapter 23)

"The World-honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." (ibid Chapter 2)

''In all the Buddha's lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings of the Buddha" (ibid chapter 2)

"Honestly discarding the provisional teachings, I will expound the Supreme Law (Myoho)."(ibid chapter 2)

"I have briefly described in this sutra (Myoho renge kyo) all the laws of the Buddha, all the invincible mystic powers of the buddha, all the secret storehouses of the Buddha, and all the profound practices of the Buddha." (Ibid, Chapter 21)

"The scriptures I preach number in the countless millions. Among all those I have preached, now preach and will preach, this Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." (ibid Chapter 11)

"Among all the Sutras it (Myoho renge kyo) holds the highest place" (Ibid, Chapter 14)

"If in future ages there should be one who accepts and upholds, reads and recites this sutra (Myoho renge kyo),...his wishes shall not be in vain, and he will receive his reward of good fortune in his present life." (Ibid, Chapter 28)

Five Holy Proclamations Chapter VIII cont...

Nevertheless, even such master teachers as Ch'eng-kuang of the Hua-yen School, Tz'u-en of the Fa-hsiang School, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun School, and Kobo of the Shingon School, who appeared to have the eye of a Buddha, were confused by those sutras. How much more confused are those blind present-day scholars! How can they see the comparative merits of those sutras? They are unable to perceive even a clear distinction between black and white or Mt. Sumeru and a poppy-seed, not to speak of a principle as abstract as the sky. Since they do not know the depth of the teaching, no one knows the depth of the principle preached in the teaching. As the Lotus and other sutras are in separate fascicles and are out of sequence, it is difficult to differentiate the doctrine contained in them. Therefore, I cited from the eight sutras above in order to help ignorant people. In considering kings, we must know the difference between great ones and minor ones. The Daiun-kyo, which claims to be the king of sutras, cited above, is merely a minor king.

In considering " all," we must know the difference between all of a portion and all of a total. When the Mitsugon-kyo says that it is the most superior of the scriptures, it does not mean all the Buddhist scriptures. In considering the "five tastes," we must know whether they are applicable to all Buddhism or only a portion of Buddhism. The Six Paramita Sutra cited above talks of the attainment of Buddhahood by all the people but not by men of the Two Vehicles, whose Buddha-nature has been burnt away. How much less do they speak of the Eternal Buddha! The 'five tastes' doctrine of this sutra is not equal to that of the Nirvana Sutra. How can it face up to the Lotus Sutra, either the theological section of the essential section? Confused with this sutra, however, Grand Master Kobo of Japan classified the Lotus Sutra as the fourth or the second from the top among the 'five tastes.' Even the fifth or the most refined daigo taste of the Six Paramita Sutra can not equal that of the Nirvana Sutra. How can it face up to the Lotus Sutra which is superior to the Nirvana Sutra? What happened to Grand Master Kobo? Nevertheless, he called Grand Master T'ien-t'ai and other teachers thieves when he claimed in his Kemmitsu nikyo-ron that Chinese teachers competed against one another in stealing the daigo taste of the Six Paramita Sutra. Praising his own school, he further stated in it that regrettably wise men in the past had not tasted daigo.

Leaving aside the question, I will write this for my followers. Others will not believe in me and go to hell for slandering the true dharma, which would in turn cause them to obtain Buddhahood. It is possible to know the salinity of the ocean by tasting one drop of water, and the advent of spring by seeing a flower bloom. In the same way without sailing thousands of miles over to Sung China, without spending as long as three years as Fa-hsien did to visit Mt. Sacred Eagle, without entering the Dragon Palace as Nagarjuna did, without visiting Bodhisattva Maitreya as Asanga did, or without attending the three assemblies for lectures on the Lotus Sutra (Two on Mt. Sacred Eagle and one up in the sky) you should be able to perceive the relative merits of all the sutras preached by the Buddha during His lifetime by reading this writing of mine.

