Nichiren on adjudicating blame with commentary [listen up SGI you who can not distinguish black from white]

Nichiren: "And that will in no way be her fault, but solely the result of his own reprehensible behavior." 

Many of the victims of Soka Gakkai only fault was seeking to sincerely practice the Lotus Sutra while having the misfortune to encounter the reprehensible leaders of the thought controlling personality cult known as the Soka Gakkai. I know to whom Nichiren would adjudicate blame and it wouldn't be on the victims.

Two robes and a bowl or hundreds and thousands of millions of dollars?

Globally, the wealth of the Catholic Church is estimated in excess of $3,000 Billion. It is the largest land owner in Manhattan. It owns more gold than all of Europe combined. SGI is worth at least $300 Billion. Shakyamuni Buddha owned two robes and a bowl and Nichiren Daishonin owned not much more.

Ignore the interfaith and listen to the awesome Daimoku

Awesome Daimoku

Our Hero Bodhisattva Never Desparaging

They are not your boss [another SGI Whistleblower experience]

I've been out of SGI for several years. Over the weekend, I received a phone call from an out-of-town friend. He's an SGI member, knows of my discontent with the Gakkai, but doesn't pressure me about it. Anyway, he was planning to go for guidance regarding his exhaustion with all the SGI activities he is expected to participate in.

Friend and I are both introverts, and find ourselves pressured by extroverts, both gakkai members and non-members. These well-meaning individuals do not understand our need for quiet and solitude....in fact, regard it as pathological. They insist, that if we just tried a little harder, we could be as extroverted as they are, and we'd be much happier for it. When my friend talks about his need for some quiet and down-time, after working all day at a demanding job, his leaders lecture him on his need to do "human revolution," and "make life to life connections."

My friend feels like something is wrong with him because he just does not want to do shakabuku and go to SGI activities all the time.

As we talked, I had flashbacks to how I used to feel that way too -- torn because I just did not want to follow this so-called guidance. It just felt deeply wrong to me -- and yet at the same time, I wanted to do what my leaders wanted. Or I wanted to want to do it. I DID feel like I was lazy and selfish because I didn't want to do all these activities. Yet I knew, deep down, that I didn't want to push other people to do things that I really didn't believe in.

I felt this way for a long time. Talking with my friend this weekend, I really SAW through all this manipulation that my SGI leaders had done on me. I was trying to explain some of this to my friend. I tried to explain, "These people are manipulating you. It's in their best interest that you buy into this notion that you can never do enough for SGI. Asking them for guidance is like asking a salesman to tell you not to buy his product! Who ARE these people? Just ordinary people like us, they have no special wisdom. No, your life is NOT going to go to hell in a hand basket if you don't do what they say! They have no special powers to predict the future! They have no power over us, other than what we give them. They are not the boss of you! Go to an activity if you want to, don't go if you don't want to. It is your life, your choice, YOU are the expert on your life and what's good for you!"

My friend then hung up on me and is not answering when I call. I know he's okay; I would have heard from mutual friends if he weren't. (As he lives in a different state, just stopping by his house is not possible.) I'm left with mixed feelings: it feels good that I finally SAW how our leaders' manipulated us -- and that they can't manipulate me in that way ever again. I feel sad for my friend , and other SGI members who are still caught up in that manipulation.

Another one bites the dust [from reddit SGI Whistleblowers]

I need to vent and let out my story about quitting or thinking of it. I've told a couple friends who are members about it. While respectful, they didn't agree with my arguments about the SGI being a cult and immediately told me not to join the temple. Not that I would since the temple has extreme tendencies too.

Reason why I quit was because of the Ikeda worship going on with members. Every time I would ask a question, I'd get a parrot response about how they connected to his heart, yadda yadda. I was uncomfortable at how many times I heard these answers that were not honestly answering any questions I had regarding the organization. I constantly mentioned how I didn't connect with Mr. Ikeda and one of my friends, SGI staff and chapter leader, tells me that I'm more similar to Ikeda than I think and how I'm seeking my connection with him. Huh?

I also remember FNCC last year. I was uncomfortable with all the insane cheering and pom-poms but what made me snap was when they sanget "Youth With a Noble Vow" seven times in a row to send to Japan. While I escaped, I heard it and remembered cringing. I also shared the experience and YouTube of the song to some friends who were older members and they even found the song creepy with the Soviet national anthem style music. Of course, they tell me that the youth were being enthusiastic and that's their way of doing kosen-rufu.

The other thing I really hated was how pushy members got about getting people to do events and activities. A recent example this year, there was a YWD activity happening and I told fellow members I wanted to work that day. Instead of acknowledging me, they told me they'll chant for me to come and that I should trade my hours to make this event. My sponsor, bless his heart, told me to prioritize work. I ended up going to work that day and felt good. Of course, my sponsor then adds in how I should ask them how the meeting went, show concern, etc.

All this cumulated to me chanting about the situation, the hypocrisy of how humble Mr. Ikeda supposedly is while ignoring how the members deify him and letting them get away with naming everything after him. Of course, my older friends think the deifying is wrong and tell me the attitude is cult-like but the SGI is not a cult and how I need to help change the organization by writing to higher leaders. Now, I would've agreed with that in the past but talking to one of the high-ups, it led to deaf ears or a casual answer despite them saying they agreed. This was a couple years back.

I won't comment on the encouragement too much. To me, he says one thing that's seemingly profound but does another. His whole mentor and disciple spiel is disturbing. So is the prayer at the center to make oneness of mentor and disciple our primary mission. So is SGI Hong Kong's thing of chanting for his happiness over your own.

Anyway, a couple days ago, as I chanted, I realized quitting was the right thing to do. I rolled up my SGI gohonzon and printed a new one. I think it's a Shutei one made near Nichiren's death. I felt a lot better chanting to that and felt a stronger connection to it.

I still chant every day and do gongyo. While I don't believe everything Nichiren says, I do like the practice itself. I'm still trying to find NShu and independents I can chant with. I'm still going to share NMRK and study the Lotus Sutra. Still looking for people in Chicago to meet with though unfortunately, the NShu temple in Chicago has no one to run it.

I don't dare to officially quit yet but at least I got some of it out of my system.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the honest stories in this thread with people's experiences. I feel much better knowing I'm not alone.

I also want to mention these are only some of the instances I've mentioned. There have been several more.

