Chanting Growers Group

"How aware are we of our own inner life, our spirituality—something so intangible yet so priceless? How much effort do we make to perceive that which is not obvious, which can neither be seen nor heard? I believe the exploration and enrichment of the human spirit is what determines our very humanity. Such enrichment provides an inner compass that can lead civilizations to greatness."

"One's true worth as a human being is not a matter of outward appearance or title but derives rather from the breadth of one's spirit. Everything comes down to faith and conviction. It is what is in one's heart and the substance of one's actions that count."



D. Ikeda

Speak of the Devil

Speak of the Devil

I’ve noticed that in Nichiren Buddhism there is a lot of talk about evil, enemies and devils. We are told that in propagating the correct teaching of Buddhism: “The three powerful enemies will arise without fail” (“On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 394); “This world is the domain of the devil king of the sixth heaven ” (“Letter to the Brothers,” WND, 495); and “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge ” (WND, 501).

So what are we supposed to make of all this? It sounds like hordes of goblins are coming over the horizon for us! But that’s not the case. In general, these terms represent negative functions within all life that diminish the value of our lives, cause disharmony, undermine our self-reliance and obstruct the progress of our Buddhist faith and practice. These are the forces of misery.

Terms like devils, enemies and evil represent categories of human behavior—either our own or others’—that can hinder our efforts to awaken to our inherent Buddha nature. Fortunately, if we are steadfast in faith, these negative functions can be transformed into “good friends” or positive forces through our Buddhist practice.

Among the “three obstacles and four devils” are internal forces of desires or doubts that can test our faith, and there is behavior from family members or others close to us who oppose our faith. And then there is very specific behavior that Buddhist scripture identifies as arising from the innate negativity of life to oppose the propagation of the Law. The three categories of people who behave in this way are called “the three powerful enemies.”

Rather than label people as devils, obstacles, enemies or evil, we should be very clear on what exactly we mean. Using inflammatory terms without providing a Buddhist context can obscure the meaning and our intent behind the words. When I was growing up, I was told that the devil and evil were absolute terms, and that an enemy was someone to be hated; God and heaven were absolutely good, and the devil and hell were absolutely evil.

Buddhism, however, does not view good and evil or Buddha and devil as a duality, as existing independent of one another. Rather, it expounds the view of the “oneness of good and evil,” viewing them as inseparable realities of life, neither of which exists without the other. Where there is one, the other is an ever-present potential. As Nichiren writes, “Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning” (“The Treatment of Illness,” WND, 1113). Since both good and evil are present in all life, it becomes each person’s continual challenge to encourage good and stem evil.

So, to say that someone is a devil or evil, what we really mean is that they are currently exhibiting behavior clearly defined as evil in Buddhist teachings. But it is also understood that simultaneously, the opposite potential is also present in that person. By extension, through this principle, the good and evil we see in others reflects the good and evil we have inside ourselves.

Buddhism views the tension between the positive and negative energies in life as a reality of all phenomena, which are governed by the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Both fundamental enlightenment and fundamental darkness—good and evil—arise from the one Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (see “The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” WND, 383). Fundamental darkness is one’s ignorance of and disbelief in the Law. Fundamental enlightenment is revealed through one’s awareness of and faith in the Law. Either is a force that can inform our behavior.

How we conduct ourselves can foster ignorance of the Law or it can lead to greater awareness of it. Ultimately, everything is revealed in our behavior. Nichiren writes, “The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being” (“The Three Kinds of Treasure,” WND, 852). The best criterion for judging the greatness of any religion or philosophy is the behavior of those who adhere to it.

Buddhism explores the root cause of good and bad behavior—that which motivates us to think, speak and act the way we do. As Nichiren writes, “One who is thoroughly awakened to the nature of good and evil from their roots to their branches and leaves is called a Buddha” (“The Kalpa of Decrease,” WND, 1121).

The religion or philosophy we embrace plays a significant role in which force—positive or negative—will dominate our thoughts, words and deeds. These generate our life’s tendencies in the form of karma, like habits formed through repeated actions. A weak or incorrect philosophy renders us more susceptible to egocentric desires and dark urges originating in our fundamental darkness.

This drama between good and evil is especially evident in positions of authority, both secular and religious, when the temptations on human nature are especially strong. This has happened repeatedly to those in positions of power among Buddhist clergy throughout history. They have repeatedly succumbed to baser human emotions and viewed themselves as superior, contrary to the very teachings they professed to follow. Such arrogance has led them to subvert the teachings entrusted to them. As a result, they have functioned as evil, or “bad friends” to the people.

But it is important to note that everyone must face the challenge of recognizing and triumphing over his or her evil. Nichiren himself faced this very same struggle as he explains: “The devil king of the sixth heaven has attempted to take possession of my body. But I have for some time been taking such great care that he now no longer comes near me” (“Reply to Sairen-bo,” WND, 310).