As snakes are relatives of dragons, they can foretell a flood seven days before its coming. As crows had been fortune-tellers in past lives, they can foretell the fortune of the year. Birds are superior to human beings in their ability to fly. In knowing the comparative merits of sutras, I, Nichiren am superior to Ch'eng-kuan of Hua-yen, Ch'ia-hsiang of San'lun, Tz'u-en of Fa-hsian, and Kobo of Shingon. It is because I follow the tradition of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. These masters had not yielded to the authority of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo; how could they avoid the crime of slandering the true dharma?

It is I, Nichiren, who is the richest in Japan today, because I sacrifice my life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra and leave my name for posterity. Gods of rivers take orders from the masters of a great ocean, and gods of mountains follow the king of Mt. Sumeru. Likewise, when one knows the meaning of the "six difficult ones and nine easier ones" and "scriptures preached in past, are preached at present, and will be preached in the future" in the Lotus Sutra, one would automatically know the comparative merits of all Buddhist scriptures without reading them.

Besides the three proclamations made in the "Appearance of s Stupa" (11th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha issued two more proclamations in the following twelfth chapter, "Devedatta," of the same sutra with the intention of having it spread after His death. Devedatta had been reguarded as a man of issendai who did not have any possibility of attaining Buddhahood. He, nevertheless, was assured by the Buddha of becoming Tenno Buddha in the future. The forty-fascicled Nirvana Sutra has stated the existence of Buddha-nature in all, which is realized in this "Devedatta" chapter. Numerous offenders such as monk Zensho and King Ajatasatru committed the Five Rebellious sins or slandered the true dharma. Since the worst of them, Devedatta, was assured of becoming a Buddha in the future, all others would naturally be assured just as people follow the leader and twigs and leaves join a tree. That is to say, the example of Devedatta assured of being the future Tenno Buddha has made it unmistakable that all offenders of the Five Rebellious Sins or Seven Rebellious Sins, slanderers of the true dharma, and men of issendai --- all of them would attain Buddhahood someday. This is somewhat like deadly poison turning into 'nectar,' the best of all tastes.

Also, the example of a dragon girl becoming a buddha does not mean only her. It means the attainment of Buddhahood by all women. In the Hinayana sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, woman is not thought of in attaining Buddhahood. Various Mahayana sutras appear to recognize women attaining Buddhahood or women going to the Buddha land, but only after they changed themselves to the good by giving up the evil. This is not an immediate attainment of Buddhahood in this world, which can only be possible through the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine. Therefore, what the Buddha promised in those Mahayana sutras is in name only. On the other hand, the attainment of Buddhahood by a dragon girl in the Lotus Sutra is meant as an example among many, opening the way for women of the Latter Age to attain Buddhahood or reach the Buddha land.

Filial devotion in Confucianism is limited to this life. Confucian sages and wise men are in name only because they do not help parents in their future lives. Brahmins know of the past as well as the future, but they do not know how to help parents. Only Buddhism is worthy of being the way of sages and wise men, as it helps parents in future lives. However, both the Mahayana and Hinayana sutras expounded before the Lotus Sutra preach Buddhahood in name only, without substance. Therefore, the practitioners of such sutras would not be able to attain Buddhahood even for themselves, not to talk about helping parents obtain Buddhaood. Now, coming to the Lotus Sutra, when enlightenment of women was revealed, enlightenment of mothers was realized; and when a man as wicked as Devedatta could attain Buddhahood, enlightenment of fathers was realized. These are two proclamations of the Buddha in the 'Devedatta' chapter, and this is the reason why the Lotus Sutra is the sutra of the filial way among the Buddhist scriptures.

Commentary:

The Five Holy Proclamations or Five Vows of the Buddha are three vows to preserve, uphold, and transmit this sutra in the Latter Day and two vows to cause all men and all women to obtain Buddhahood [as exemplified by Devedatta and the Dragon King's daughter].