Congratulatory message to Ethan Gelbaum on his promotion to Vice General Director

"Thanks to you, no matter what they say, no matter what evidence they produce, no matter what our members see with their own eyes, they never doubt us. CONGRATULATIONS! You have accomplished your mission. At the next joint territory meeting, you will be promoted to Vice General Director. Please never forget your gratitude to Sensei."

SGI bylaws, nonsense then [2002] and nonsense now

Chapter I. General Provisions

Article 1. Name: This association shall be called the Soka Gakkai.

Article 2. This association shall regard Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. It shall embrace with faith the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws bestowed upon the entire world, base itself on the Daishonin’s writings and seek to realize, as its ultimate goal, the worldwide propagation of Nichiren Buddhism, thus fulfilling the Daishonin’s mandate.

Article 3. The three founding presidents—first president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, second president Josei Toda and third president Daisaku Ikeda—embody the spirit of selfless dedication to spreading the Law for the attainment of kosen-rufu and shall be considered as eternal models of the association.

Article 4. The objectives of this association shall be to propagate Nichiren Buddhism throughout the world, contributing to the realization of world peace and the flourishing of human culture. Based upon such a foundation, this association will spread Nichiren Buddhism’s teachings, conduct ceremonies and functions, and help its members to establish and deepen their faith.

RULES AND REGS 

------------------------------- 

1. President Akiya’s words from the Nationwide General Prefecture Chief’s Meeting (March 2002), regarding revisions of the Soka Gakkai’s bylaws. 

Yesterday, at the council meeting of the Soka Gakkai, a decision was made to revise the Soka Gakkai’s bylaws, and that those revisions will take effect on April 1, 2002. As we enter the 21st century, opening the curtain to the century of peace and the century of life, the Soka Gakkai is now embarking on its second set of “seven bells.” Under the guidance and leadership of SGI President Ikeda, Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism has now spread to 180 countries and territories around the world. The worldwide spread of the Daishonin’s teachings -- global kosen-rufu -- has gotten under way with the Daishonin’s Buddhism developing as a genuine world religion. This fact makes it abundantly clear that at this significant time the Soka Gakkai is the only religious body that has been practicing Buddhism in exact accord with the Daishonin’s teachings and has been carrying out the Buddha’s intention and will. What has enabled this unprecedented global spread of the Daishonin’s Buddhism to develop? It has been none other than the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple shared among and carried on consistently by the first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the second president, Josei Toda, and the third President, Daisaku Ikeda, as well as their practice based upon the spirit to spread the Law even at the cost of their lives (shishin guho) toward the realization of kosen-rufu. 

At this crucial time, as we usher in a new era, these revisions have been enacted with a vision to perceive the future of kosen-rufu spanning the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. The intent was to create bylaws that are appropriate to establishing an unshakable foundation for the Soka Gakkai, a foundation that will last into the distant future. 

The bylaws as they have existed until this revision were established in April 1979, at a time when we still maintained our relationship with the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. Since then, partial revisions were enacted from time to time in response to various circumstances. However, sections remained within the bylaws that continued to bind us to Nichiren Shoshu. On this occasion, those sections have been completely amended. The key revisions can be described as follows: 

First, the newly amended bylaws make clear that the Soka Gakkai is an independent religion. In other words, it is the Soka Gakkai that has been carrying on the correct lineage of Mahayana Buddhism that began with Shakyamuni, and is directly connected to Nichiren Daishonin in a spirit that accords with the Buddha’s will and intention. A preamble stating to this effect, and summarizing the Soka Gakkai’s position and role, has been added to the bylaws. 

Second, the new revisions make clear that the Soka Gakkai must inherit the spirit and practice of its three founding presidents as its eternal guideline. This itself constitutes the Gakkai spirit. The revisions provide a system or structure to be instituted to ensure that the spirit of the three presidents will be preserved and passed on strictly and correctly within the Soka Gakkai. 

Third, in order to develop and provide for the social mission of the Soka Gakkai, as well its contributions to the international community, the roles of the future division, education department, international division, as well as that of the Soka Gakkai International have been clearly established in the bylaws. 

2. Concerning chapter one of the general rules or bylaws 

These bylaws were established in order to express the basic teachings and objectives of the Soka Gakkai. 

Article I remains unchanged, and states that in the rest of this document the word “this body” shall refer to the Soka Gakkai. 

Article II clearly sets forth the Soka Gakkai’s doctrine. In the previous version of the bylaws, this article read: “Based on the doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu, [the Soka Gakkai] shall view Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, take as our basis the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of true Buddhism inscribed on the 12th day of the 10th month of the second year of koan (October 12, 1279), which is enshrined at the head temple, Taisekiji, of Nichiren Shoshu.” This has been changed to read, “Article II: This body shall respect Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, shall accept and believe in the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon all humankind, shall make the Gosho, writings of Nichiren Daishonin, our foundation, and will take as our great vow the realization of kosen-rufu of Jambudvipa, or the spreading the Daishonin’s teachings to all humankind, which was the Daishonin’s will.” The Daishonin is the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, we accept and believe in the Dai-Gohonzon of the three Great secret laws, we make the Gosho our foundation, and aim to accomplish kosen-rufu as our goal---this is the Soka Gakkai’s doctrine. Moreover, it is clear that this represents the doctrinal basis, the most fundamental principles, of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. 

Article III has been newly established: “Article III: First president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, second president Josei Toda, and third president Daisaku Ikeda -- the first three presidents -- are people who embodied the spirit to propagate the Law even at the cost of their lives toward the realization of kosen-rufu, and they shall serve as eternal leaders of this body.” Therefore, we shall respect these three presidents as our eternal teachers or mentors in our struggle to achieve kosen-rufu. The foundation of the Soka Gakkai for the next ten thousand years has thus been clearly set forth in the bylaws. 

Article IV regards the goal or objective of the Soka Gakkai. The previous bylaws in this regard read, “To protect Nichiren Shoshu from without.” This has been deleted and revised to read, “Basing itself on the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.” What I have just explained above represents the most central or core part of the bylaw revisions. 

Speech on the revision of the Soka Gakkai by laws by study department chief Saito 

Article II of the recently revised bylaws addresses the doctrine of the Soka Gakkai. It states that the Soka Gakkai “shall respect Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, shall accept and believe in the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon all humankind, shall make the Gosho, or writings of Nichiren Daishonin, our foundation, and will take as our great vow the realization of the kosen-rufu of Jambudvipa, or the spreading the Daishonin’s teachings to all humankind, which was his will.” 