Because the Daishonin defeated his own fundamental darkness, he could manifest his Buddha nature. When good displays its full potential by opposing evil, evil is transformed into a cause to strengthen good. When evil is allowed to go unchallenged, then it will consume all and all will be lost.

In the Lotus Sutra, Devadatta, a disciple of Shakyamuni, typifies a universal tendency toward evil behavior. Driven by jealousy and ambition, he tried to destroy the Buddhist community and led people from the Buddha’s teachings. Shakyamuni took immediate action to reveal Devadatta’s deception and severely rebuked him.

Nichiren tells the story of Shakyamuni and Devadatta as follows: “The World-Honored One cursed Devadatta, saying, ‘You are a fool who licks the spit of others!’ Devadatta felt as though a poison arrow had been shot into his breast, and he cried out in anger, declaring: ‘Gautama [Shakyamuni] is no Buddha! I am the eldest son of King Dronodana, the elder brother of the Venerable Ananda, and kin to Gautama. No matter what kind of evil conduct I might be guilty of, he ought to admonish me in private for it. But to publicly and outrageously accuse me of faults in front of this great assembly of human and heavenly beings—is this the behavior appropriate to a great man or a Buddha?’” (“The Opening of the Eyes,” WND, 245).

At face value, Shakyamuni’s public rebuke of Devadatta doesn’t sound like the behavior of a Buddha, but Shakyamuni was trying to alert Devadatta to the seriousness of his transgression as well as to make others aware of the seriousness of the error.

SGI President Ikeda comments: “Shakyamuni thoroughly reproached Devadatta’s evil. There is no doubt about that. It is by denouncing evil that we can cause such people to open their eyes. That is because hearing voices resounding with the justice of the Mystic Law has the effect of activating the Buddha nature that lies dormant in an evil person’s heart. But because such a person’s heart is covered with a thick, rocklike crust of ignorance, a weak voice will not reach it. It takes a voice of censure, one that strictly takes evil to task, to break through this hard crust and illuminate the Buddha nature” (June 2003 Living Buddhism, p. 37).

It is only when Shakyamuni condemned Devadatta’s behavior that he could reveal the function of his enemy as a good friend born together with him lifetime after lifetime.

In more recent times, this scenario has been played out in the Soka Gakkai’s efforts to widely propagate the Mystic Law during its association with the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. In the 1990s, it became apparent that the behavior of Nikken Abe, the high priest, was mirroring the definitions of devilish functions explained in the Lotus Sutra. The Chinese teacher Miao-lo (711–82) defines them in his work The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” on the basis of descriptions in the concluding verse section of “Encouraging Devotion,” the thirteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. He summarizes the third powerful enemy as, “The arrogance and presumption of those who pretend to be sages” or arrogant false sages. This third category is described as priests who pretend to be sages and who are revered as such, but when encountering the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra become fearful of losing fame or profit and induce secular authorities to persecute them” (The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 720).

The priesthood initiated a plan to take control of the laity and remove President Ikeda as the leader of the Buddhist community dedicated to kosen-rufu. They propounded belief in an “infallible” high priest who could infuse Gohonzon with power and a clergy that practitioners must defer to for a connection to Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings. In a final, futile display of authoritarian behavior, Nikken excommunicated the thirteen million SGI members around the world. Attempting to destroy the organization dedicated to worldwide propagation of Nichiren Buddhism falls into the category of evil behavior.

Although this is a Buddhist view, we shouldn’t be careless in describing it. Inflammatory language not properly set in the context of Nichiren Buddhist philosophy can appear to be demonizing or hateful—and it is not.

As we learned in the Star Wars movies, hatred leads to the dark side of the force, and we don’t want to go there. Our struggle is against the fundamental darkness, the dark side of the force that exists in all life.

By speaking out when that darkness is revealed in behavior that hinders the propagation of the Law, we strengthen our power to curtail the evil within us. The oneness of good and evil means that the evil in others indicates the capacity for evil within us as well. In other words, “I see you in me.” It should be with this understanding that we employ Buddhist terms and speak of Buddhist principles concerning evil in our dialogues with others, because our language can confuse rather than educate, polarize rather than unite.

It is crucial that we clearly address evil or devilish functions in the course of our practice and kosen-rufu. To be passive in the face of such forces would be foolish because these forces themselves are not passive. Nichiren states, “To hope to attain Buddhahood without speaking out against slander is as futile as trying to find water in the midst of fire or fire in the midst of water” (“The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood,” WND, 747).

We live in a world ruled by the devil king of the sixth heaven—a world dominated by the negative forces in life. People are more educated than ever, they sincerely desire peace and happiness, a great many are sincerely religious, and yet, war and misery continue. If we believe Nichiren’s words that the Lotus Sutra is “the sharp sword that severs the fundamental darkness inherent in life” (“A Comparison of the Lotus and Other Sutras,” WND, 1038), then the SGI movement to propagate life’s supreme dignity based on the Lotus Sutra may very well be the best hope for all humanity.