One of the responsibilities of those who would vow to transmit this sutra is that they transmit this sutra correctly. The next section of the Opening of the Eyes, On the Three Powerful Enemies of the Lotus Sutra from the 13th Chapter Exhortation to Hold Firm, goes on to further discuss this matter. We shall see who are the Three Powerful Enemies in Nichiren Daishonin's day and today and even how someone who chants the daimoku can be an enemy of the Lotus Sutra:

"At that time this sutra will be preached throughout the continent of Jambudvipa. In that age there will be evil monks who will do violence to this sutra and destroy it's unity, losing the 'color, scent and flavor' of the True Law that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this sutra, but they will ignore and put aside the vital principles that the Buddha has expounded in it and replace them with ornate rhetoric and meaningless talk. They will tear off the first part of the Sutra and stick it on the end, tear off the end and put it at the beginning, put the end and the beginning in the middle and the beginning at the middle or end. You must understand that these evil monks are the companions of the devil." (MW vol 2, Opening Of The Eyes).

The Five Holy Proclamation section is also important because, despite the harsh reality of Nichiren's exile to Sado, he proclaims that he is the richest person in Japan. This is proof of the profundity of his enlightenment and the grandeur of his life state.

He further clarifies in this section of the Kaimoku Sho that it was written for his followers who should believe what he writes since he is the very one experiencing the Lotus Sutra with his very being,

"It is possible to know the salinity of the ocean by tasting one drop of water, and the advent of spring by seeing a flower bloom."

Observing the life of Nichiren Daishonin there can be no doubt about the validity of the teachings. Also, this is the reason that his analysis of the sutras is correct. As the only one to have actually lived the king of all sutras, he is best able to explain the Sutra and analyze the relative merits of all the sutras.

Posted by Mark Rogow at 11:19 AM

1 comment:

Katie HigginsMay 18, 2016 at 9:39 PM

"Observing the life of Nichiren Daishonin there can be no doubt about the validity of the teachings. Also, this is the reason that his analysis of the sutras is correct. As the only one to have actually lived the king of all sutras, he is best able to explain the Sutra and analyze the relative merits of all the sutras."

Jose Toda, on the other hand represents a stark contrast via his writing, "On Life- The Mystery of Life" (July 1949):

"I devoted myself to reading the Lotus sutra and Nichiren Daishonin's writings. Then I came across some mysterious passages in the Lotus Sutra. To experience the meaning of those passages, I began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as the Daishonmin taught. When I finished chanting two million times, I experienced something mystic, beholding in my mind the state of existence never known to me before. Trembling with joy, I stood in my solitary cell, proclaiming to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout time and space:'I have shaken off my delusions five years behind Confucius but came to know my mission five years ahead of him."

With all due respects for Toda's 2 year imprisonment, which is recounted as an act of upholding the teachings of Nichiren, for which he was persecuted, *alongside his mentor Makiguchi*, who passed away in prison, I have to reference Toda's *persisting* delusions as they became the foundation for the Soka Gakkai.

Nichiren actually taught *Namu*, not *Nam*-- a vital fact missed by Toda, the educator, who claimed to have become enlightened during his two year prison term at the end of WWII. I wonder which writing of Nichiren's Toda is referring to, in reference to: *chanting to experience the mysterious passages he came across in the Lotus Sutra." It seems that Toda's understanding was that chanting=faith, and faith = *comprehending* the mysteries of life-- as in grasping the teaching intellectually? From there he took off in a vastly different direction from Nichiren. Jose Today emerged from prison, pumped up with pride and all set to share what *he attained*with his defeated, downtrodden countrymen. He also held a deep, hate filled grudge against a Shoshu priest he believed was directly responsible for his mentor's death in prison. (Some obvious vacancy in his study of Nichiren's writings on that score as well.)