This article summarizes in four essential points the doctrine of the Soka Gakkai. It expresses the Gakkai’s essential faith that is directly connected to Nichiren Daishonin, which it has maintained since its founding. Regarding the first point, respecting Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, in the Gosho Nichiren Daishonin states, “If Nichiren’s compassion is truly great and encompassing, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity, for it has the beneficial power to open the blind eyes of every living being in the country of Japan, and it blocks off the road that leads to the hell of incessant suffering” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 736). 

Thus, in order to save on a fundamental level the people of the Latter Day of the Law, the age when it is said that “quarrels and disputes prevail, and the pure Law is obscured and lost,” Nichiren Daishonin revealed and propagated Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the core and essence of the Lotus Sutra and the fundamental principle or law of life itself. The foundation of the faith of the Soka Gakkai is to revere Nichiren Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who embodies the three virtues of parent, teacher and sovereign to all people of this age. 

Next, the phrase “accept and believe in the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon all humankind” addresses the essential principle of faith in the Dai-Gohonzon, which the Soka Gakkai has consistently maintained. During the Atsuhara persecution, ordinary believers demonstrated their spirit to persevere in their faith even when their lives were threatened. In response to this, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon, which was the purpose of his advent in this world, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, 1279. 

Replying to the spirit of the people, who had aroused genuine strong faith in seeking peace and happiness, and in order to save from suffering all the people of the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law, the Daishonin manifested as the purpose of his advent the Dai-Gohonzon, in which he embodied his great vow to realize kosen-rufu and establish a Buddha land. Therefore, the faith of the Soka Gakkai lies in arousing a great desire or great vow for kosen-rufu exactly in accord with the Daishonin’s heart; it is the strong faith to advance and practice for the salvation of ordinary people. The Gohonzon, which is one with the very life of the Daishonin, reveals itself only in strong faith that finds expression in a persevering struggle for kosen-rufu, which aims to defeat and destroy devilish functions. This is referred to as the object of devotion of kanjin, the object of devotion for observing the mind. “To accept and believe in the Dai-Gohonzon” indicates none other than the strong faith of the Soka Gakkai. 

In the second article, the phrase “bestowed upon all humankind” (jp. Ichienbudai soyo -- lit. bestowed upon Jambudvipa) addresses the Daishonin’s heart to save all people of Jambudvipa -- indicating the entire world -- throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law, which he embodied in the Dai-Gohonzon, and this is the real fundamental principle underlying the Dai-Gohonzon. 

Nichiren Daishonin states, “Showing profound compassion for those unable to comprehend the gem of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the Buddha wrapped it within the five characters [of Myoho-renge-kyo], with which he then adorned the necks of the ignorant people of the latter age” (WND, p. 376). 

Based on the bunshin santai, or emanations of the Buddha’s body, to embrace Gohonzon that are transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon of the second year of koan 

(1279) with correct faith is to embrace the Dai-Gohonzon. Bunshin santai, or “emanations of the Buddha’s body” is a principle based on the Lotus Sutra and the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings. It refers to how the Buddha, in order to save living beings, dispersed emanations of his body among various lands and taught, through those emanations, the same teaching in those lands. The people in those lands where the Buddha’s emanations appeared were all able, through the power of their faith, to receive precisely the same benefit. [Since the Gohonzon is a manifestation of the Daishonin’s Buddhahood] when we pray with faith to the Gohonzon enshrined in each of our homes, this itself is embracing the Dai-Gohonzon. Nichiren Shoshu’s contention that one must visit some specific place in order to attain Buddhahood is found nowhere in the Daishonin’s teachings and does not accord with his intent. In the Gosho it says that “the place where one upholds the Lotus Sutra is itself the place of practice; it is not to be found by leaving this place and going elsewhere” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 781). And, “Therefore, wherever we dwell and practice the single vehicle, that place will be the Capital of Eternally Tranquil Light. [And, without having to take a step, those who are our disciples and lay supporters can view Eagle Peak in India and day and night will go to and from the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light that has existed for all time. What a truly inexpressible joy it is!]” (WND, p. 313). 

Next, regarding the Three Great Secret Laws, Nichiren Daishonin, in order to save the people of the Latter Day of the Law, embodied the eternal law of beginningless time (kuon-ganjo), the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that he himself practiced, in the form that corresponds to the three kinds of Buddhist learning---precepts, meditation, and wisdom. These he called the Three Great Secret Laws: the object of devotion of the essential teaching (meditation), the high sanctuary (Jpn kaidan---lit. precepts platform) of the essential teaching (precepts), and the daimoku, or invocation, of the essential teaching (wisdom). Through his exposition of the Three Great Secret Laws, the people of the Latter Day of the Law became able to believe in and practice the Mystic Law. The ultimate expression of the Three Great Secret Laws is the Gohonzon, the correct, powerful teaching of the Latter Day of the Law that is open to all people. 

The Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon in order to save all people from suffering. When the people believe in or embrace the Gohonzon with faith, taking it as the correct teaching of the Latter Day of the Law revealed by the Daishonin, they can well forth the world of Buddhahood within their lives -- a life condition exactly equal to that of the Daishonin. The Gosho states, “Believe in this Gohonzon, the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa. Be sure to strengthen your faith, and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions” (WND, p. 386). “I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi in, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha’s will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (WND, p. 412). As these passages suggest, faith based upon the Gohonzon is the way of faith revealed and taught by the Daishonin himself. The Soka Gakkai has persevered since its founding in carrying out faith based upon the Gohonzon exactly as the Daishonin taught. 

The third point I want to make is regarding making the Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, our foundation. 

This provision clearly records that it is the Gakkai’s tradition to base ourselves on the Gosho. The Daishonin’s writings are an expression of the true Buddha’s teachings covering both the aspect of doctrine or principles, and the aspect of practice. The Soka Gakkai will persevere with the Gosho -- the work that we may accurately call the “great scripture of the Latter Day of the Law” -- as its eternal standard. 