By Dave Baldschun
SGI-USA Vice Study Department Leader
( http://sokaspirit.org/about/featured/devil.shtml )

Former L.A. Priest: An Insider's Story

Former L.A. Priest: An Insider's Story

by Rev. Gen'ei Kudo

Reverend Gen'ei Kudo was the Chief Priest of Myoho-ji Temple near Los Angeles until 1988 and had made many close friends among the SGI membership. Nikken had originally ordered Reverend Kudo to return to the head temple, but when the SGI was expelled, Reverend Kudo immediately wanted to return to the United States to encourage his friends of the SGI-USA. As one of the leaders of the Association for the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, he is fighting against the heretical teachings of Nikken and was most animated and enthusiastic during his interview with the Seikyo Times staff.

ST: Why did you become a priest?

GK: I chose to become a priest to protect the Soka Gakkai, which is an important organization to promote kosen-rufu, and also to prove the justice of the Soka Gakkai in light of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. I received personal guidance from President Toda on this matter and my feeling is that we wanted to fight together for kosen-rufu, together with members of the SGI with a deep sense of camaraderie.

As a member of the first Soka Gakkai YMD corps, I was a hancho and the chief was President Ikeda. I had joined the Soka Gakkai in 1953, when I was 17 years old. Three years later, I joined the priesthood.

ST: Was it difficult for you to be a priest while there was so much turmoil in Nichiren Shoshu over the over 30 years that you belonged to the priesthood?

GK: Before I became a priest, President Toda had explained to me what was happening within Nichiren Shoshu, and his concern about the priests' faith deviating from the Daishonin's spirit.

And, as I am a very critical who expresses myself; whenever I felt something was wrong, I pointed out. One time I spoke straight from my heart to the then-general administrator of Nichiren Shoshu saying that I could sense that the mentor and disciple relationship is being practiced in the Gakkai very sincerely while I didn't feel such a sense of mentor and disciple among the priests. When I first became a priest, they were pretty negligent in their practice of morning gongyo. Having been well trained in the youth division of the Soka Gakkai, I felt I was slandering Buddhism when doing gongyo with them.In my case, I was very close to the 65th high priest, Nichijun. As soon as I became a priest I had a chance to serve him as an attendant. High Priest Nichijun really understood and protected me. I really felt he cherished me, partly because I was from the Gakkai. The high priest was so conscientious and considerate, that, for example, when he knew there were guests from my hometown of Hokkaido visiting the head temple, he encouraged me to meet with them. President Toda often visited the head temple and each time he met with High Priest Nichijun, I was always there, so I was fortunate to witness their beautiful harmony.

In October 1991, a memorial ceremony was in the planning stages for the late high priest, Nichijun, to be held on November 17, 1991. It was a matter of course that priests like myself and the Reverend Shojun Ohashi, who were the immediate disciples of Nichijun, would be involved such a service. However, we were prohibited from attending the ceremony.

ST: At what point did Nikken become intolerable to you? At what point did you recognize that he was functioning as the Devil of the Sixth Heaven?

GK: I can talk about a few points. The harmony between priests and lay people is ideal in the Daishonin's Buddhism. High Priest Nichijun and High Priest Nittatsu pursued this objective. President Toda and President Ikeda, too, made efforts to this end. However, Nikken, from the inception of his being high priest, had the idea to separate lay people from the priesthood.
Now it is clear that the plot called Operation C existed within the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, which is intolerable in light of Buddhism, and I had a chance to talk to Nikken about this point. During my audience I had with him in 1991, he admitted the existence of this plot. He ordered this, which is simply appalling. Later he excommunicated the Gakkai, which is the worst of the series of actions he took against kosen-rufu. Secondly, he allows priests to call him one with the Dai-Gohonzon — he continues to allow them to regard him as such. This is sheer arrogance on his part.

Thirdly, he has destroyed the principles expounded in the Gosho through the series of actions he took against the Gakkai. For instance the concept of shin puku zuiju meaning to follow with absolute obedience — this concept applies to the Law, but in this case he used it to make priests and believers follow him with absolute obedience.

In other words, he let priests apply this concept to the person himself. His theory is that because the Gakkai is a lay organization, they have to be subordinate to the priesthood all the time. I think we can point out much more but these are the three major areas.

ST: Obviously this answers the question about why you left the temple. In the history of Buddhism, what would you say is the significance of this issue?

GK: I feel the temple issue is a necessity — it was an unavoidable occurrence, which had to happen to further the great flow of kosen-rufu. In the Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin says:

Know this: in the time for shakubuku the Four Bodhisattvas appear as wise kings who rebuke and convert evil kings, and in the time for shoju they appear as priests to protect and spread true Buddhism. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, 80).