Toda's gross perversion of the Daishonmin's teachings and his arrogant claim to * have lived passages of the Lotus Sutra* , as Nichiren described in his writings, could be explained by the effects of 2 years of solitary confinement and poor nutrition-- except that correct faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra, as taught by Nichiren would have mitigated those circumstances and produced a very different result, or rather NOT produced the forerunner to the SGI, the foremost slanderous organization in the world.

I just happened to have a copy of the reprint of Toda's article. I quoted from the paragraph I highlighted with ???? at the end-- a sort of WTF?

Thank you Mark, for your commentaries on this most enlightening Gosho study. I am finally learning why certain cherished Gakkai relics always made me feel queasy. But, more importantly, I feel that my eyes are opening to the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's profound dedication to teaching it correctly.

~Katie

Nichiren regarding Nichikan and the Nichikan Object of Worship

"...none of the Buddha images in the temples and pagodas of Japan, though their forms resemble that of the Buddha are really Buddhas in mind. Rather they have the minds of ordinary beings who live in the nine worlds." -- Nichiren

He goes on to say:

"The custom of revering ignorant teachers as though they were wise men began with this."

Forever dear leader

                                  

Scientology crazies almost as bad as Soka Gakkai crazies

                                    

Soka Gakkai cult bull baiting little different than Scientology's

                                   

More on cult bull baiting

                                       

Discuss the teachings or get lost. Cult "bull baiting" (ad hominem) will not be tolerated.

Two recent comments...~al~ and anonymous are those who can't or won't discuss the teachings.

"Mark, you are a very unhappy man with a lot of bitterness in your life. first the true BUDDHA for this time (all time) is NICHIREN DAISHONIN he said so himself and you know he did. You want to rat out a lot of very nice folks who have BUDDHIST meetings everywhere in their homes for the sake of KOSEN RUFU with a pure heart and only good will for their communities. we are not a sect at all , we are common lay sgi members and you hate that . YOU CAN NOT WIN read the GOSHO PLEASE" ~al~  

"One should realize by now that you cannot argue with insanity, anger, hatred and grandiose self delusions. Soon Dr. Rogow will have passed into the great ocean of eternity and his existence will have been like the smell of a flea farting into the wind. Still, I occasionally I find his ranting and raving an amusing sideshow as he hurls threats and insults at whomever he can suck into reading this blog. For all of his years of ranting and raving, he still only has 67 people following his blog. I check in annually to see if he is still howling at the moon. This is my annual check in, and yes, he is still howling. To each his own." -- Anonymous

Response to ~al~ and anonymous:

Only 73 followers but > 1,000,000 views. Nichiren only had a handful of followers for decades.

"This is indeed an accursed time to live in this land! However, the Buddha has commanded me to be born in this age, and it is impossible for me to go against the decree of the Dharma King. And so, as the sutra dictates, I have launched the battle between the provisional and the true teachings. Donning the armor of endurance and girding myself with the sword of the wonderful teaching, I have raised the banner of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the entire eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra. Then, drawing the bow of the Buddha’s declaration, “I have not yet revealed the truth,”4 and notching the arrow of “honestly discarding the provisional teachings,” I have mounted the carriage drawn by the great white ox and battered down the gates of the provisional teachings. Attacking first one and then another, I have refuted opponents from the eight and ten schools, such as the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts. Some have fled headlong while others have retreated, and still others have been captured to become my disciples. I continue to repulse their attacks and to defeat them, but legions of enemies exist who oppose the single Dharma King and the handful who follow him. So the battle goes on even today.

The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.” True to the letter of this golden saying, in the end, every last one of the believers of the provisional teachings and schools will be defeated and join the retinue of the Dharma King. The time will come when all people will abandon the various kinds of vehicles and take up the single vehicle of Buddhahood, and the Mystic Law alone will flourish throughout the land. When the people all chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, the wind will no longer buffet the branches, and the rain will no longer break the clods of soil. The world will become as it was in the ages of Fu Hsi and Shen Nung. In their present existence the people will be freed from misfortune and disasters and learn the art of living long. Realize that the time will come when the truth will be revealed that both the person and the Law are unaging and eternal. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the sutra’s promise of “peace and security in their present existence.”