The fourth point regards the great vow or desire for the wide propagation, or kosen-rufu, of the Daishonin’s teachings throughout the entire world. This was the Daishonin’s will and intent. This article clearly specifies that the great desire to accomplish kosen-rufu is the essence of the Gakkai spirit. The Daishonin taught that the heritage of the ultimate law of life and death, or the lifeblood of faith in his teachings, exists only in the network of believers who possess this great desire for kosen-rufu and persevere toward achieving it in the united spirit of many in body, one in mind. 

He also taught that the path to Buddhahood exists only in a Buddhist practice aimed at widely spreading the teachings, a practice directed at kosen-rufu. This is the practice of transmitting the Mystic Law gradually from one person to two, from three people to ten, and so on to millions or billions of people. This great vow to achieve kosen-rufu accords with the essential spirit of the legitimate or orthodox body of believers that is dedicated to transmitting the teachings of Buddhism to the world. 

---------------------------------------------- 

JUNE 7, 2002 • WORLD TRIBUNE PAGE 3 

Navigation Points for Our Eternal Journey 

BY GREG MARTIN 

SGI-USA Vice General Director 

‘In many ways, our understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and the SGI’s mission has grown significantly in the last decade. Reading the revised Soka Gakkai bylaws, I was pleased by their clear statement of the foundational principles upon which our faith, practice and organization are based. 

On April 1, the Soka Gakkai revised its bylaws for the first time since 1979 to better reflect our ongoing development as a global religion and our separation from the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. The preamble and first articles (see below) make explicit our heritage, core beliefs, basic spirit and primary goal. 

I find the changes both refreshing and comforting. In many ways, our understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and the SGI’s mission has grown significantly in the last decade. Reading this document, I was pleased by its clear statement of the foundational principles upon which our faith, practice and organization are based — not so much new as newly understood. 

The revisions confirm the religious identity of the Soka Gakkai as the body of believers with a direct connection to Nichiren Daishonin, dedicated to accomplishing his will and mandate to carry on the heritage of true Mahayana Buddhism, which extends back to Shakyamuni Buddha’s Lotus Sutra. Quite simply, we firmly believe that we are the only body existing today that can be considered true votaries of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law, true Mahayana Buddhists and true disciples of the Daishonin. 

The revisions confirm that the essence of faith and practice in the Soka Gakkai is “faith directly connected to the Daishonin.” There are several components of this “directly connected” faith. We believe in the Daishonin as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who embodies the three virtues of parent, teacher and sovereign. We base ourselves on the writings of the Daishonin, believing them to be the great scripture of the Latter Day, and base our practice on their teachings as the eternal standard of the Soka Gakkai. 

We embrace with faith the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws bestowed upon the entire world. The Daishonin inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon in response to the Atsuhara farmers’ unrelenting faith in the face of governmental persecution, embodying his great vow for kosen-rufu. The faith of the Soka Gakkai lies in arousing a great desire or great vow for kosen-rufu in accord with the Daishonin’s spirit. 

The true meaning of the Gohonzon’s inscription becomes manifest only in one’s strong faith to wage a tenacious struggle for the people’s happiness and defeating devilish functions seeking to obstruct that path. Practicing with this spirit is to “embrace with faith.” 

The Dai-Gohonzon was bestowed upon the entire world and embodies the Daishonin’s compassionate spirit to lead all people to happiness. Based on the concept of emanations of the Buddha’s body [the principle of the Buddha projecting emanations of his or her body to various lands and teaching the Law leading the people there to enlightenment], to “embrace with faith” the Gohonzon that is a transcription of the Dai-Gohonzon is to embrace the Dai-Gohonzon itself. 

We strive to realize as our ultimate goal the worldwide propagation of Nichiren Buddhism, thus fulfilling his mandate for creating a peaceful world. This is the great vow for kosen-rufu that is the heart of the Soka Gakkai spirit. We are convinced that the heritage of the ultimate Law flows only within the body of believers whose members possess this great wish for kosen-rufu and are united by the faith of many in body, one in mind. This great wish for kosen-rufu is the heart and soul of the correct body of practitioners dedicated to correctly transmitting Buddhism. 

We cherish the three successive presidents who, because of their undeniable actual proof in upholding and spreading the Mystic Law, shall be considered as perpetual examples of practicing Nichiren Buddhism with the spirit of selfless dedication. They will always be — within the history of the Soka Gakkai that they founded, built and developed — models and teachers of faith and practice. 

That is the gist of it. On the surface perhaps, not so exciting or new. But at the same time, I think, timely and significant in laying out the foundational principles upon which faith and practice within the SGI are based. As we continue on the centuries-long voyage to kosen-rufu, it is important, I believe, to confirm the primary spirit and goal of our movement to guide us during our journey.

Complete text of Greg Martin's lecture on Christianity with very brief commentary. Truly unbelievable from the standpoint of Nichiren

BY GREG MARTIN, SGI-USA STUDY DEPARTMENT SENIOR ADVISOR

His installment begins a new series that will focus on addressing common questions that arise for those practicing and propagating Nichiren Buddhism in the West. Members have long sought assistance in answering questions about the Buddhist view of God, Jesus, Satan, heaven, etc. We plan to provide some straightforward answers over the next few months.

We hope this series will help SGI members better communicate Nichiren Buddhism to their Christian friends and families by examining words and meanings common to the Christian faith from a Buddhist perspective. We also hope to help members who come from a Christian cultural background to better understand Nichiren Buddhism, its similarities and differences, and as a result increase the efficacy of their practice. Additionally, we hope to build a bridge that will help non-members and Christians have a better understanding of, be more sympathetic toward and, perhaps for some, ease their transition into practicing Buddhism.

Before beginning, however, some comments to set the context of our examination.

First, we will focus on what we believe to be commonly accepted tenets of Christianity while acknowledging that there is great diversity of understanding within the Christian faith. It would be impossible within the scope of this series to fully examine all the variations of Christian doctrine. We ask the reader's indulgence for the unavoidable generalization of concepts this approach must necessarily take.

Second, we do not intend to take a refutational approach to Christianity. We see no necessity or value in attempting to undermine a religious tradition that is both widely accepted and demonstrably valuable. At the same time, we cannot avoid the historical evidence of its less noble aspects that have given rise to violent propagation and the Inquisition, and its use as a tool for colonization and subjugation.

Finally, we do not take an exclusivist position - that Nichiren Buddhism is the only vehicle capable of carrying its adherents to the pinnacles of truth and the shores of happiness. While we certainly believe there is only one ultimate reality, we acknowledge that the major religious traditions also seek, and to varying degrees see, this truth as well.

