There is no knowledge and practice of true Buddhism apart from the mentor disciple relationship. Buddhism is not an abstract philosophy and dependent origination is the true nature of life. The Buddha in the Lotus Sutra proclaims himself to be the father of all living beings. He also states that he is here always preaching the law. The Buddha also transmits the essence of the Lotus Sutra to the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Nichrien also practiced in oneness with his disciples. The Soka Gakkai was established on the basis of the same principle basis and relationship between Mentor and Disciple. The aforementioned principles do not proclaim themselves. The teaching must be proclaimed and validated by actual human beings, teachers of the Law (LS chapter 10) . This is how people in any age here of the correct doctrine. They must encounter a correct teacher of the Law.Today the correct teachers of the Law have been the three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai.
The concept of mentor begins with the Law and the person who practices to that Law. Without the person there is no understanding of the law. And without the spirit of saving others through awakening them to the Law there is no Bodhisatttva practice. ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Sutra A Buddha's life also consists of the awakening to the oneness of the three existences, past, present and future. This is an aspect of the Buddha's wisdom and self identity. Therefore a Buddha always operates from the standpoint of the wisdom of the past, present and future. The Lotus Sutra itself is replete with the stories of the mentor disciple relationship spanning vast time frames and the wisdom of transcending the conditional nature of temporality as the very basis for how the wide spread propogation and wide spread awakening unfolds after the Buddha's passing.
This above merely touches upon a truly vast subject of Buddhist knowledge and understanding regarding the oneness of mentor and disciple as the essential form by which the true Buddha wisdom (aka Lotus Sutra) is correctly transmitted from past to future lives.
An interesting read, but I asked for a Gosho reference. I'm not a Tendai Buddhist, I'm a Nichiren Buddhist-oh right, it's even the Nichiren Buddhist forum-so Gosho is the most important doctrine on this board. Either way, I think your several paragraphs answered the challenge with a "there is none".
It is strange that you claim to be a a studious student of Nichiren Buddhism yet seek to challenge that the principle of mentor and disciple is not taught in the writings of Nichiren. The entire purpose of the collection of Nichiren's writings is to foster a correct relationship between mentor and disciple throughout all times and places. The mentor serves as the model and example in actual reality here in this world for all to follow. This phenomena (the appearance of mentor and disciple) is also an actual manifestation of the mystic law just as all other things constituting reality are. The appearance of the Soka Gakkai International itself is a manifestation through cause and effect derived from the seeds of propogation planted by the Votary of the Lotus Sutra. Regarding the relationship of the oneness of mentor and disciple here is a quote directly from the Gosho as you requested. In the Gosho entitled "The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life" Nichiren states,
"It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realized this truth. The sutra’s statement, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,” (LS- ch10) cannot be false in any way." WND pg 217
"The important point is to carry out your practice confident that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone is the heritage that was transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures to Bodhisattva Superior Practices." WND pg217
Replete throughout the Gosho and therefore needless to say.
Gassho
Indeed, but you are incorrect to think the mentor is President Ikeda. It is Nichiren, that is why he "inscribed [his] life in Sumi."
You are missing many other things as well. A Gakkai member usually understands the 26 admonitions in light of the priesthood, yet explain how they don't apply to the Gakkai or Daisaku Ikeda?
My mentor is Nichiren, and my guide is the Gosho. I am grateful to President Ikeda, and much of what he says is inspiring to me-but he is not my mentor.
So, in the last years, perhaps the last decade or so... the Gakkai will refer to itself as the "Smiling Bodhisattvas", and prior to that, it would indicate to be the "Bodhisattvas of the Earth".
However-this, among other culture it fosters and is growing-it is everywhere in the Gakkai is this concept that this status is simply achieved by BEING a Gakkai member. How contrary does that run to Buddhism, or the law of Karma? It is a completely erroneous concept.
Karma itself determines all things-not what group one is a member of. Other indications of this are the backwards claims that anyone saying anything bad about a Gakkai member is commiting the grave offense of Slander. But again-quite contrary to the Gosho. Slander is a reference to the law and a practitioner of it. And if one is spreading falsehood about Buddhism. For example, a leader indicating the law is outside oneself, perhaps something like "You cannot be happy in prison." Which IS a direct quote of a Gakkai leader.... indicates not only does he not understand this Buddhism, but instead slanders it himself. And by not correcting him, I too am commiting slander. Yet... the Gakkai would claim the only slander here is telling this leader he is wrong.... Yet in reality, this is precisely the place for shakubuku-to break and flatten his erroneous belief, which is no better than zen or nembutsu! And worse, he's telling people such a thing, in the position of leadership, and while claiming it is "True Buddhism", when in reality-it is a very low teaching, nothing close to the heart of the Lotus Sutra.
Teachings like this, which seem common to me in the Gakkai-that they, as the Gakkai are ABOVE slander-and slander being now redefined as "talking bad about the Gakkai".... is precisely what Nikko warned against.
You must follow the Gosho, no matter what, at ALL times-not just when it agrees with the Gakkai. President Ikeda is not the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin is. And lastly I would point out.... that where the Gakkai DOES deserve its note, is also likely ignored these days. Take my quote above, not only was it a ridiculous thing for a high leader in this sect, which at its heart says the precise opposite of his sentence, but.... The Gakkai I know, believes President Toda ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT in prison. So from my stance, I am true to the Gakkai, to what it was when it was pure. Now-it is above the law of Karma in many cases, and I cannot agree with such claims, nor sit quietly while they are made. I would rather sit alone than sit quietly near slander.