A couple other things. To slander a votary of the Lotus Sutra is a great sin.

"In addition, a man called the Great Teacher Miao-lo further clarified this passage from the sutra, saying, “Those who slander [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles.”1 The meaning of this commentary is that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces."

"Some people may be perplexed at this point and object that, although those who do harm to the votary of the Lotus Sutra are supposed to have their heads split into seven pieces, there are people who slander the priest Nichiren and yet do not have broken heads. Are we to conclude, they may ask, that the priest Nichiren is not a true votary of the Lotus Sutra?"

continued...

Rather than saying that the head is split into seven pieces, we sometimes say that the mind is split into seven pieces. The skull bone under the scalp cracks or even breaks apart at the time of death. Many people of our own period had their heads split open in the great earthquake of the Shōka era (1257) or at the time of the appearance of the great comet in the Bun’ei era (1264). At the time their heads split open, they had a severe coughing condition, and when their five solid internal organs38 failed to function correctly, they suffered from dysentery. How could they have failed to realize that they were being punished because they slandered the votary of the Lotus Sutra!"

This is you Anonymous:

"In addition, the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter mentions three groups of people who are enemies of the Lotus Sutra. The first group consists of laymen and laywomen. These lay men and women will hate and curse the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, beat them, put them to the sword, drive them from their dwellings, or slander them to the authorities so that they are exiled to distant places. They behave toward them with pitiless enmity."

"The Dharma Teacher Chih-tu writes in Tung-ch’un: “First, regarding the verse section that begins with ‘There will be many ignorant people’: The first part tells how the votaries of the Lotus Sutra must endure evils inflicted by the body, mouth, and mind of their opponents. This refers to non-Buddhists and evil lay Buddhists. The next part that begins with ‘In that evil age’ deals with arrogant members of the Buddhist clergy. The third part that begins, ‘Or there will be forest-dwelling monks,’ deals with members of the clergy who [pretend to be sages and use their positions so that they can] act as leaders of all the other evil people.” And the same text goes on to say: “The section that begins, ‘Because in the midst of the great assembly,’ describes how these men will appeal to the government authorities, slandering the Law and its practitioners.

Lastly, who are you? Too afraid to announce yourself and with whom you are affiliated? I can only guess. Discuss the teachings or get lost.

Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin will never let you down

Everyone loves a good rally. Tony Robbins has made tens of millions of dollars off feel good big and small rallies. SGI too puts on a great show for the members: Bands a playin’; motivational speakers, one after another; testimonials; banners and songs. “We are all Buddhas.” “SGI will make world peace a reality.” “Lets all destroy the evil Nikken sect.” But looking more closely (and one doesn’t need to look real close), the Emperor Ikeda and his minions, have no clothes. There is no substance. It is all smoke and mirrors or froth on the ocean. The bad thing is that in times of real crises, the members are lost, abandoned, and humiliated. The rally becomes a whisper of gossip and innuendo. “He is sick because he has weak faith.” “His wife left him because he never attended meetings.” “He is being punished for not following guidance.” The list goes on and on. The Lotus Sutra, Buddha Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin, on the other hand, will never let you down. They will never abandon their children, they will ferry you across the great sea of suffering and will gently place you on the other shore. With the SGI at the helm, when you reach the last moment of your life, you will experience a myriad of regrets and sorrow. With Shakyamuni Buddha at the helm you will experience the joy of joys.