Furthermore, most religious traditions share with Nichiren Buddhism the intention of leading their practitioners to this truth and to the goal of human development and harmonious community. So while we do not claim to be the sole possessors of the truth (Who could possess truth anyway?), what concerns us more is the degree to which a religious tradition is able to deliver on its promises. How many people are actually able to transcend their baser selves and live out the tenets of their creed, becoming people of genuinely worthy character, wise intention, and compassionate behavior? Is a particular religious practice serving as a greater or lesser vehicle in achieving these goals?

Buddhists have long discussed this point using analogies such as a raft to cross the sea of suffering or a vehicle for the journey to enlightenment. Rather than reject the teachings of the elders as untrue, for example, Mahayana Buddhists characterized their practices as a "lesser vehicle" that could take only few - dedicated monks and nuns - to the goal of enlightenment. In contrast, with its focus on developing practices for monastics and laity and its intention to bring all people on this journey, the designation "greater vehicle," Mahayana, was applied to their teachings and practices.

In this context, the major religions are all vehicles; some are bad, some are good, and some are better vehicles, but all are vehicles nevertheless. We also believe there is no greater vehicle than the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, the vehicle capable of taking all people - not just the special few - on this journey. For most not yet familiar with Buddhism, it has become a widely accepted view that the journey to enlightenment is something few can take- something reserved for saints and sages. This suggests that for most people, the very existence of a great vehicle for the attaining of Buddhahood and absolute happiness is an alien concept, not part of their everyday religious experience. But in Nichiren's Buddhism this journey is now made possible for all people regardless of sex, race, social status, economic or educational level, sexual orientation, or age.

With this as our backdrop, let's begin by examining our first question.

The answer to this question depends heavily on how one envisions God. One survey reports that ninety-nine percent of Americans claim to believe in God. Yet, in spite of the prevalence of religiosity in America, the escalating crime rate, rampant drug addiction, epidemic mental illness, and revival of the death penalty, to name just a few symptoms, are not signs of a spiritually healthy society. Europeans report a growing blankness - a god-shaped hole - where God once existed in the human consciousness.'

What also seems clear is that individual conceptualizations of God are not uniform. There may be as many versions of God as there are people, for the concept of God has never been a static thing. As Karen Armstrong writes in A History of God, "Yet it seems that creating gods is something that human beings have always done. When one religious idea ceases to work for them, it is simply replaced. These ideas disappear quietly, like the Sky God, with no great fanfare. In our own day, many people would say that the God worshipped for centuries by Jews, Christians and Muslims has become as remote as the Sky God."2

Armstrong concludes, "Human beings cannot endure emptiness and desolation; they will fill the vacuum by creating a new focus of meaning. The idols of fundamentalism are not good substitutes for God; if we are to create a vibrant new faith for the twenty-first century, we should, perhaps ponder the history of God for some lessons and warnings."3

When asked if we believe in God, we find ourselves responding to the question with one of our own: What God are you referring to?

Is it Abraham's God, the God of the Old Testament? This god was a strict father, a creator, protector and punisher, a giver of law. This god also required the sacrifice by Abraham of his son Isaac and authorized the conquering and killing of many thousands of people.

Is it Augustine's God, the God of the early Christian Church? This is the god of a powerful church, inheritor of the remnants of the Roman Empire. This god judged all humanity based on Adam's original sin. The religion based on this god will have us view ourselves as fundamentally flawed - originally sinful.

Is it Michelangelo's God, a personal God, as painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? This concept of God helped develop the liberal humanism valued so highly in the West. It fit well with an awakening and expanding Europe. This god loves, judges, punishes, sees, hears, creates and destroys as we do. This god inspires. However, it can also be a liability when one assumes that this god loves what we love and hates what we hate, thereby endorsing our prejudices instead of compelling us to transcend them. The fact that this "personal" God is male (and usually white) has raised deep existential problems for women and non-whites.

Is it the omnipotent God that some theologians believe died at Auschwitz? The idea of an all-knowing and all-powerful God is hard for some to reconcile with the evil of the Holocaust. For, if God is truly omnipotent, he could have prevented it. If, they say, he was unable to stop it, he is impotent; if he could have stopped it and chose not to, he is not compassionate.

Our rapidly expanding scientific knowledge about the universe is also making it apparent that God is no longer "up there" or "out there." The heavens seem empty of the protecting, judging and caring divine presence envisioned by the ancient world. The result is, according to John Shelby Spong, Episcopal bishop and author of Why Christianity Must Change or Die, that tens of millions of people are "believers in exile" who have lost touch with these God images as taught from traditional pulpits, but are not prepared to abandon the concept of God entirely.

As a snake sloughs its skin as it grows, are we now witnessing the growth of our collective conceptualization of God, leaving behind the old, and for some now inadequate one even as a new one, not yet clear, is born? Some believe that there is, indeed, a new view of God emerging in this post-modern age. It abandons the external height images of the historic theistic God and is being replaced with internal depth images of a god that is not apart, but an integral and fundamental part of, us. It is a perspective quite consistent with the Buddhist conceptualization of the Mystic Law. [Actually, it is more akin to the Hindu conception of primeval Lord or original Personality of Godhead -- editor Eagle peak blog]

This Mystic Law is the ultimate entity or truth that permeates all phenomena in the universe, but it is not a personified being. There is an ultimate oneness of the human and this ultimate Law - there is no separation between human beings (all human beings) and this idea of God as a Mystic Law. [Law by definition is an impersonal truth principle and it is therefore inappropriate  to  equate the Mystic Law with god.  The Gohonzon or true object of worship, on the other hand, has been translated in Nichiren's True Object of Worsip "Supreme Being by Senchu Murano -- editor Eagle peak blog"]   

This eternal and unchanging truth that resides within us is the source from which we can draw the compassionate wisdom that accords with changing circumstances and the courage and confidence to live according to that wisdom. It is mystical, not magical, because its totality is beyond human conceptualization and efforts to compartmentalize it, say in human form, only restrict and limit it. It is a law because it is experientially true in the daily lives of individual human beings.

This ultimate reality, ultimate truth, ultimate purity exists in the depths of every human being. Because of this, Buddhists view all people as sacred and perfectly endowed with the potential to be wonderfully happy and enlightened individuals. There is no us and them, no godly and ungodly - all are children of God, entities of the Mystic Law.