So, in the last years, perhaps the last decade or so... the Gakkai will refer to itself as the "Smiling Bodhisattvas", and prior to that, it would indicate to be the "Bodhisattvas of the Earth".
However-this, among other culture it fosters and is growing-it is everywhere in the Gakkai is this concept that this status is simply achieved by BEING a Gakkai member. How contrary does that run to Buddhism, or the law of Karma? It is a completely erroneous concept.
Karma itself determines all things-not what group one is a member of. Other indications of this are the backwards claims that anyone saying anything bad about a Gakkai member is commiting the grave offense of Slander. But again-quite contrary to the Gosho. Slander is a reference to the law and a practitioner of it. And if one is spreading falsehood about Buddhism. For example, a leader indicating the law is outside oneself, perhaps something like "You cannot be happy in prison." Which IS a direct quote of a Gakkai leader.... indicates not only does he not understand this Buddhism, but instead slanders it himself. And by not correcting him, I too am commiting slander. Yet... the Gakkai would claim the only slander here is telling this leader he is wrong.... Yet in reality, this is precisely the place for shakubuku-to break and flatten his erroneous belief, which is no better than zen or nembutsu! And worse, he's telling people such a thing, in the position of leadership, and while claiming it is "True Buddhism", when in reality-it is a very low teaching, nothing close to the heart of the Lotus Sutra.
Teachings like this, which seem common to me in the Gakkai-that they, as the Gakkai are ABOVE slander-and slander being now redefined as "talking bad about the Gakkai".... is precisely what Nikko warned against.
You must follow the Gosho, no matter what, at ALL times-not just when it agrees with the Gakkai. President Ikeda is not the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin is. And lastly I would point out.... that where the Gakkai DOES deserve its note, is also likely ignored these days. Take my quote above, not only was it a ridiculous thing for a high leader in this sect, which at its heart says the precise opposite of his sentence, but.... The Gakkai I know, believes President Toda ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT in prison. So from my stance, I am true to the Gakkai, to what it was when it was pure. Now-it is above the law of Karma in many cases, and I cannot agree with such claims, nor sit quietly while they are made. I would rather sit alone than sit quietly near slander.
Bob-
Notwithstanding the fact that your commentary above reads in a rather topsy turvy / turbid tone and manner and rather self relative and self righteous I will offer a response of some sort.
You say - However-this, among other culture it fosters and is growing-it is everywhere in the Gakkai is this concept that this status is simply achieved by BEING a Gakkai member. How contrary does that run to Buddhism, or the law of Karma? It is a completely erroneous concept.
In the above you appear to be offering a justtification that followers of Nichiren who are not "Gakkai members" also have the right to consider themselves "Bodhisattvas of the Earth". Assuming this is correct interpretation of your notion my response to you is to say that all people have the right of self determination and assertions of their self identity.
Yet the essense of correct Buddhism or Sad Dharma is the inherent spiritual power contained within the teaching and the practice to manifest actual proof of a collectivity of people to present themselves as earnest pursuers of peace through the practice of the Lotus Sutra in a state of unity aka Bodhisattva's of the Earth. According to Nichiren, the votary of the Lotus Sutra, this unity is of two types. Unity between mentor and disciple and unity of many in body yet one in mind. According to the Buddha of the Lotus Sutra this manifestation is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to comprehend. Acording to Nichiren this manifestation occurs when disciples are of the same mind as Nichiren.
This unity begins with the bringing forth of sincere effort and striving on the part of a single individual who endeavors to uphold the practice of the Lotus Sutra. In the Gakkai this is called the stand alone spirit. It was this stand lone spirit that was brought forth and demonstrated by the three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai through their tireless commitment and actions to spread the law with the same mindset as Nichiren. This proof must always be demonstrated in the actual world of reality during any age and time whether during the lifetime of Nichiren, the ages long before as recorded in the Lotus Sutra and in the ages after including in the present time in the world today. Our unity in the Soka Gakkai is based upon this principle and the Presidents of the Gakkai were and remain the persons who have initiated and sustained this spiritual endeavor in the post war reconstituted Japan under the modern democratic system of government.
The feudalistic priesthood of Japan is anachronistic to the new system of government and civilian rule and have yet to reorganize their relationshsip to the new found freedoms of the people and this is the root of their issues with the Soka Gakkai. They have become authoritarian in their attitude towards the members of the Soka Gakkai.
The Lotus Sutra also teaches that the Buddha is always here preaching the law and sometimes appears as the true Buddha, as a provisional Buddha or Bodhisattva according to time and circumstances. Daisaku Ikeda never refers to himself as the true Buddha but simply regards himself as a disciple of Josei Toda Sensei.
As for Josei Toda's enlightenment in prison that is his own claim. His claim is alsoi backed up by the quality and wisdom of his actions during the post war reconstruction of the Soka Gakkai, his acknowledgement of his mistakes made before the war and the great development in a spirit of unity that transpired during the post war reconstruction; a unity that thrives under the spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple until this very day.