The time has come for that. In this passage, wise kings mean leaders or a lay organization. This passage of the Gosho reveals the point that the priesthood is not the major factor in achieving kosen-rufu. Rather, in the Latter Day of the Law, the time of shakubuku, it is the lay organization, the lay leaders who must play a chief role in this endeavor.

ST: What do you see as the future of the priesthood?

GK: The most important point for each SGI member, including myself, is to reflect upon our faith: what is correct faith and what do we have to do now to carry out correct faith? President Ikeda gives guidance all the time that the SGI is the organization directly connected with the Daishonin based upon the Dai-Gohonzon, centering on the Gosho.

This is the time, too, for us priests, who left Nichiren Shoshu, to reconfirm the prime point of faith as we look to the future of kosen-rufu, and also as we strive to strengthen our bonds of camaraderie for the cause of kosen-rufu stood up to reform. This is the time for us to renew genuine determinations to open up a great new phase of kosen-rufu together with the members of the SGI. I feel very excited because after we defeat this great evil, a great, great future of kosen-rufu will emerge as we follow President Ikeda's guidance, and do human revolution based upon his guidance. I can foresee a great unfolding of a new phase of kosen-rufu we have to show a victory in this battle with the negative forces of the priesthood.

President Ikeda said at one time that kosen-rufu is to let each country reveal its own features, characteristics — in other words, thinking how, for instance, America can become a happy country in the true sense. That is a vital perspective. The saying, When in Rome, do as the Romans do is the principle in guidance used by President Ikeda in opening up our kosen-rufu movement in the respective countries. Of course, the essential part of Buddhism is changeless, the fundamentals that apply to any country.

We have to protect that area regardless of differences in cultures. Of course, we shouldn't bend the principles of Buddhism. Otherwise people misinterpret the Daishonin's Buddhism. But as we live the fundamental principles of Buddhism we can be very open-minded and flexible in carrying out our movement of kosen-rufu in each country.

ST: The principle of the mentor-disciple relationship is one everyone has been trying to study and understand. I personally feel it is crucial that all of us deepen our understanding of this point. If you were asked to explain this principle to our membership, what would you say?

GK: Whether we are priests or lay believers, our primary mentor in faith is Nichiren Daishonin. Even though kosen-rufu is being substantiated by the members of the SGI, for a long time the priests claimed that there also could be a mentor and disciple relationship between the priests and lay believers, meaning that priests are mentors and lay believers are disciples.

However, they did not admit that there could be a mentor and disciple relationship within the laity. The roots of the priesthood's thoughts lie in the notion, which does not exist, in the Gosho—--that priests are superior and laity are subordinates. In my case, President Toda was my mentor in faith before the time I became a priest. After I became a priest, my mentor in the priesthood was the 65th high priest, Nichijun. Even though I became a priest I do not deny my relationship with President Toda as mentor and disciple---it did not vanish and it won't.

I am proud of the fact that I once had two mentors in faith, President Toda and High Priest Nichijun in those days. Immediately after President Toda passed away, I took President Ikeda as my new mentor. Who you choose as your mentor is a job of the disciple. Even though you are taught the significance of the mentor and disciple relationship, unless you have a desire to make somebody your mentor, this relationship will not be achieved or created.

Generally speaking, not only within the Daishonin's Buddhism the relationship between mentor and disciple transcends the three existences of past, present and future. Even though you have created a mentor and disciple relationship in this lifetime, if you abandon it in this lifetime, the relationship is going to perish for good.

In practicing faith, you cannot ignore this concept of mentor and disciple. As you know, Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda's relationship was one of mentor and disciple. The same is true with the relationship between President Toda and President Ikeda, which was very deep. You know this through reading The Human Revolution I'd like to say that this concept of mentor and disciple is vital; it is premised upon the objective of kosen-rufu.
First of all we have to realize that the SGI organization is not one where people of similar hobbies get together or act according to likes and dislikes.

In our objective promoting kosen-rufu, we have to make sure if our faith is precise in view of the mentor and disciple relationship.

There is a saying that a mentor's mandate is severe, and the disciple most reverently follows it. I heard from President Ikeda on many occasions how severe the training was he received from President Toda.

President Toda really trained him well in faith, sometimes admonishing him deeply, even though President Ikeda didn't know what he had done wrong. However, when President Ikeda recalls those days he expresses his wish that he could have been trained even more by President Toda. We might see similar scenes between President Ikeda and the leaders of the SGI, a scene in which President Ikeda is very strict with the leaders.
I know various examples of mentor and disciple relationship in the United States between President Ikeda and the SGI-USA members. If you become shallowly emotional when President Ikeda is strict with you, then you are not fulfilling the way of mentor and disciple. I was very happy when President Ikeda was strict with a certain leader in this country.

This means the SGI-USA is getting into a new, true phase of kosen-rufu, because President Ikeda can say anything he wants to say as mentor in faith. Of course, this organization has to continue to improve itself by each member's growth.