Where others looked to the heavens, Buddha looked within and found the priceless jewel of human wonder and possibility. He recognized that we, too, are made of the divine "stuff" of the universe. We've simply forgotten who we are.

So do we believe in God? By most traditional definitions, no. But in terms of how increasing numbers of Christians understand God, yes, we do believe in God. Our name for God is Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, the Mystic Law. We believe it exists both "in here" and "out there" and that this inner light can shine forth from within when we awaken to it and open our hearts through the act of chanting Namu-myoho-renge-kyo.

There will, of course, be many people for whom this understanding of God will be unacceptable. That's fine. But there will also be many - according to one study as many as twenty-five percent of all adults in America - for whom it will resonate. People who will find that they also no longer really embrace these earlier versions of God; that they've already begun to envision the universe differently; and that the concept of God as Mystic Law matches the understanding that they have reached on their own. They'll discover, as most SGI-USA members can attest, that the Mystic Law will, quite nicely indeed, fill the god-shaped hole in their spiritual selves.

If you have comments or questions on this topic, please let us know: 

lb@sgi-usa.org

The February 2016 poor self-serving SGI lecture on the Lotus Sutra

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/video/iwa_video.php?iwa=February_2016_1

Nichiren, explains the Ten Supernatural powers in his most important work, The True Object of Worship:

"After the Buddha displayed his ten supernatural powers, he entrusted the five characters of the Mystic Law to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. As the sutra states: “At that time the Buddha spoke toSuperior Practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: ‘The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, all the freely exercised supernatural powers of the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One, all the most profound matters of the Thus Come One—all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra.’” T’ien-t’ai says, “The passage that follows the words ‘At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices’ constitutes the third stage of the chapter, the transfer of the essence of the Lotus Sutra.” Dengyō states: “The ‘Supernatural Powers’ chapter says, ‘To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One... are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra.’ From this it is clear that all the doctrines, all the freely exercised supernatural powers, the storehouse of all the secret essentials, and all the most profound matters possessed by the Buddha as the fruit of his enlightenment—all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in the Lotus Sutra.” Demonstrating ten supernaturalpowers, the Buddha transferred the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyoto the four great bodhisattvas: Superior Practices, Firmly Established Practices, Pure Practices, and Boundless Practices.

[Miao-lo states that] the first five of the ten supernatural powers are meant for those living in Shakyamuni’s lifetime, and the last five for the generations after his passing. But in a deeper sense all are intended for future generations. The Buddha confirmed this later in the same chapter, “Because after the Buddha has passed into extinction there will be those who can uphold this sutra, the Buddhas are all delighted and manifest immeasurable supernatural powers.”

The following “Entrustment” chapter states: “At that timeShakyamuni Buddha rose from his Dharma seat and, manifesting his great supernatural powers, with his right hand patted the heads of the immeasurable bodhisattvas mahāsattva and spoke these words: ‘Now I entrust it [the Lotus Sutra] to you.’” The Buddha first transferred theLotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and then to the bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha in his transient status, the bodhisattvas of other worlds, Brahmā, Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and others. Then “Shakyamuni Buddha caused the Buddhas who were emanations of his body and had come from the ten directions to return each one to his original land, saying, ‘The tower of Many TreasuresBuddha may also return to its former position.’” After the Bodhisattvas of the Earth had departed, from the “Medicine King” chapter through the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha transferred the sutra again to the people taught by him in his transient status and to the bodhisattvas from other worlds. This was gleaning in order to entrust."

Throughout the lecture, the lecturers return again and again to the SGI mentor disciple [5:00, 11:15]. At the 5:44 mark, they assert  very clearly that the mentor[s] are "the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai." At the 11:15 mark, the lecturer inserts mentor-disciple into the Lotus Sutra Chapter 21, "The following five powers depicted in ancient imagery the unity of mentor and disciple struggling to achieve Kosen Rufu and the spread of True Buddhism." She goes on to say, "just as I am, I am a True Buddha" and to prove her point, the other lecturer cites the forgery called the Ongi Kuden [Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings]. Nichiren on the other hand cites Shakyamuni Buddha as the parent, teacher, and sovereign of the all the  Bodhisattvas ofthe Earth and in none of his authentic writings does he ever make the assertion that we are Buddhas just as we are . Besides, the actions of the leaders of the Soka Gakkai belie this assertion. Here we have another poor self-serving SGI lecture on the Lotus Sutra.

SGI fails to teach the "specific", the more profound viewpoint that the authentic Nichiren taught.

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/video/iwa/2015/jul_2/?v=jul2_15

This SGI lecture is superficial since it discusses only "the general' and fails to discuss "the specific". Also, it not only fails to lecture on The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Chapter 16 to which it is entitled, "The Lifespan of the Tathagata" [jumping to Chapter 24 Bodhisattva Wonder Sound], it fails to touch upon the purported central point of the lecture, "Voluntarily assuming the appropriate karma". 

The SGI lecturers maintain that we choose to be born into various circumstances [highlighting unfavorable circumstances] in order to eventually win and demonstrate the greatness of the Mystic Law. They use as an example the Bodhisattva Wonder Sound from Chapter 24 of the Lotus Sutra and they [Ikeda] quote the Ongi Kuden forgery [rather than the Lotus Sutra itself or an authentic writing of the Daishonin]: 

"He [Bodhisattva Wonder Sound] manifests thirty-four different forms, illustrating the Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds and preaching the Law so as to benefit others."

The Lotus Sutra states:

“Flower Virtue, you see only the body of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound that is here. But this bodhisattva manifests himself in various different bodies and preaches this sutra for the sake of living beings in various different places. At times he appears as King Brahma, at times as the lord Shakra, at times as the heavenly being Freedom, at times as the heavenly being Great Freedom, at times as a great general of heaven, at times as the heavenly king Vaishravana, at times as a wheel-turning sage king, at times as one of the petty kings, at times as a rich man, at times as a householder, at times as a chief minister, at times as a Brahman, at times as a monk, a nun, a layman believer, or a laywoman believer, at times as the wife of a rich man or a householder, at times as the wife of a chief minister, at times as the wife of a Brahman, at times as a young boy or a young girl, at times as a heavenly being, a dragon, a yaksha, agandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, a human or a nonhuman being, and so preaches this sutra. The hell dwellers, hungry spirits, beasts, and numerous others who are in difficult circumstances are thus all able to be saved. And for the sake of those who are in the women’s quarters of the royal palace, he changes himself into a woman’s form and preaches this sutra.