Time , Circumstance, and Teachings: The Kempon Hokke’s Struggle with the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu
Nichiren had Nembutsu, Zen, Ritsu, True Word, and Tendai [Mikkyo] with whom to contend. Our struggle with the Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai is even more profound and serious. The most perverse sect at the time of Nichiren was arguably Tendai [Mikkyo] which mixed Lotus Sutra Buddhism and Shingon. Today, we have a similar problem but NST and SGI are more dangerous than Tendai because they mix the Essential Teachings of the Lotus Sutra with Shingon [rather than the Theoretical Teachings and Shingon, as in Mikkyo]. They are more cunning and clever than Jikaku, Enchin, and Annen. Lamanism and secret oral transmissions are not Nichiren Daishonin’s Lotus Sutra teachings period. Our main struggle today is with these two aberrant sects. They praise the Lotus Sutra but destroy its intent and many people are confused and led into the evil paths. Nichiren says extreme evil is most difficult to perceive and like radiation, we can not see, smell, touch, hear, or taste extreme evil [because it is so disguised] . Only with a tool such as a geiger counter can we perceive radiation or through witnessing the effects of exposure. Only through the Scripture of the Wonderful Law, the writings of Nichiren, and the disastrous effects of the NST and SGI faith, can we perceive the devastation of these false teachings.
Makiguchi and Toda were ignorant. They were unaware of the extent and gravity of Nichiren Shoshu's slander. They devoted themselves to the Nichiren Shoshu teachings at the expense of the purity of the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. They misunderstood Buddhism. Their views and that of SGI are antithetical to the Lotus Sutra, their vision wisps of smoke or a dream within a dream. Their teachings result in an ever greater accumulation of suffering as demonstrated by the untoward events in heaven and on earth. The Soka Gakkai was born in 1931. By 1945 Japan was completely devastated. This will happen in the future also, unless the SGI is disbanded.
SGI asserts, “In essence, Toda revitalized Buddhism based upon his new interpretations of the Lotus Sutra and applied it to devastated, war-torn Japan.” Actually, Toda revitalized the heretical teachings of Taisekaji. His interpretations derive from Nichikan’s Exegesis. Proof is Toda’s slanderous Lecture On The Sutra, where up is down, east is west and right is wrong. Were it not for the Soka Gakkai and the slanderous Taisekaji teachings [which destroy the intent of the Lotus Sutra], there never would have been a devastated war-torn Japan. Their teachings, like the True Word [Shingon] teachings, are devoid of literal, theoretical, and actual proof while the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin are endowed with all three and affirmed by all Buddhas throughout the past, present. and future.
The SGI teaches that we shouldn’t read or follow The Lotus Sutra or Nichiren Daishonin literally, even though Nichiren read the Lotus Sutra with his very body. Yet, they claim:
“Toda also read the Lotus Sutra with his life. While he was imprisoned during W.W.II, he struggled to understand the meaning of the word “Buddha.” He contemplated and chanted with intense concentration and finally came to the realization that the concept of “Buddha” in the Lotus Sutra signified “life.” In other words, Toda also found a new, profound meaning of the Lotus Sutra. This awakening gave a new, modern meaning to Buddhism. Buddhism, which for centuries had been a funeral conducting religion, was reborn as a life philosophy. In jail, Toda also had a glimpse of his past: he saw that he was attending the Ceremony in the Air. Based upon these two awakenings, he reformed the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Value-Creating Educators Society; a lay organization for educators which had practiced Nichiren’s Buddhism), which was destroyed during W.W.II by the militaristic Japanese government. He renamed it Soka Gakkai (Value-Creating Society) with the spirit of including all common people, and started his task of reconstructing the society by giving lectures about the Lotus Sutra. Since he saw that he himself emerged from the earth during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra was very realistic and his explanations were filled with absolute confidence.”
Likening Buddha to life was completely mistaken in light of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho. All that lives is destined to die. Life is marked by transience, suffering, impurity, and selfishness. The Original Buddha is eternal, joyful, pure, and selfless. The Buddha transcends life [and death]. Ikeda’s transgressions are far worse because of the principle of intent. He knows all too well the true and eternal principles of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin but persists in transmitting SGI’s [and Taisekaji's] distorted teachings. How many more untoward events in heaven and on earth will we have to experience because of Daisaku Ikeda’s transgressions? If Daisaku Ikeda and SGI continue to destroy and distort the teachings and fool the people, many more and severe sufferings will beset the people
President Toda taught in his Lecture on the Sutra:
“With this silent prayer, we express our sincere thanks to the Second High Priest Nikko Shonin, the founder of Head temple Taisekiji. Hossui-shabyo: Hossui is the Law or Buddhism metaphorically compared to clean water. Shabyo means “transfer. Now suppose here are two glasses, one of which is filled with water. The water is transferred from one glass into the other. The quality of the water remains unchanged through this transfer even though the shapes of the glasses may differ. Simililarly, the Hossui of Nichiren Daishonin was handed down from Nikko Shonin to Third High Priest Nichimoku Shonin. However, its geneuine purity was not changed in the least. This solemn tradition has been strictly maintained by the successive high priests of Nichiren Shoshu.
YUIGA YOGA: This means that the life of Nikko Shonin equals that of Nichiren Daishonin. A Gohonzon called the “Tobi” (Flying) Mandala” is enshrined at Butsugenji Temple in Sendai City in Northeast Japan. It was inscribed co-operatively by the Daishonin and His immediate successor Nikko Shonin. This fact evidences what yuiga yoga signifies.” –Josei Toda as quoted in: From “Lectures on the Sutra” Third Edition, 1968 Seikyo Press.