Another Soka Gakka militaristic cult song

                                                       

Kamatari Suggests the Fashioning of a Buddha Image - Nichiren [1275]

"I HAVE received two thousand coins from Musashi-bo Ennichi,1 whom you sent as a messenger. Kogyoku, the thirty-sixth in the line of sovereigns, was a woman. At that time, there was a minister named Iruka. He became so arrogant that he insanely took action to seize imperial power for himself. The empress, the princes, and others felt that this was outrageous, but they found themselves utterly powerless against him.

Then the princes Oe and Karu, deploring this state of affairs, consulted a court official named Nakatomi no Kamako, who said that he was convinced it was beyond human power to stop Iruka. He cited the example of Umako, and insisted that without the power of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, it would be impossible to stop him. Taking this to heart, they had an image of Shakyamuni Buddha fashioned and prayed to it, and in no time at all Iruka was struck down.

This man named Nakatomi no Kamako was later granted a new surname and became known as Fujiwara no Kamatari. He was appointed inner minister, bore the title of the rank Great Woven Cap, and was the founder of the present-day Fujiwara family. That image of Shakyamuni Buddha is the present-day object of devotion at Kofuku-ji temple. Thus Shakyamuni Buddha is the reason the emperor was emperor, the reason the minister was minister, and the reason this land of the gods became the land of the Buddha. Please understand this by comparing it with what I have written in my letter to Uemon no Tayu. The reason our country now faces the threat of subjugation to another nation is that people fail to pay the least attention to Shakyamuni Buddha. The power of the gods is also ineffective for this reason.

People have regarded the two of you as surely having already yielded, but you have acted in an admirable manner. You probably think this is solely due to the power of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra. I believe this also. No words can express the promise of your next existence. From now on too, no matter what may happen, you must not slacken in the least. You must raise your voice all the more and admonish [those who slander]. Even if your life should be threatened, you must not falter in the least."

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The twenty-first day of the eighth month

Degrees of offense and degrees of merit.

There are degrees of offense and degrees of merit. Smoking a joint on the New York subway will get you a violation while plotting and carrying out the murder of your spouse gets you life without parole. Hitting mud with your fist gets you dirty while hitting a rock with your fist gets you a fractured hand. Helping a little old lady across the street gets you a thank you while inventing a cure for leukemia gets you the Nobel Prize in medicine. In the realm of Buddhist Law, loving kindness leads one to the Brahma Heaven [repeated rebirth in the Realm of Rapture] and defending the True Law leads to Buddhahood and rebirth in the Realm of Buddha.

What use "official" Soka Gakkai guidlines?

Even "official " SGI publications may not represent the official views of the Soka Gakkai.

"Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the materials on this Site are those of the various Soka Gakkai staff members, consultants and advisers who prepared the work and do not necessarily represent the views of the Soka Gakkai, its affiliated organizations, or its membership.” — Words of Wisdom “OFFICIAL” SGI publication.

Nichiren's advice? Go to the source, the Lotus Sutra and his writings. In authentic Nichiren's Lotus Sutra Buddhism, the views of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo-hon Chapter, Nichiren Daishonin, and their disciples and believers are official.

If the various Soka Gakkai staff members, consultants and advisers views are not the official views of the Soka Gakkai, can any members' views be considered official? Since they can change their views and doctrine whichever way the wind blows, nothing any Soka Gakkai leader or member says should be taken at face value, More importantly, since their views are unofficial, of what use their guidance?

The cause and the optimum response to disasters according to Nichiren

“It also says: “Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, will 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, will listen to and put faith in such doctrines, and proceed to create regulations that are perverse in nature and that do not accord with the rules of Buddhist discipline. In this way he will bring about the destruction of Buddhism and of the nation.” — On Dealing With Disasters

“The Great Collection Sutra says, “If he [the ruler of the state] sees that my teaching is in danger of perishing and stands idly by without doing anything to protect it, . . . his country will become the scene of three inauspicious occurrences.” — ibid

“The Lotus Sutra states: “In that evil age there will be monks with perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked who will suppose they have attained what they have not attained, being proud and boastful in heart. . . . These men with evil in their hearts . . . will address the rulers, high ministers, Brahmans, and householders, as well as the other monks, slandering and speaking ill of us, saying, ‘These are men of perverted views who preach non-Buddhist doctrines!’ . — ibid

“If we consider the matter in the light of these passages, we will see that evil monks fill the country and preach doctrines that lead to the destruction of the nation and the violation of the Buddhist Law. The rulers and the four kinds of Buddhist believers who live in that nation, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listen to and put faith in their words. Therefore they reject and turn their hearts away from these Mahayana sutras.” — ibid

“Answer: The Benevolent Kings Sutra says: “Those persons who should uphold and guard the three treasures of Buddhism will on the contrary become the destroyers of the three treasures, just as it is the worms that are born from the body of a dead lion that will feed on the lion’s flesh. It will not be the non-Buddhists [but in most cases the Buddha’s own disciples who will destroy this Buddhist Law of mine].”

If we go by this passage, those who destroy the nation and the Buddhist Law will come from among the disciples of the Buddha.” — ibid

“Question: These evil monks who destroy the correct teaching—do they destroy it with a teaching that resembles the correct teaching, or do they destroy it with an evil teaching?” — ibid

“As these passages demonstrate, those who slander the Law fail to realize in full how their acts affect others and proceed to commit grave faults, bringing about the destruction of the nation and the destruction of the Buddhist Law.” — ibid

“Answer: The Benevolent Kings Sutra says: “Great King, in future ages the kings of the various small countries and the four types of Buddhist disciples19 [will of their own initiative commit faults of the type that bring about the destruction of their own nation]. . . . Evil monks . . . [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, will listen to and put faith in such doctrines], and proceed to create regulations that are perverse in nature and that do not accord with the rules of Buddhist discipline.” It also says, “And he will not permit the making of Buddhist images or the building of Buddhist stupas.” It further says, “Then the seven disasters are certain to arise.”

The Golden Light Sutra states: “He neither makes offerings to it [the sutra], honors it, nor praises it. . . Then many different types of disasters will occur in the country.” The Nirvana Sutra speaks of those who “hate and despise the unsurpassed Great Nirvana Sutra.” — ibid

Question: If what you say is true, then why do persons who put their faith in the Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus Sutra or the True Word sutras encounter such disasters?

Answer: The Golden Light Sutra says: “The laws will be twisted until even the innocent are made to suffer.” The Lotus Sutra states, “They would bring unexpected disaster on him.”

Judging from these passages that have just been quoted, such practitioners of the Lotus Sutra and True Word teachings have not yet reached any very profound level of practice, their minds are still weak in faith, and though their mouths recite the words of the sutra, they do not yet understand their meaning; they recite them only for the sake of fame or gain. –ibid

GAIN [“Goodness, Beauty, and Gain”] — The heart of the SGI teachings.

“Answer: The forces of karma do not operate in fixed ways. There is what is called karma that manifests itself in one’s present existence. Describing such cases, the Lotus Sutra says that a person “will in his present existence be afflicted with white leprosy. . . . And he will suffer from . . . severe and malignant illnesses.” The Benevolent Kings Sutra states: “If persons destroy the teachings of the Buddha, they will have no filial sons, no harmony with their six kinds of relatives, and no aid from the heavenly deities. Disease and evil demons will come day after day to torment them, disasters will descend on them incessantly, and misfortunes will dog them wherever they go.” And the Nirvana Sutra states: “If there are those who fail to put faith in this sutra, when they approach the time of death, they will encounter a world troubled by disorder, armed strife will break out, or they will find themselves the victims of the tyranny of rulers or the quarrels and contentions of warring families.”

Regarding the second type of karma, that which manifests itself in one’s next existence, the Lotus Sutra says, “If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, . . . When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell.”26 And the Benevolent Kings Sutra states: “If persons destroy the teachings of the Buddha, . . . when they die, they will fall into the realms of hell, hungry spirits, and animals.” — ibid

Question: What can we do?

Answer: Do not give donations to the Soka Gakkai during the May Contribution Campaign. Nichiren Daishonin goes on to say in this treatise:

“Question: What is the quickest way to put an end to these disasters?

Answer: One must quickly take measures to deal with those who slander the Law. If this is not done, then although endless prayers are offered, they will not put an end to these disasters.

Question: What measures should be taken to deal with them?

Answer: The measures are indicated in the sutras. In the Nirvana Sutra we read, “The Buddha said, ‘With the exception of one type of person, you may offer alms to all kinds of persons. . . . [Persons of this one type] slander the correct teaching, and go on committing these grave acts. . . . With the exception of this one group of people called icchantikas, however, you may offer alms to all others, and everyone will praise you.’ ”

From this passage it is clear that one should take measures to see that no alms are given to persons of this type. In addition, there are many other measures to be taken, but I do not have time to discuss them all here.”

Answer: The Nirvana Sutra states: “Now I entrust the correct teaching, which is unexcelled, to the rulers, the ministers, the high officials, and the monks and nuns. If anyone should vilify the correct teaching, then the rulers, the ministers, and the four kinds of Buddhists should reprimand him and bring him to order. [In doing so, they] are not guilty of any fault.”

“Question: You yourself are a priest, and yet you are exposing the errors of other priests—is this not a blameful act?

Answer: The Nirvana Sutra says: “If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.”

When I read this passage, it seems to me that, in order to avoid being condemned as a “betrayer of the Buddha’s teaching,” I must not be fearful of how others may judge my actions,…” ibid

“But if, having once perused what I have written, they do not carry out the measures recommended in the passages I have quoted, then how can they escape the fate described in the Great Collection Sutra when it says: “Though for countless existences in the past the ruler of a state may have practiced the giving of alms, observed the precepts, and cultivated wisdom, if he sees that my teaching is in danger of perishing and stands idly by without doing anything to protect it, then all [the inestimable roots of goodness that he has planted through the practices just mentioned] will be entirely wiped out, and his country will become the scene of three inauspicious occurrences. . . . After his life has come to an end, he will be reborn in the great hell.”

The passage in the Benevolent Kings Sutra states, “If a time should come when the good fortune of these rulers runs out, . . . then the seven disasters are certain to arise.” And the passage in the Great Collection Sutra says that “though for countless existences in the past the ruler of a state may have practiced the giving of alms, observed the precepts, and cultivated wisdom, . . . all [the inestimable roots of goodness that he has planted through the practices just mentioned] will be entirely wiped out.” — ibid

“In view of these passages, should one not set aside all other affairs and consider first of all why these disasters occur? If one does not do so, then more and more such disasters are bound to occur!

We will never again be fooled by the lying Japanese Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu.

"There have been many arguments about which texts were really written by Nichiren and there are some uncertain texts in W.N.D...But I think even if these texts hadn't been written by Nichiren, they were in harmony with Nichiren's religious thoughts in the main." -- Kyochi Miyata

First of all, these texts are rarely in harmony with the authenticated writings. Nichiren stated that the most evil people are the Japanese people. Since this is a established fact in the teachings of Nichiren and since Nichiren taught over and over that those who forged writings are the lowest of the low, Miyata is no one to rely upon. Fortunately there are honest scholars and scholar-priests who teach us which writings attributed to Nichiren are actually Nichiren's writings. Those in Nichiren's hand or those known to have been in Nichiren's hand, of course, are to be trusted.

Daisaku Ikeda at his very best

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe88jd

"Sensei is highly respected all over the world"

“A teaching is not necessarily worthy of honor simply because its practitioners are respected. It is for this reason that the Buddha laid down the principle, ‘Rely on the Law and not upon persons.’” -- Nichiren