“Flower Virtue, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound can save and protect the various living beings of the saha world. This bodhisattvaWonderful Sound performs various transformations, manifesting himself in different forms in this saha land and preaching this sutra for the sake of living beings, and yet his transcendental powers, his transformations, and his wisdom suffer no injury or diminution thereby. This bodhisattvaemploys various types of wisdom to illuminate the saha world, causing each one among all the living beings to acquire the appropriate understanding, and does the same in all the worlds in the ten directionsnumerous as Ganges sands.

“If the form of a voice-hearer is what is needed to bring salvation, he manifests himself in the form of a voice-hearer and proceeds to preach the Law. If the form of a pratyekabuddha will bring salvation, he manifests himself in the form of a pratyekabuddha and preaches the Law. If the form of a bodhisattva will bring salvation, he manifests abodhisattva form and preaches the Law. If the form of a buddha will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a buddha form and preaches the Law. Thus he manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for salvation. And if it is appropriate to enter extinction in order to bring salvation, he manifests himself as entering extinction.

“Flower Virtue, the bodhisattva mahasattva Wonderful Sound has acquired the great transcendental powers and the power of wisdom that enable him to do all this!”

At that time the bodhisattva Flower Virtue said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound has planted the roots of goodness very deeply. World-Honored One, what samadhidoes this bodhisattva dwell in, that he is able to carry out all these transformations and manifestations to save living beings?”

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Flower Virtue, “Good man, this samadhi is called manifesting all kinds of bodies. The bodhisattvaWonderful Sound, dwelling in this samadhi, is able in this manner to enrich and benefit immeasurable living beings."

Question: What could be wrong with this, whether Ikeda or the lecturers quote the Ongi Kuden or the Lotus Sutra to make this valuable point?

Answer: This point is true from the perspective of the general rather than the specific. The specific is the more profound viewpoint taught by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Lifespan Chapter:

"I [Shakyamuni] either preach my own body or preach the body of another or show my own body or show the body of another or show my own matter or show the matter of another. The various words I preach are all true and not empty. What is the reason? The Tathagata knows and sees the appearance of the Three Worlds in accordance with reality: there is no Birth-and-Death, whether backsliding or emerging; likewise there is neither existence in the world nor extinction; they are not real; they are not void, they are not thus; they are not different. It is not as the Three Worlds see the Three Worlds. In such a matter as this the Tathagata sees clearly and is without error."

Nichiren comments on this matter from the Lifespan Chapter in an authenticated writing:

"The oral tradition says that the Buddha can become grass and trees. This means that the Shakyamuni Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter can manifest himself in grass and trees. The Lotus Sutra speaks of “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.” There is nothing in the entire realm of phenomena that is not the manifestation of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni." (The Enlightenment of Plants)

From the perspective of the specific, the more enlightened perspective, Bodhisattva Wonder Sound too [and we] are manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. This is what the most profound chapter of the Lotus Sutra teaches and what the authentic Nichiren taught.

Greg Wolpert of the SGI board of directors and my convert is destined for the hell of incessant suffering

"For me, I realized that the most important thing is to not have a counterfeit practice. I realized that spiritual death means not having a true practice that is directly connected to the mentor." -- Greg Wolpert of the SGI Board of Directors singing the praises of Daisaku Ikeda

"It is thanks to OUR teacher that we can know who our parents are; it is owing to Shakyamuni Buddha that we can distinguish black from white." -- Nichiren Daishonin singing the praises of Shakyamuni Buddha.

"I am a Nichiren Buddhist" - SGI member....prove it

Someone wrote:

"This is a point that is not only in nichiren buddhism - the christians, the jews, and other religions have broken down into different ways in which to practice. hence sects in buddhism. people imho strive to be individuals, unique - i am not sure many wake up and say i want to be part of a group where we all do the exact same thing. Go to a jehova meeting, white shirts, women in dresses, the main person reading on stage reads from their bible or watchtower. they are carbon copies of each other. they do not have branches, sects or any differences between them. actually i think they are the only whole religion in the world. what you are saying sounds to me like you feel that the only way for buddhism to be whole is be all the same. i say how boring. no need for conversation, or questions... sqash all seeking spirits. Just follow the one in front of you and if you turn around the one behind is doing the same so it does not matter which direction you are going it is all the same. rather than be carbon copies why not just stop fighting? isn't fighting anti buddhist? respect and metta - compassion and understanding will bring light to buddhism.' 

My response: 

Correcting wrong thought is the practice of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the Latter Day. It was the practice of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Let's take your idea to its logical conclusion...One school or individual decides it's ok to chant the Daimoku and to worship Amida Buddha. This person or sect calls itself Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism or "I am a Nichiren Buddhist" because they chant the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. Many people will get the insanely wrong idea that this is correct and some will even be led to believe that Nichiren Daishonin believed that all teachings lead to Buddhahood. Another places a statue of Jesus on the altar and instructs others that individual destiny is shaped by a greater being . This person too, erroneously believes that as long as one chants the Daimoku he is a Nichiren Buddhist. Yet another is a Japanese militarist like Ishiwara who believed and taught that Japan has a mandate to spread the Daimoku by any means. He assembles several divisions of zealous youth, arms them to the teeth and indoctrinates them with the Lotus Sutra teachings, "We do not value our own lives, we value only the Supreme Way." He leads them on a crusade against the Chinese heretics to convert them to the Daishonin's teachings. He not only calls himself a Nichiren Buddhist but others maintain that he is a great Wheel Turning King of Japan born to protect the Law by forcibly infusing and diffusing the teachings that have originated in Japan. I think you get the picture. If you really study the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and take the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to heart, you can never come to the interpretations and conclusions of these kinds of men. I would argue that they can chant the Daimoku day and night but that still doesn't make them Nichiren Buddhists. Those who continue to argue that all are Nichiren Buddhists who chant the Daimoku, regardless of their beliefs, will quickly destroy the sublime teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Anyone who fails to take the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter, and Nichiren Daishonin as teachers and who fails to take their teachings to heart, can not be considered Nichiren Buddhists. We are all individuals by virtue of causes and conditions. This does not change by embracing the same Law, practice, and faith as Nichiren Daishonin. Damson, apple, pear and cherry blossoms are all flowers. They all grow from the earth and they are all nourished by a single sun and a single great shower of rain.