Please note that no where in the Lotus Sutra or the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, can we find the concepts or words, YUIGA YOGA but in Tendai/Shingon esotericism, this is a core principle. Central to Lamanism, an offshoot of Shingon, are the Four Treasures and the most important Treasure is the Treasure of the Guru. The other Three Treasures are subsumed within the Treasure of the Guru. This is known as Guru Yoga. The same goes for the SGI, whether it is implicit or implied. When SGI members or leaders chant Namu Myoho renge kyo, they are revering their Sensei. While they chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with their voices, they chant Namu Sensei in their hearts.
Makiguchi and Toda read the Lotus Sutra according to the distorted teachings of the Taisekaji priests who adopted the two related Zen and Shingon concepts respectively: The Transfer of the Water of the Law; and Yuiga Yoga or the Oneness of living Master and Disciple. The SGI has adopted these distorted Zen and Shingon viewpoints, in contrast to the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin which state, “This Sutra”.
More proof of SGI’s transgressions are Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings that mirror those of his deluded Sensei, JoseiToda. Ikeda once taught, “The basis of Nichiren Shoshu is the Lifeblood recieved only by a single person. To faithfully follow the High Priest of the bequethal of the Lifeblood is the correct way for priests and laybelievers. If one is mistaken about this single point, then everything will become insane.” And now he declares, “Following the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai is the basis of the Lifeblood of faith”
Doctor Daisaku Ikeda, ironically, was born into a household whose ancestors reside in Mitsugonin, a temple of the Shingon sect. It is a slanderous place which was established in accordance with Shingon formalities.
The Shingon patriarch, the Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei too, despite his wisdom and strong practice, was mistaken about the teachings of Buddhism. Shan wu-wei was persecuted. Christ too was persecuted and his teachings are far less insidious than Shan-wu-wei’s, Makiguchi’s, and Ikeda’s. Their teachings resemble little the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni’s [Lotus Sutra] and Nichiren Daishonin’s. Visions and “visionaries”, not firmly grounded in the teachings of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni and the Daishonin, reside in the realm of delusion.
“Since 1960, at the time when Ikeda was inaugurated as the President of the Soka Gakkai, he has been emphasizing the concept of “Human Revolution”, which is the reformation of each person’s inner world. In other words, “From Outside to Inside” has been his motto. In 1995, Ikeda started lecturing about the Lotus Sutra. Two serialized articles are being published in Soka Gakkai’s publications, a dialogue in Daibyaku Renge (monthly magazine) and a lecture in Seikyo Shimbun (daily newspaper). Each article is translated into different languages and is now being studied throughout the world.”
There is nothing to change. Buddhood is ours to reveal through faith. How can you change beginingless Buddhahood? How can you change the beginingless Bodhisattva or beginningless Hell realm? The Bodhisattvas of the Earth will reveal the truth of Ikeda and refute his slander.
Someone stated:
“I feel a new direction in his articles. Although “Human Life” is always the central theme, a new emphasis seems to be “From Inside to Outside,” more specifically, “How can we change the “Outside World” based upon the changes in our “Internal World?” Ikeda discussed this theme with M. Gorbachev in their dialogue. He talked about Rissho (Establishing the true teaching, namely, “Inner” reformation or “Religious Value”) and Ankoku (Securing peace, namely, “Outer” reformation or “Secular Value”). He believes, “Rissho is the starting point for Ankoku, and Rissho is completed with Ankoku.”
There is nothing to change. We reveal the beginningless Buddhahood by chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo and propagating the teaching. Simultaneously the beginningless Buddhahood of the land will emerge and become apparent. Nichiren Daishonin teaches,
“Concerning the passage in the Lotus Sutra that you quoted, “He [the Buddha] has rooted out evil from among the phenomena,” here the Buddha is referring to a teaching from one of the earlier sutras. But when you take a closer look at the sutra, it is clear that the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds is being explained. For, in the same sutra, this passage is found: “The Buddhas wish to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings.” T’ien-t’ai comments on this passage as follows: “If people do not possess innate Buddha wisdom, how could the Buddha say he wanted to open it? One must understand that Buddha wisdom is inherent in all human beings.”41The Great Teacher Chang-an concludes, “How could people open the door to and realize their Buddha wisdom if it did not exist within them? How could a person show the poor woman her treasure repository if the treasure repository did not exist?” — The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind.
It is not change [Human Revolution] that brings about Buddhahood, it is observing the mind and seeing what we already possess since time without beginiing. The Three Realms of Ichinen Sanzen [Three Thousand Realms in a Moment of Existence] also demonstrates that the Realm of the Masses of the Beings and the Realm of the Environment possess the World of Buddhahood. One can not change that which is changeless. One perceives and reveals Buddhahood through faith in and practice of the Lotus Sutra, as taught by Nichiren Daishonin.
SGI teaches, “Toda established the foundation of the propagation of Buddhism in Japan based upon his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. Similarly, Ikeda is now solidifying the foundation of the world propagation of Buddhism based upon his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra.” Actually, as clearly demonstrated above, their teachings have more in common with Zen and Shingon than with the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonion. It is a stretch to even call their teachings, “Buddhism”, let alone "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism".
Toda and Ikeda would have us believe that the Soka philosophy, based on the Taisekaji teachings, is superior to the Lotus Sutra which they assert, “has lost its power in Mappo”. Shan-wu-wei too declared the True Word teachings superior to the Lotus Sutra by virtue of Mudras.
Nichiren Daishonin states:
“The Buddhist doctrines preached by scholars these days are regarded by most people as gentle words, truthful words, but in fact they are all harsh words and deceptive words. I say this because they are at variance with the Lotus Sutra, which embodies the Buddha’s true intention.”(The Learned Shan-wu-wei).
In the SGI, all praise is heaped on the successive presidents of the SGI and not even a mustard seed of praise is afforded the Original Buddha Shakyamuni. On the contrary, Shakyamuni is slandered as a cast-off or husk Buddha. Contrast this with the Daishonin’s words:
“Shakyamuni Buddha, our father and mother, who is endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, is the very one who encourages us, the people driven out by all other Buddha, saying, “I alone can save them.” The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky. Though we were to pluck out our two eyes and place them before him as an offering until there were more eyes there than stars in the sky, though we were to strip off our skins and spread them out by the hundreds of thousands of ten thousands until they blanketed the ceiling of heaven, though we were to give him our tears as offerings of water and present him with flowers for the space of a hundred billion kalpas, though we were to offer him our flesh and blood for innumerable kalpas, until our flesh piled up like mountains and our blood overflowed like vast seas, we could never repay a fraction of the debt we owe to this Buddha!” (MW vol. 4, The Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei)
and
“However, later seeking and entering the deep cave, you see a single hermitage. The voices of the reading and reciting of the Hokekyo echo against blue heaven and the words of discussing the doctrine of the One Vehicle are heard in the midst of the mountains. Informing [them, of your presence and requesting] admittance, you enter the chamber, place your mother’s bones before the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya, cast your five limbs to the ground, press your palms together, and opening your two eyes, look up to the Holy Face: joy overflows your body and the pain of your heart suddenly ceases.”(On forgetting Ones Copy Of The Lotus Sutra, NOPPA Translation)
Taking a central place in the Daishonin’s teachings is that Lord Shakyamuni is Parent, Teacher and Sovereign. To deny this aspect of the teachings is to be no better than Shan-wu-wei. Since Daisaku Ikeda degrades the Eternal Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, he will meet the same fate as Shan-wu-wei.
Outlining the Three Treasures, the Daishonin writes,
“The Sutra is the Hokkekyo, the foremost Great Dharma of the Exoteric and Esoteric. The Buddha is the Buddha Shakya, the foremost supreme Buddha of the Buddhas. The Practicer resembles the Practicer of the Hokkekyo”(Letter to Lord Niita, STN, v. 2, 1752, no. 368). This Doctrine is clearly restated in Nikko’s writing, The Order of Spreading the Sutra in the Three Ages: “The Temple of the Hommon The disciple of Entrustment The Bodhisattva Jogyo Nichiren Daishonin.”Nichiju, the founder of the Kempon Hokke, states, “By no means should one differ from the Sutra and the Compilations and the Great Teacher’s commentaries of their fundemental intention”(The Record of Nichiun, p. 58)
Nichiren clearly states in Letter to Tonsured Layman Soya (Soya nyudo sho), “They entirely look up to groups of icchantikas and rely on them as leaders and, reverencing slanderers against the Dharma, make them national teachers (ie: Ikeda). Taking up the Classic Filial Piety of Confucius, they beat their parents’ heads and, while chanting the Lotus Sutra of Lord Shakya with their mouths, they go against the Master of teachings.” Nichiren, quoting Dengyo states, “Although they praise the Hokkekyo, on the contrary, they kill the heart of the Hokke.”
We have heard from SGI members that, because they chant and propagate the Daimoku, either regardless of their beliefs or precisely because they embrace the Daishonin as the Original Buddha and Ikeda as their mentor, they are assured of attaining Buddhahood. Sometimes they restate the medieval Tientai doctrine that “I am already a Buddha”, citing inauthentic works or twisting the words of the authentic ones. I have heard them state, citing Reply to Lord Matsuno, that the Daimoku is the same regardless of who embraces it, like the gold possessed by a fool and that possessed by a wise man and that there is no distinction. They assert that this gives them the license to teach their [arbitrary] interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. However, the Daishonin repeatedly warns that, when one chants contrary to the heart of the Sutra, one is a devil. Denying the central position of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, is to have no faith in the Sutra and to slander it and its Supreme Votary, Nichiren
The Daishonin quotes the sixth patriarch of the Tientai in his Chu Hokekyo (Annotated Lotus Sutra), “If it is not the right object (or field), even though there is no falsehood, it will also not form seeds.” The field or object is none other than the Buddha of beginingless time, Shakyamuni who is one with the Law of Namu Myoho renge kyo.
“Priest Shan-wu-wei was once the king of Udyana in India. He renounced the throne, became a priest, and in the course of his Buddhist practice journeyed through more than fifty countries in India, finally mastering all the esoteric and exoteric teachings of Buddhism. Later he went to China and became the teacher of Emperor Hsuan-tsung. Every Shingon priest in both China and Japan has since become his disciple. Though he was such a respectable person, he died abruptly, tortured by Enma, the king of hell, although no one knows why.
Nichiren considers that this happened because Shan-wu-wei was at first a votary of the Lotus Sutra, but when he read the Dainichi Sutra, he declared it superior to the Lotus Sutra. Similarly, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana and the others were not doomed to wander through the evil paths for the period of sanzen-jintengo or gohyaku-jintengo because they had committed the ten evils or five cardinal sins. Nor was it because they had committed any of the eight rebellious acts. It was because they met someone who was an evil influence, and discarded the Lotus Sutra to take faith in the provisional teachings.
According to the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, “If one befriends an evil person, he will lose his mind.” “Mind”means the heart which believes in the Lotus Sutra, while “lose”means to betray one’s faith in the Lotus Sutra and follow some other sutras. The Lotus Sutra reads, “… but when they are given the medicine, they refuse to take it.” The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai also stated, 'Those who had lost their minds would not take the excellent medicine, even though it was given them. Lost in suffering, they fled to other countries.' Since this is so, the believers of the Lotus Sutra should fear those who plague their faith more than they fear bandits, burglars, midnight killers, tigers, wolves or lions — even more than invasion by the Mongols. This world is the province of the Devil of the Sixth Heaven.”(The Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei)
Doctor Daisaku Ikeda’s passing will be marked by torment, as was that of the Tripitaka Master, the Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei. One [Ikeda] reads the Lotus Sutra according to the distorted teachings of the Taisekaji priest Nichikan, Toda, and Makiguchi and the other [Shan-wu-wei], read the Lotus Sutra in the light of the Dainichi and other provisional sutras while adding the practice of Mudras. What a terrible fate Ikeda is sowing for himself and the members of the SGI.
The transmission in the Latter Day is chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo to an authentic Gohonzon. Nichiren Daishonin and the Kempon Hokke, unlike the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu, doesn’t advocate a model based on “The Patriarchal Transmissions”, “The Patriarchal Transmission of the Golden Mouthed Ones”, or ”The Patriarchal Transmission Through Current Masters.”
“One should consider the fact that, if the Buddha had not attained enlightenment in the distant past, there could not have been so many people converted to his teachings.” — The Opening of the Eyes
Thus the Buddha is the source of both the Specific and the General transmission. The Gohonzon, though a text, is the reality of the Buddha.
“The Maka Shikan says: “If one lacks faith in the Lotus sutra he will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of his own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, he will become puffed up with his own arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha.” – The Opening of the Eyes
In Shakyamuni’s and Nichiren’s Buddhism, there is neither an oral nor a patriarchal transmission of the teachings. This is why the Kempon Hokke’s Succession Through the Scrolls of the Sutra is the true meaning of exoteric Mahayana Buddhism.
Nichiren Daishonin writes:
“Are persons who receive instruction orally from their teacher invariably free from error, while those who appear in later ages and who seek and investigate to be regarded as worthless? If so, then should we throw away the sutras and instead follow traditions handed down from the four ranks of bodhisattvas? Should a man throw away the deed of transfer received from his father and mother and instead rely upon oral transmissions? Are the written commentaries of the Great Teacher Dengyo so much trash, and the oral traditions handed down from the Great Teacher Jikaku the only guide to truth?” (Gosho Zenshu, p.1258)
To disabuse those who would adopt the teachings of Buddhist elites, conmen, and posseurs, I would like to further cite Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra:
“Putting all this aside, I will point out the truth for the sake of my followers. Because others do not choose to believe it now, they are persons who thereby form a reverse relation. By tasting a single drop, one can tell the flavor of the great ocean, and by observing a single flower in bloom, one can predict the advent of spring. One does not have to cross the water to faroff Sung China, spend three years traveling to Eagle Peak in India, enter the palace of the dragon king the way Nagarjuna did, visit Bodhisattva Maitreya [in the Tushita heaven] the way Bodhisattva Asanga did, or be present at the two places and three assemblies when Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra, in order to judge the relative merits of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings. It is said that snakes can tell seven days in advance when a flood is going to occur. This is because they are akin to dragons [who make the rain fall]. Crows can tell what lucky or unlucky events are going to take place throughout the course of a year. This is because in a past existence they were diviners. Birds are better at flying than human beings. And I, Nichiren, am better at judging the relative merits of sutras than Ch’eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises school, Tz’u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school, and Kobo of the True Word school. That is because I follow in the footsteps of the teachers T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo. If Ch’eng-kuan and the others had not accepted the teachings of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo, how could they have expected to escape the sin of slandering the Law?
I, Nichiren, am the richest man in all of present-day Japan. I have dedicated my life to the Lotus Sutra, and my name will be handed down in ages to come. If one is lord of the great ocean, then all the gods of the various rivers will obey one. If one is king of Mount Sumeru, then the gods of the various other mountains cannot help but serve one. If a person fulfills the teaching of “the six difficult and nine easy acts” of the Lotus Sutra, then, even though he may not have read the entire body of sutras, all should follow him.” –The Opening of the Eyes
Nichiren Daishonin is a far more accomplished Master than any past or present priest or layman.
“The Great Teacher Dengyo was disparaged by the priests of Nara, who said, “Saicho has never been to the capital of T’ang China!” (ibid.)
“The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai trusted and obeyed Shakyamuni and worked to uphold the Lotus school, spreading its teachings throughout China.” — On the Buddha’s Prophecy
“In the Tendai school, however, there appeared a priest known as the Great Teacher Miao-lo. Though he lived more than two hundred years after the time of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, he was extremely wise and had a clear understanding of the teachings of T’ien-t’ai…” – Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Who credentialed or certified Tientai, Miao-lo, or Nichiren? Nichiren Daishonin gave himself the Buddhist name Nichi-Ren. Who ordained Shakyamuni Buddha? This nonsense about seeking a living master will stifle your growth and development as a direct disciple of the Original Buddha. It is the evil priestly and monastic agenda to coerce you into accepting them as teachers and offering them alms, rather than the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Their’s is not True Mahayana (exoteric Buddhism) which is based on the Succession Through the Scrolls of the Sutra and the authentic writings of Nichiren. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin teach that we are direct disciples of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni. Buddhism is accessible to all with or without a “face to face” transmission.
Nichiren Daishonin states:
“While the Great Teacher Jikaku was in Japan, he made a thorough study of the teachings of both Dengyo and Kobo, and he spent a period of ten years in China studying under the eight distinguished priests, including the Tripitaka Master Pao-yüeh of southern India, learning all the loftiest and most secret doctrines. On this basis, he completed his commentaries on the two sutras. In addition, he prayed to the image of the Buddha, and awoke from dreaming that he had seen the arrow of wisdom strike the sun of the Middle Way. So great was his joy that he requested Emperor Nimmyo to issue an edict acknowledging Mount Hiei as a center of the True Word practice.
Though he was the chief priest of the Tendai school, he virtually became a True Word prelate, declaring that the three True Word sutras were the works that would ensure peace and protection of the nation. It has now been more than four hundred years since he spread these doctrines. The eminent leaders who have accepted them are as numerous as rice and hemp seedlings, and the fervent believers who have embraced them are as plentiful as bamboo plants and rushes.
As a result, of all the temples established throughout Japan by Emperor Kammu and the Great Teacher Dengyo, there is not one that has not become a propagator of the True Word doctrine. Both courtiers and warriors alike invite True Word priests to attend to their religious needs, look up to them as their teachers, confer offices upon them, and place them in charge of temples. And in the eye-opening ceremony carried out at the consecration of wooden and painted Buddhist images, the priests of all the eight schools of Buddhism now use the mudras and mantras of the Thus Come One Mahavairochana and the honored one Buddha Eye! — Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Look what happened to Buddhism with men like Jikaku who studied under, “the Eight Distinguished Teachers”, every one of them certified, credentialed and ordained. Also, the priestly shackle that some advocate, diminishes one’s faith in the Supreme Law affirmed by all Buddhas (Myoho renge kyo). Others studied under men who were heretics or traitors to Nichiren and still others were trained, ordained and/or, certified by modern day disciples of these shameful men. Nichiren continues:
“Question: When it comes to those who maintain that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the True Word teachings, should they try to make use of these commentaries by Jikaku, or should they reject them?
Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha laid down a rule for future conduct when he said that we should “rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Bodhisattva Nagarjuna says that one should rely on treatises that are faithful to the sutras, but not rely on those that distort the sutras. T’ien-t’ai states, “That which accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so.” And the Great Teacher Dengyo says, “Depend upon the preachings of the Buddha, and do not put faith in traditions handed down orally.” — The Selection of the Time
“Instead of wasting all those supplies and making work for other people by insisting upon traveling all the way to China, they should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines of the Great Teacher Dengyo, who was their own teacher!.” –Repaying Debts of Gratitude
“But after he went to China at the age of forty, though he continued to call himself a disciple of Dengyo and went through the motions of carrying on Dengyo’s line, he taught a kind of Buddhism that was wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Dengyo.” (ibid.)
Although I am merely an ignorant layman, I think that some of our present day priests and so-called mentors should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines of Nichiren Daishonin who they claim as their Buddhist Master. Then they wouldn’t be teaching a type of Buddhism that is wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Nichiren. One mentor in particular has shackled his disciples to himself like a sick siamese twin who will eventually end up killing both himself and his sibling.
“At that time, after the great assembly had heard the Buddha speak of the
great length of his life-span, incalculable, limitless asamkhyeyas of
living beings gained a great advantage. At that time, the World-Honored
One declared to the bodhisattva-mahasattva Maitreya: “O Ajita!
When I preached on the great length of the life-span of the Thus Come
One, living beings to the number of sands in six hundred and eighty
myriads of millions of nayutas of Ganges rivers gained acceptance of
[the doctrine of] the unborn dharmas. Again, a thousand times this
number of bodhisattva-mahsattvas heard and were enabled to take hold
of the gateway of the dharanis. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal
to the number of the atoms in one world-sphere gained joy in preaching
and unimpeded eloquence. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in
number to the atoms in one world-sphere gained the dharani that can
be turned to a hundred thousand myriads of millions of incalculable
[uses]. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to the atoms
in the thousand-millionfold world were enabled to turn the unreceding
Wheel of the Dharma. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number
to the atoms in two thousand middle lands were enabled to turn the
pure Wheel of the Dharma. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in
number to the atoms in a minor thousand of lands were destined
after eight rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Again, bodhi
sattva-mahasattvas equal to four times the number of atoms under
four heavens were destined after four rebirths to gain anuttarasamvak
sambodhi. Again, bodhisattva-mahasattvas equal in number to three
times the number of atoms under four heavens were destined after three
rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Again, bodhisattva-maha-
sattvas equal in number to twice the atoms under four heavens
were destined after two rebirths to gain anuttarasamyaksambodhi.”
– Lotus Sutra Chapter 17
Nichiren Shonin quotes Nan-yueh:
“The Daigo shojin Sutra says: ‘Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo.’” — Entity of the Mystic Law
and again:
“Those who practice the Lotus Sutra are pursuing through this single act of devotion the mind that is endowed with all manner of fortunate results. These are present simultaneously and are not acquired gradually over a long period of time. This is like the blossom of the lotus which, when it opens, already possesses a large number of seeds or results. Hence such persons are called the people of the one vehicle.” — The Entity of the Mystic Law
“Thereupon Shakyamuni Buddha rose from the seat of the Dharma, and by great supernatural powers, put his right hand on the heads of the innumerable Bodhisattva-mahasattvas, and said: “For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asamkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you. Propagate it with all your hearts, and make it known far and wide.” — Lotus Sutra, Chapter 22 Transmission
The merit of the Buddha comes directly from the Buddha. After the close of Chapter 22, the replicas of Shakyamuni Buddha never again appear. They went back to their home worlds at the end of this chapter because the Buddha has entrusted Bodhisattva Jogyo and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with carrying out the transmission of the Dharma in this Latter Age. The transmission of Buddhahood come from the Original Buddha Shakyamuni and nowhere else.
Nichiren Daishonin in the “Ho’on Jo” [Repaying Debts of Gratitude], enumerates the Three Great Secret Laws (“san dai hi ho”):
“The first is the object of worship (honzon). All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni (Original and Eternal Buddha) revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the Object of Worship (honzon)…”; Second, there is the high sanctuary of true Buddhism; Third, in Japan, China, India and all the other countries of the world, every person, regardless of whether he is wise or foolish, shall set aside other practices and join in the chanting of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo.”
In the “Kanjin Honzon Sho” [True Object of Worship], he says:
“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future.” In the Senji Sho [Selection of the Time] we read, “It was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important predications. I believe it was solely the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha, entering my body, who made them.”
On the Four Stages of Faith and The Five Stages of Practice Reads,
“Within these chapters of transmission, the four stages of faith and the five stages of practice expounded in the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter refer to what is most important in the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and are a standard for those living in the time of the Buddha and after his passing.
Ching-hsi writes: “‘To produce even a single moment’s faith and understanding’ represents the beginning in the practice of the essential teaching.” Of these various stages, the four stages of faith are intended for those living in the Buddha’s lifetime, and the five stages of practice for those living after his passing. Among these, the first of the four stages of faith is that of producing even a single moment’s faith and understanding, and the first of the five stages of practice is that of rejoicing on first hearing the Lotus Sutra. These two stages together form a casket containing the treasures of the “hundred worlds and thousand factors” and the “three thousand realms in a single life-moment”; they are the gate from which all Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences emerge.”
Nichiren Daishonin goes on to say,
“Answer: This is a very important question, and so I will be referring to the text of the sutra in answering you. In describing the first, second and third of the five stages of practice, the Buddha restricts those at these stages from practicing precepts and meditation, and places all emphasis upon the single factor of wisdom. And because our wisdom is inadequate, he teaches us to substitute faith, making this single word “faith” the foundation. Disbelief is the cause for becoming an icchantika and for slander of the True Law, while faith is the cause for wisdom and corresponds to the stage of myoji-soku.’
And again,
“Answer: Such persons are restricted from practicing almsgiving, the keeping of the precepts, and the others of the five paramitas, and are directed to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exclusively. This practice corresponds to the capacity of persons at the stages of “producing even a single moment’s faith and understanding” and “rejoicing on first hearing the Lotus Sutra.” It represents the true intention of the Lotus Sutra. ”
And further along:
“Question: When your disciples, without any understanding, simply recite with their mouths the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, what level of attainment do they reach?
Answer: Not only do they go beyond the highest level of the four tastes or the three teachings as well as that attained by practitioners of the perfect teaching set forth in the sutras that precede the Lotus Sutra, but they surpass by millions and billions of times the founders of the Shingon and various other schools of Buddhism–men such as Shan-wu-wei, Chih-yen, T’zu-en, Chi-tsang, Tao-hsuan, Bodhidharma and Shan-tao.”
Nichiren Daishonin writes:
“Although Nichiren dwells in such a remote and forlorn retreat [Minobu], within the heart of his fleshly body he holds concealed the secret Dharma of the sole great matter (ichidaiji) transmitted by the Eternal Shakyamuni, master of teachings, on Vulture Peak.” –Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro-dono gohenji
The Dharma is not something handed down from a master to a disciple, but directly accessible to anyone at any moment via a personal relationship formed with the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra by chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
From the Object of Devotion For Observing the Mind:
“..the Eternal Lord Shakyamuni’s practices undertaken as the cause (for attaining Buddhahood), and his virtues acquired as their effect, are completely contained within the five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. When we receive and hold these five characters, he will spontaneously transfer to us the merit of his causes and effects.”
To conclude, when we chant Namu Myoho renge kyo with faith and reverence for the Gohonzon, the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, the Daimoku, and spread the teachings to the best of our abilities, we are Bodhisattvas of the Earth, requiring no intercession by either priest nor layman.