ST: I feel that at this time there are quite a few members who have studied the priesthood issue to a certain extent and are asking the question: What can I do to fight against Nikken if, in fact, I don't have any members who have gone to the Hokkeko or I don't think it's a problem that relates to myself? I hope our readers can somehow see your perspective about why it is important to study this issue.

GK: There is a passage from the Gosho, The Treatment of Illness (MW-3, 279; 997). It talks about us who embrace the Gohonzon:

Both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest state, that of myogaku or enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Bonten and Taishaku, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the Devil of the Sixth Heaven. The gods hate evildoers, and demons hate good people.

In talking about the priesthood issue in terms of my own faith. Everyone possesses fundamental darkness and enlightenment. This fundamental enlightenment and darkness exist even in the life condition of Buddhahood.

This is very important. Nikken, as high priest of Nichiren Shoshu, is supposed to display the life condition of Buddhahood. Despite the nobility and supremacy of his position, what he displays is the fundamental darkness. Therefore, we can define him as the King Devil of the Sixth Heaven under the current circumstances. What a shame. That he excommunicated the Soka Gakkai, which promotes kosen-rufu, clearly signifies he embodies the function of the Devil of the Sixth Heaven. He is in the darkness of his emotionalism. However, this Gosho is very strict and very revealing, because we possess a similar life condition to that which Nikken displays.

In the Gosho Nichiren Daishonin says, Faith alone is capable of breaking through fundamental darkness. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 751). It is not a matter of technique to defeat fundamental darkness. You have to arouse strong faith in order to win over your fundamental darkness. We have to strengthen our faith so that we can strongly refute the evil of Nikken. This is a very important point. When you try to refute Nikken's ills you can refute your own fundamental darkness. In this regard we have to sharpen our faith, that is, our perspective of what's happening in issue of faith. In this regard we are in a very important period.

If you take the temple view objectively, you are missing a chance to break through your own fundamental darkness. Winners in the battle against fundamental darkness should be the leaders of kosen-rufu. Those people who take the lead for kosen-rufu should be victorious in this battle for their own human revolution.

ST: Other questions are more theoretical or technical. One is whether or not the ultimate Law can be transferred from high priest to high priest. The temple claims that the heritage of the ultimate Law can only be transferred from one high priest to another. Because there was not very much openness in terms of the Nichiren Shoshu tradition, some members feel there is some kind of secret code or something that they don't know about–--that only the high priest knows about that they would be missing if they are just members of the Soka Gakkai. Maybe from a very common sense, practical standpoint or from your own experience, what light can you shed on this question to give the members confidence in this point?

GK: Mysticism like this, a concept of the lineage from high priest to high priest, confuses the temple members, attracts them to a wrong thought. I would like to make one point about this. We have to grasp the definition in Buddhism correctly. High Priest Nichijun made a very interesting, meaningful definition of the time.

He made the 700th anniversary of the establishment of true Buddhism a dividing line, before that and after that. He defined the age before the 700th anniversary as the age to protect the Law. The age after the 700th anniversary is the age of propagation of the Law. This is a very practical perspective in light of the passage I quoted a while ago from the Gosho, The True Object of Worship. During the age of protecting the Law, the priesthood played a central role. In the age of propagating the Law, wise kings — which means wise leaders — are going to play very important roles.

This is a very important fact: During the age of protecting the Law, for 700 years, Nichiren Shoshu only had 10,000 believers. The Daishonin's Buddhism didn't spread but the Law was maintained. Even though they possessed the Dai-Gohonzon, they only had 50 temples, 50 priests, 10,000 believers, far from the picture Nichiren Daishonin presented in talking about worldwide kosen-rufu, when President Toda stood alone for kosen-rufu after World War II.

I personally feel that using mysticism within Nichiren Shoshu was appealing to those small numbers of people. Nichiren Shoshu used mysticism to maintain or keep those believers without being able to teach them the great power of the Dai-Gohonzon. This happened not only in Nichiren Shoshu but also in many other sects of Buddhism — using mysticism to try to keep believers with their temples. This is one area President Toda wanted to clarify, to get rid of mysticism from true Buddhism.

The Daishonin's Buddhism is supposed to be the Buddhism anybody can understand, it is good common sense. Otherwise, if it is taken as mysticism then it cannot be practiced by people of the world.

( http://sokaspirit.org/resource/lb/1994-04-01.shtml )

I just cried tears of joys, I am welling up tearing from the appreciation for that post. Thank you so much, a special thanks to those whom came before me and kept this going for me to find it. I needed "answers" (or at the very least to come to certain conclusions in my life) so badly I felt as if I was dying before I found my way out of the most severe anxiety ridden depression of my life. Now over a year and a half later I study Buddhism almost as much as I chant and this thread is simply invaluable (must be preserved).

Dude, thank you so much for your sincere words and especially continuous research (same to you SoCal and Babba), thank you for your dedication to me. I really was struggling hard with this, I mean I have questions about everything and I go back to "communist ideology" rather than rational Buddhism. I am so grateful its beyonds words, everyone that knows I chant for them, knows I chant for them. We are in this together, and thank you so much man! I'm very grateful and pledge to continuing fighting in my own right to help others whom I develop life to life connections with to overcome and also see they also have the same Buddhanature:

Therefore, "fundamental darkness will be conquered" can and will never happen on a collective basis. It can only be done individually. It's called "Human Revolution". The price to achieve it is something not everyone will have the wisdom to pay. That is called delusion.

Click to expand...

A huge hug and solemn thanks for supporting my practice, I really do my best to encourage others to chant and realize their potential or further their lives and when the favor is returned so huge and on this end it makes perfect sense all I can say is thank you so much.

Like the Roar of the Lion,Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Wow thanks so much for a great read! The very last line just rings so true!

"The Daishonin's Buddhism is supposed to be the Buddhism anybody can understand, it is good common sense. Otherwise, if it is taken as mysticism then it cannot be practiced by people of the world".

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself... the unchanging reality which reigns over all fife's functions.

THE SUPREME POTENTIAL LIES WITHIN US

This is a very well-known and important passage. In it, the Daishonin dispels the idea that Buddhahood exists anywhere apart from our own lives and the reality in which we live. Herein lies the greatness of his Buddhism, which is unsurpassed in bridging the gap between ultimate truth and the ordinary person.

The Gohonzon, as we have stated, embodies the life of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. However, the fundamental Law of life to which the Daishonin was enlightened also exists within ourselves. Thus there is no essential difference between the Buddha's life and the life of common mortals. There is, however, a definite difference 'in terms of life-condition. The Buddha realizes that one's own life is the Mystic Law, while common mortals, blinded by delusion, do not. As the Buddha of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon so that we, common mortals, could awaken to the Mystic Law within ourselves and attain the same life-condition as himself. Because his aim was to awaken us to the entity of our own lives, he admonishes, "Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself." If we thought of the Gohonzon as some external or supernatural power that we must beseech for help, that would hinder us from discovering the ultimate truth within ourselves. The Daishonin therefore cautions us against this attitude in several Gosho. In "On Attaining Buddhahood," for example, he writes:

Even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching.... Therefore, when you chant the Mystic Law and recite the Lotus Sutra, you must summon up deep conviction that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself. (MW-I, 3-4)

To give an analogy, no matter how perfect our eyesight, we cannot see our own faces. Only when we look into a mirror can we see what we look like. Similarly, being common mortals of limited wisdom, we cannot see our own Buddha nature. However, when we face the mirror of the Gohonzon, we can discover the treasure of Buddhahood (the Gohonzon) within.

Herein we find a significant point of difference between the Daishonin's Buddhism and those religious teachings in which people are taught to depend on supernatural powers outside themselves, either begging their aid or seeking to avert their wrath. Historically, this perceived gap between people and their object of worship has not only blinded them to the truth within their own lives but opened the way for those claiming to be intermediaries of the deity to gain and exercise power over the lives of others. Nichiren Daishonin's teaching denies any essential gap between human beings and the ultimate reality. Instead, it teaches that the supreme potential lies within us and shows us how to manifest it "within our mortal flesh" by embracing the Gohonzon.

The Gohonzon is the sole, perfect manifestation of the Mystic Law in our environment, placed there by the compassion and wisdom of Nichiren Daishonin. When we fuse our lives with the Gohonzon by chanting Nam-myohorenge-kyo, we can witness the reality of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo emerging in our own lives, in both their internal and external dimensions. This happens by what Buddhism terms "the interaction of the four powers." The Gohonzon embodies the powers of the Buddha and the Law, which are absolute. However, these powers can be activated only by our own powers of faith and practice. By believing in and chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon, we can manifest its power in every aspect of our lives.

The fusion of our lives with the Gohonzon can be described as the tapping of the nine consciousness. The doctrine of the nine consciousnesses represents a Buddhist analysis of the functions of mind. Briefly, the first five consciousnesses correspond to the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth consciousness, mind, integrates the impressions of the five senses into coherent images, so that one can make judgments about the outer world.

The seventh or mano-consciousness is the realm of abstract thought. Spanning both conscious and unconscious realms, it also entails attachment to self extending even below the conscious level.

The eighth, alaya-consciousness, is an unconscious realm where all experiences of the present and past lifetimes - karma - are stored. This consciousness undergoes change from one moment to the next as one continually performs new actions, whether positive or negative. The karmic content of the alaya-consciousness affects the perceptions of the first seven consciousnesses, and these perceptions 'in turn predispose us to our own particular karmic patterns. The alaya-consciousness forms the framework of individual existence and is that which undergoes the cycle of birth and death.

Some earlier Buddhist traditions, such as the Consciousness-Only school, regard the alaya-consciousness as the basis of all life's functions. However, the T'ien-t'ai school posited a ninth consciousness, the amala-consciousness or "fundamental pure consciousness" lying beneath the alaya-consciousness. Untainted by karmic accretions, it is the imperishable, unchanging realm of the universal Buddha nature, endowed with the four virtues of true self, eternity, purity and happiness.

In saying, "The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness " Nichiren Daishonin emphasizes that the potential for Buddhahood exists within us. He taught that by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can gain access to this ninth consciousness, the ultimate depth of life. Activated by our daimoku, its light, so to speak, floods upward to illuminate the workings of the other eight conscious times, so that the entire interlocking network of causes and effects forming our individual existence comes to be based on enlightenment. By tapping the Buddha nature or the ninth consciousness within, we can fundamentally change our karma for the better and establish an unshakable state of life.

{the first portion from http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/SokaGakkai/Study/Entrance/Text2.htm }

How Can We Say for Sure That the SGI Is Right?

How Can We Say for Sure That the SGI Is Right?

The SGI's position is that Nichiren Shoshu is wrong. And Nichiren Shoshu's position is that the SGI is wrong. How can we explain that the SGI is right - beyond just saying that the temple is wrong? What evidence do we have to support what we say?

The real question underlying this is whether the SGI or Nichiren Shoshu is correctly practicing Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Which side is right about what the Daishonin's Buddhism teaches? How do we know this for sure?

The answer can only be found in one place: the Daishonin's writings. The SGI is teaching a Buddhist practice completely in accord with what the Daishonin writes.

For example, the SGI believes, exactly as the Daishonin writes, that all people are equal. All people are essentially Buddhas.

The Daishonin states in "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life" that "Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment countless aeons ago, the Lotus Sutra which leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from each other" (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 216).

In "Letter to Niike," he says, "becoming a Buddha is nothing extraordinary. If you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with your whole heart, you will naturally become endowed with the Buddha's thirty-two features and eighty characteristics. As the sutra says, 'hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us,' you can readily become as noble a Buddha as Shakyamuni." (WND, p. 1030).

The Daishonin's writings are full of passages like these that declare we are Buddhas. The SGI puts these passages into practice, sharing this message with the world.

Nichiren Shoshu's message, by contrast, is that we have to have priests - especially the high priest - to attain Buddhahood. We are incapable of doing it on our own, incomplete without that priestly intervention. But this idea is found nowhere in the Daishonin's writings. It's at odds with the Daishonin's writings, almost all of which were written to ordinary people, not to priests. Yet the priests suggest that Nikken is the only real Buddha, that he's the only one who can really understand this Buddhism, that ordinary people never can.

But we can, and we do. In "The True Aspect of All Phenomena, " the Daishonin says, "if you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth." (WND, p. 385) Of course, we do not become of the same mind as him just by being SGI members or just by chanting. It's when we have the same reverence for the people that he did - the same passion that he did for introducing all people to the liberation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - that we become "of the same mind" as him. The priests have separated themselves from the Daishonin's mind by rigidly sticking to their misconception that they are "above" us.

The temple issue calls on us to move closer and closer to the core of this Buddhism, to reverence for people. Closer and closer to the people, the one and only reason that the Daishonin founded this Buddhism. Closer and closer to the truth of this Buddhism.

By Jeff Farr
Associate Editor
( http://sokaspirit.org/faq/02.shtml )

"Believing in your mentor means putting his guidance into practise. Those who walk the path of mentor and disciple are afraid of nothing. As Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'The greater the hardships befalling him [the votary of the Lotus Sutra], the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith' (WND-1, 33).

"I urge you, my successors: It's not up to others, it's up to you. Build an indomitable self, as unshakable as Mount Fuji. No matter what tempests may rage about you, roar and fight like a mighty lion. Open the way to lasting victory."

SGI Newsletter No. 7323, NATIONWIDE EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE--SESSION 3 [OF 8 SESSIONS], Bringing Out Our Infinite Potential, (At the third session of the Nationwide
Executive Conference, held on August 7th, 2007, attended by regional leaders as well as national divisional representatives), translated Aug 29th, 2007

RULE BY PERSONS OR RULE BY LAW
Makiguchi, 1930, "Soka Kyoiku Gakku Taikei" (excerpt)
(education for Creative Living, Dayle Bethel)

"...It is written that Sakyamuni said "Heed the Law, not persons".
This is the greatest guidance that buddhism has to offer to the
advancement of humankind. here we are shown the way up from
dependence to true freedom, from living in obedience to charismatic
power figures to living in unison with the universal order. As we
shall discuss later in more detail, to follow blindly the will of
others or even of oneself is a form of personality worship. We are
self-sold into bondage. And because such one-track beliefs are not
based on reason, they are apt to be quite volatile and reactive. The
most minor doctrinal or iconographic deviations may fuel sectarian
disputes and religious intolerance.

Religions everywhere preach compassion, mercy and reciprocity with an
intense fervor that almost inevitably leads to interfaith warfare,
all because they get entrenched in personality worship.There is no
chance to rise above the life of person dependence. Just like the
lover who has no eyes for anyone but his love, the devotee of a
personality cult has not the least inclination to to assume an
objective scientific stance to calmly compare the various religions,
hail the greater similarities, and reject the trivial differences.

Gradually, though, as we move through the process of aquiring ever
more knowledge, the subjective emotional elements give way to more
rational considerations. We gain a certain distance from the
charismatic figure as our conciousness of an underlying order grows
more pronounced. The realization dawns that even that person we had
so revered only shortly before is is but one ordinary human being. At
that moment,like a sunrise outshining the stars that appeared to
gleam so brightly, the focus of that conciousness driving our very
being shifts from persons related to our own individual loss and gain
to the natural order and social laws that work equally for all
without favor or discrimination..."

Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to
Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality
means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the
illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the
riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom
will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one
attains Buddhahood in one's present form.

(WND, 746)
The Essential for Attaining Buddhahood
Written to Soya Jiro Hyoe-no-jo Kyoshin on August 3, 1276

"Our existence in this world can be likened to a dream. The issue of
the greatest importance and eternal relevance is how we face death,
the inescapable destiny of all living beings. For in the face of
death, external factors such as social status or position in the
organization count for naught. Everything depends on one's faith,
one's state of life."

"The highest offering to the Buddha is not to worship something reminiscent of the Buddha. Rather, it is to inherent the Buddha's spirit. In other words, the highest offering lies in struggling to manifest, as one's own way of life, even a part of the spirit of the Buddha, who upheld the philosophy that everyone is a Buddha and tirelessly strove to save all from suffering."

D. Ikeda

Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one's present form.

The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead to Buddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood.

The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood (WND, 746)

When one chants the daimoku bearing in mind that there are no
distinctions among those who embrace the Lotus Sutra, then the
blessings one gains will be equal to those of Shakyamuni Buddha.

(WND, 756)
The Fourteen Slanders
Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Lets keep an eye out for our newest chanting grower. Im sure she will be posting up soon. My very good friend and group leader " georgialouwho" should be showing up before long. She should be a great addition here as she has been practicing for quite a long time. This just gets better and better. Thank you all for the great encouraging post. I read everyone and am chanting away woooooooooooop thankyou all so much !!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Hope everyone is doing well. The Mrs and I are off to the Bay for a day or so. Going to go chant at the SGI center on sunday. Thought we might take in a concert and give this all a break Hope you all are higha and happy!! Thanks for always being here!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Great see both of your spirits up a little higher now
it has been a long and bumpy road but like life, time heals everything.
always remember we are all brothers and sisters of this family.

We Have genuine friendship when it is based on true human feeling, a feeling of closeness in which there is a sense of sharing and connectedness. I would call this type of friendship genuine because it is not affected by the increase or decrease of the individual's wealth, status, or power. the factor that sustains that friendship is whether or not the two people have mutual feelings of love and affection.


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Yo T- Bone 6:45 till 7:15. I feel good. I will return, woooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooooooooo. thank you. And thank ALL of you, its really rockin here, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand strait up!!!!!!!!!!!

oh what a feeling !!!!!!!!!!!!


peace and all my Daimoku is allways for all of you!!!!!

bonz










~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonzo said:

Yo T- Bone 6:45 till 7:15. I feel good. I will return, woooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooooooooo. thank you. And thank ALL of you, its really rockin here, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand strait up!!!!!!!!!!!

oh what a feeling !!!!!!!!!!!!


peace and all my Daimoku is allways for all of you!!!!!

bonz










~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Thank you so much bonzo, I'm with you 8:00-8:45. Nothing better than starting your day of right in my humble opinion!

Never for an instant forget the effort to renew your life, to build yourself anew. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway of life itself. This is not an easy task. Indeed, it may be the most severely challenging struggle there is. For opening the door to your own life is in the end more difficult than opening the door to all the mysteries of the universe.

Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI)

"Miao-lo said, "Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as snakes know the way of snakes." The present epidemics are like the virulent boils of King Ajatashatru that could not be cured by anyone but the Buddha. They can only be eliminated by the Lotus Sutra."
Reference:

WND Page 920
Page 919 The Two Kinds of Illness
Written to Shijo Kingo on 26 June 1278 from Minobu

Click to expand...

I have been chanting alot for my friends here and thank you all for your participation in my practice. Where's DG, scegy, tree, fallen, hitman & moms, wags, baccas125, dr.L, wamen, "smiley" and the others whom know who they are! We're in this together, lets make the best of it!

"Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated.Even a stone from the bottom of a river can be used to produce fire. Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not continued for billions of years- nor will they linger forever."

Daisaku Ikeda

while i dont follow the beliefs of any one religion or theology, i find a lot of my personal beliefs coincide with those i find in Buddhism. i hope theres room under the tree for those of kindred spirit.


BlueAdept