Careful

RJ Peters: Greg. We all know it is true. I lived it just like you. Now shut up, and live long and fulfilled. It's your right as a real Bodhisattva. 

You can't win against the SGI. They wrote me out, Ken Prymus, Brian Potter, Dave Blumberg, Phynus Young and thousands of his followers, and thousands of others long before they wrote out George [Williams]. 

They'll write out they're current movie-stars and celebrities if they resist as well. 

That's what a cult does; make money on the ignorant, inexperienced and foolish. It's a cult. SGI members are not going to listen. Even the ones we brought in. You get it yet? Are you understanding? Ya can't ask a zombie to not be a zombie. You throw intellect, reason, and love at a zombie, he's just going to bite you anyway.

Yes, chant for them if you want. Me? Not a chance anymore. Too many wasted decades. 

And I do so chant. Almost every day. Sutra, Daimoku and Intent. Just not for them anymore.

Greg Romero: thanks for your concern rj. however, the difference here is that i still believe in the real teachings taught by shakyamuni via nichiren. i believe it is the answer to the serious problems facing mankind today and in the future. sgi/nst is and was pure poison. all the people that you mentioned including yourself have been defeated by the devil of the sixth heaven. what a shame. i continue to speak out because if it were to help even one person, and it has, that makes me happy. if you choose to remain silent, that is your choice, but to slander one who speaks out for the buddha's dharma is going too far. careful.

You never know how much you may be impacting another

http://www.hrtwarming.com/teacher-gets-a-shock-when-she-opens-this-boys-file-this-is-heartbreaking/

Warning to SGI

"The Bodhisattva Mahasattvas who in the Last Era, when the Dharma is about to be extinguished, receive and keep, read and recite this Sutra Canon are not to harbor a mind of jealousy and envy or sycophancy and deception." -- Lotus Sutra Chapter 14

Thanks to SGI, ever closer to a nuclear free world [snicker]

https://ecowatch.com/2016/02/12/china-nuclear-weapons-high-alert/

Nichiren on Law-devouring hungry spirits

"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 to save their parents. Such people are called Law-devouring hungry spirits, or hungry spirits who use the Buddhist teachings to satisfy their own desires."

"hungry spirits who use the Buddhist teachings to satisfy their own desires."... to witness such Law-devouring hungry spirits in action, attend an SGI discussion meeting.

My response to a regional HBS [Honmon Butsuryu Shu] lay leader

Hi Dominic. My comment is unchanged. Rain challenges, not making the tastiest chocolate cake, are a tried and true Buddhist tradition embraced by the Daishonin. It is a useful faith practice to arrive at the superiority or inferiority of a particular teaching. A correct faith is, of course, a prerequisite for a successful outcome. HBS is an incorrect faith while Nichiren's is a correct faith. Who do you think will succeed in making rain, those with a correct faith or those with an incorrect faith? There must be very few so-called Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhists, let alone provisional Buddhists, who are absolutely confident that their faith and practice is correct because not one in twenty years has taken me up on my rain challenge. Shakyamuni Buddha states:

"If someone seeking the buddha wisdom

for a period of eight hundred thousand million

nayutas of kalpas

should practice the five paramitas,

during all those kalpas

distributing alms to the buddhas

and to the cause-awakened ones and disciples

and the multitude of bodhisattvas,

rare delicacies of food and drink,

fine garments and articles of bedding,

or building religious retreats of sandalwood

adorned with gardens and groves;

if he should distribute alms

of many varieties, all refined and wonderful,

and do this for the entire number of kalpas

to express his devotion to the buddha way;

and if moreover he should keep the precepts,

in purity and without omission or outflow,

seeking the unsurpassed way,

praised by the buddhas;

and if he should practice forbearance,

remaining in a posture of submission and gentleness,

even when various evils are visited on him,

not allowing his mind to be roused or swayed;

when others, convinced they have gained the Law,

harbor thoughts of overbearing arrogance

and he is treated with contempt and vexed by them,

if he can still endure it with patience;

and if he is diligent and assiduous,

ever firm in intent and thought,

for immeasurable millions of kalpas

single-minded, never lax or neglectful,

for countless kalpas

dwelling in a deserted and quiet place;

and if he practices sitting and walking exercises,

banishing drowsiness, constantly regulating his mind,

and as a result of such actions

is able to produce states of meditation,

for eighty million ten thousand kalpas

remaining calm, his mind never deranged;

and if he holds to the blessing of this single-mindedness

and with it seeks the unsurpassed way,

saying, “I will gain comprehensive wisdom

and exhaust all the states of meditation!”

If this person for a hundred, a thousand,

ten thousand, a million kalpas

should carry out these meritorious practices

as I have described above,

still those good men and women

who hear me describe my life span

and believe it for even a moment

win blessings that surpass those of such a person.

If a person is completely free

of all doubt and regret,

if in the depths of his mind he believes for one instant,

his blessings will be such as this.

These bodhisattvas

who have practiced the way for immeasurable kalpas

when they hear me describe my life span

are able to believe and accept what I say.

These people will

gratefully accept this sutra, saying,

“Our wish is that in future ages

we may use our long lives to save living beings.

Just as today the world-honored one,

king of the Shakyas,

roars like a lion in the place of enlightenment,

preaching the Law without fear,

so may we too in ages to come,

honored and revered by all,

when we sit in the place of enlightenment

describe our life spans in the same manner.”

If there are those profound in mind,

pure, honest, and upright,

who, hearing much, can retain it all,

who follow principle in understanding the Buddha’s words,

then people such as this

will have no doubts. -- LS Chapter 17

Nichiren teaches, quoting the Lotus Sutra:

“If there are good men or good women who... believe and revere it with pure hearts and harbor no doubts or perplexities, they will never fall into hell or the realm of hungry spirits or of beasts, but will be born in the presence of the Buddhas of the ten directions.”

and 

"Though one might point at the earth and miss, though there be one who binds the heavens, though the tides would cease to ebb and flow, and the sun rise in the west, it could never happen that the prayers of the devotees of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities, and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas, and below they would be guilty of deceiving the beings of the nine realms.

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow."