Daisaku and the Eternal Buddha...

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Daisaku on the eternal buddha - Nichiren or Shakyamuni?

Confusion abounds in the SGI it would seem. Not only has the Dai Gohonzon been at first quietly then recently explicitly dropped but the identity of the Eternal Buddha has been changed from Nichiren of SGI of old to Shakayamuni of new.

Before we go further and examine Daisaku's guidance, let's get a definition of Kuon Ganjo and Gohyaku Gintengo from the SGI Dictionary, which states:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/K/119

kuon-ganjo ［久遠元初］ :Literally kuon means the remote past, and ganjo, beginning or foundation. This term appears in On the Mystic Principle of the True Cause, a work written by Nichiren in 1282. This work refers to “the Mystic Law, uncreated and eternal, of the Buddha of beginningless time (kuon-ganjo),”

In Nichiren Shoshu belief, which SGI started life as, Nichiren is identified as the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, the Buddha of the True cause or the buddhism of the sowing, whilst Shakamuni is identified as the Buddha of the Harvest or Gohyaku Jintengo:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/N/97#para-0

"Gohyaku-jintengō or gohyaku-jindengō: An incredibly long period of time described in the “Life Span” (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra to indicate how long ago Shakyamuni Buddha originally attained enlightenment. In the “Life Span” chapter, Shakyamuni reveals that he attained enlightenment not for the first time in this life under the bodhi tree in Gayā, India, but in the inconceivably remote past."

This is the difference between "a very long time ago" and "eternal, without beginning or end".

It is also the fundemental difference between the Nichiren Shu federation sects and organisations beliefs, who view Shakayamuni as the eternal Buddha and Nichiren as Bodhisattva Superior Practices and Nichiren Shoshu (or "Orthodox Buddhism" or "True Buddhism"), who view Shakyamuni as a "husk Buddha" and Nichiren as the True or Eternal Buddha, in his true identity, after the Tatsunakuchi persecution (before his Sado exile) and as Bodhisattva Superior practices in his transient identity, before the Sado exile.

From this, in Nichiren Shoshu belief, we get the notion of discarding the "transient and revealing the true" as Nichiren sheds his Bodhisattva Superior Practices identity and reveals his "true" identity as the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo.

At this point, it would be well to remember that both Mr Makaguchi, in his later life amd as he founded the forerunner of the lay society of Nichiren Shoshu, which Mr Toda re-established as the Soka Gakkai (or more correctly the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai), were both Nichiren Shoshu believers at the point of their respective deaths. Both taught faith and upheld faith in the Dai Gohonzon (or Ita Gohonzon) from the point of their resoective converstions up until the point of their respective deaths.

The Dai Gohonzon, in Nichiren Shoshu belief, is the embodiment of the life of Nichiren Daishonin, the life of the Eternal Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, or time without beginning and end.

For both of these men, faith meant faith in the Dai Gohonzon and kosen rufu meant spreading that faith, or put another way, spreading the faith of True Buddhism, the faith of Nichiren Shoshu. This was the mission of the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai (or the Nichiren Shoshu Value Creation Society). This was the faith Mr Toda trained his "disciple" Daisaku Ikeda and all his other "disciples" in. This is the faith that Mr Toda inherited from his mentor, Mr Makaguchi and passed on to Daisaku Ikeda.

This was the faith that Daisaku Ikeda inherited from his Mr Toda when Daisaku Ikeda took Mr Toda as his mentor, at age 19 and which he upheld until the point of his excommunication from Nichiren Shoshu in November1991. This was the faith that he taught for all those years as head of Soka Gakkai and was still teaching explicitly until at least 1999.

As Mr Toda puts it:

"Nichiren Daishonin possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent. It is indeed an honour that we, of little virtue, can worship him. We are the Daishonin's subjects, children and disciples. Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha of the universe, and to be his subjects, children and disciples is out great karmic relationship. Nichiren Daishonin appeared to enable us to reveal our Buddhahood; also to show us what Buddha wisdom is and thus help us to attain enlightenment. The Daishonin made his advent to allow us ignorant and evil minded individuals to worship the Dai Gohonzon. Therefore it is our supreme benefit to be able to follow the Daishonin 's teachings and worship the supreme Dai Gohonzon as it's child, disciple and subject.

We thus have a mission to share the benefits of the Gohonzon with people in suffering, because we are the first to know of its greatness and our great karma...it is the noble mission of the SGI to guide people to the Treasure Mountain of the Dai Gohonzon" (The History and Conviction of the Soka Gakkai page 7).

Quoted from UKE July 1999 No. 337. Page 26: Gosho study "Opening of the eyes".

And in 1984 Daisaku Ikeda concurs, stating:

Buddhism In Action Volume 1

1984.

ISBN 4-88872-015-0 C1315

Daisaku Ikeda

Pages 33 & 34

"Needless to say, the Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary inscribed for all mankind is the most fundemental basis of the movement of the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai. The Dai-Gohonzon has been preserved and handed down within Nichiren Shoshu from the founder, Nichiren Daishonin, to his successor, Nikko Shonin, and then to the third high priest, Nichimoku Shonin, up to the present high priest, Nikken Shonin. I hope therefore we will courageously dedicate ourselves to studying Nichiren Daishonin's teachings in order to deepen our faith and to propogate true Buddhism in each country or community, as we follow the high priest's guidance, and respect the traditions and doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu.

" 'Practice' mentioned in the above passage means doing gongyo, chanting daimoku and doing shakabuku for the sake of others as well as ourselves. "study" in the same passage, means studying Nichiren Daishonin's teachings. Only those who are devoted to the two ways of practice and study can be called Nichiren Shoshu believers and Nichiren Daishonin's disciples. If you are negligent in these, you may be said to be running counter to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. When you are consistent in these two fundemental ways, you are practicing Buddhism correctly.

"Etch deeply in your heart the phrase, "Both practice and study arise from faith. Faith means accepting the Dai-Gohonzon as absolute, and devoting yourself to the cause of kosen-rufu.

Page 92 (ibid)

"As I have said repeatedly, it is nothing other than the Dai-Gohonzon that is the basis of our worldwide of our worldwide kosen-rufu movement. It is my honour that I have been able to use what little ability I am endowed with in order to blaze a trail for future world peace as well as fir the furtherance of kosen rufu in Japan where the Dai-Gohonzon is kept."

In the same work, Daisaku explains how Nichiren Shoshu belief supposedly brings benefits and therefore why it is worth spreading through worldwide kosen rufu:

Pages 139-140 (Ibid)

"One of the purposes of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is to develop one's life condition. Every human being has sufferings. Flesh is, as they say, heir to suffering. The sufferings of those who have little or no faith in the Gohonzon may become even worse and tend to create a life-condition confined to the three evil paths. In contrast, the sufferings of those who do believe in the Gohonzon can be transformed into the driving force for changing their negative karma, cultivating virtue and good fortune, and attaining Buddhahood. Such change is possible only through determined faith and chanting daimoku. This is the Buddhist principle that earthly desires are enlightenment. Moreover, one may experience sufferings because of one's practice of faith and activities for kosen- rufu. Enduring such sufferings should be interpreted as part of Buddhist practice to develop one's supreme life condition.

"I joined Nichiren Shoshu when I was nineteen, and tomorrow, on August 24, I will have completed 34 years of practice. I am very grateful to the Dai-Gohonzon for the fact that during all this time I have been able to exert myself for the cause of kosen rufu without interruption. Sickly as I was, I have become increasingly healthy and have been able to work for kosen-rufu as tenaciously as anyone. I will continue to pray to the Dai-Gohonzon for a longer life span so that I can devote myself even more to the cause of kosen-rufu of the world."

Notice that the Dai Gohonzon is at the base of this. In Nichiren Shoshu belief, the mandala's that are enshrined in members homes are transcribed by the high priest from the Dai Gohonzon and have their "eyes opened" (are made functional) by being laid in front of the Dai Gohonzon in an eye opening ceremony. In effect they become imbued with the power of the Dai Gohonzon, becoming its representative in miniture in that member's home.

It is said, variously, that this power is to act as a clear mirror, enabling the believer to accurately percieve the true entity, the eternal Buddha of Kuon Ganjo within their own lives and thus bring forth Buddhahood to transform their lifestate and accurately perceive and change their karma. This power is activated when one chants Daimoku, with faith, to the Gohonzon mandala.

It's therefore surprising that in his 2009 "lecture" On the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and Death, SGI Malaysia (The pink covered book) on page 26 Daisaku Ikeda states correctly that "As desribed in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni himself is the Eternal Buddha who is at one with the eternal mystic Law. He is the Buddha who resides in the actual reality of the saha world and works unceasingly to spread the Law. We can accept therefore that the Law transferred by by Shakyamuni is the fundemental Law that can liberate all people from the sufferings of birth and death, and enable them to attain Buddhahood. We could say that the transferal of Myoho renge kyo by Shakyamuni, as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past, clearly revealed Myoho renge kyo to be the correct and appropriate teaching for leading all people to enlightenment."

So here it is Shakyamuni who is the Eternal Buddha. Who is decribed in the Sutra as being "always here".

The Sutra itself predicts a future Buddha Maitrya, the next Buddha.

And yet, Nichiren Shoshu postulate that Nichiren is the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, or time without beginning and end.

And 2009 Daisaku Ikeda postulates that Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha of the latter day. On page 18 Daisaku states:

(Ibid)

"The mentor of the "kosen rufu of the entity of the Law (i.e. the Gohonzon) is Nichiren Daishonin - the Buddha of the Latter Day who revealed the Law of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the enlightenment for all humanity into the eternal future and set forth its manner of propogation."

Confused? How many Buddha's have we got going on here? How many eternal Buddhas have we got going on? And didn't Shakyamuni transfer the Law to Bodhisattva Superior practices? Yes. And didn't Nichiren identify himself as kikely taking on that role of Superior Practices in his own writingsk Yes. And does either Shayamuni or the Sutra postulate a "Buddha of the Latter Day". No. Or does Nichiren postulate such a Buddha? No.

And if Nichiren is the mentor for kosen rufu, hasn't SGI, in December 2015 change its prayers to name check its first three Presidents as "Eternal mentors for kosen rufu"? Yes.

So not only do we seem to have accumulated 2 eternal Buddhas, we also serm to have acquired another Buddha fir the Latter Day, that the Sutra, forgot to mention and Shakyamuni and Nichiren forgot to tell us about but we also seem to have amassed 4 eternal mentors for kosen rufu. One of whom is one of the the eternal Buddhas and also the Buddha of the Latter day, who lived over 7 centuries ago, who forgot to mention both his eternal status and that he was the Buddha for the Latter day (which the Sutra also failed to mention) and the other three who lived very recently.

Nichiren started his journey early, by age 15 he was praying to become the wisest person in all of Japan and by his early 30's, he'd established a teaching soley based on exclusive faith in the Lotus Sutra, with the Daimoku and the Gohonzon at its centre.

The other three eternal mentors started rather later, Mr Makaguchi very late in life and as a result if losing a bet and having to convert from Nichiren Shu to Nichiren Shoshu. Mr Toda in middle age and by following his mentor in life, who he'd taken first through his educational connection and Daisaku Ikeda, rather earlier, at 19 as a result of hearing Mr Toda lecturing on the Rissho Ankuko Ron and thus embracing Nichiren Shoshu faith based on a belief in tge Dai Gohonzon, which he's now abandoned.

No doubt, SGI members will suggest there is a deeper layer of understanding that I'm missing. Just like I can't reconcile the contradictions of Daisaku Ikeda's teaching of faith in Nichiren Shoshu belief and the Dai Gohonzon, which he inherited from his mentor Mr Toda, who inherited it from his mentor Mr Makaguchi, who inherited iy from the person who won the bet and forced him to convert, with Daisaku Ikeda's later teaching where he's abandoned that faith completely.

And that's probably the point, two eternal Buddhas, an extra Buddha of the latter day, four eternal mentors for kosen rufu isn't really meant to make sense. It's meant to place rationale believers in a position where they think it should make sense and they are missing something that only their mentor Daisaku understands (coz he's amazing). Basically it's gobbledegook.

Which is probably why on page 124 of the 2009 lecture, Daisaku tells us that "A true disciple, meanwhile is one who follows the mentor's teaching" for Daisaku's disciples, they're going to need to, blindly and obediently because it doesn't make sense (and it's not meant to). Whilst for Daisaku himself? Well he's abandonded his own mentor's teaching and made up his own and called it mentor-disciple.

Be well :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

And since Chas is likeky to spam this thread, readers can go see what he's about over on the Chas Refutation Index thread.

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/z6wVQgVt0l0

No doubt well get the same post with blood curdling accusations about Nichiren Shu (that post is reproduced in full in the index along with the 16 threads he spammed it with in the space of 10 mins) and the links to the threads where other contributors have already refuted his history.

Enjoy!

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Readers may also be interested in the threads, which provide fully referenced quotes from Daisaku Ikeda and Mr Toda:


Daisaku's on his new religion (and the old one...)

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/xVzgBC9_wWE

Daisaku & the Dai-Gohonzon, faith, practice, study & priests

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/nQ-GrxWgu48

And if readers think I'm being unfair (as some will no doubt) remember that these are Daisaku Ikeda's words, his teaching, his changes of teaching, his actions, not mine.

And if you think I've quoted out of context, well go pick yourself up copies of the source materials and read them in context and make up your own minds. I would seriously urge you to do just that!

Be well :)

[Chas.]

Readers will note that Mark Rogow and Katie smear along with what the KGB used to call the "useful idiot" Iain, while I quote the many history books to make my case against the un-indicted war criminals of Nichiren Shu, initiators and co-perpetrators of the Asian Holocaust against the peoples of the Pacific Rim and especially the Chinese people of Nanking.

These war criminals have never been brought to justice.

It is high time that they are hauled into court, because there is no statute of limitations on war crimes.

Justice for the victims of the Rape of Nanking and elsewhere, and prosecution of the war criminals of Nichiren Shu, whose radical militaristic followers and chaplains misled the Japanese people and the royalty into this abomination!

Their distortions of Nichiren Buddhism into Shinto statue worship is the cause, and that distortion continues to be perpetuated by Mark Rogow and Katie Higgins and their "useful idiot", Iain.

Their attacks on the SGI are merely a cover for their perpetual guilt over their complicity in war crimes while the founders of the SGI were cornered by Imperial Way Buddhism and their Shinto Talisman supporting the Pacifc War of Imperial State Zen. Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda were ultimately imprisoned in Tokyo until Mr. Makiguchi's death and Mr. Toda's release at the end of the War, while the forces unleashed by Nichiren Shu (and with the complicity of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood) ran rampant over China and the Pacific Rim.

here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes

and here:

http://www.pacificwar.org.au/JapWarCrimes/Cross-section_JapWarCrimes.html

The Rape of Nanking (1937), also known as the Nanjing Massacre

The Bangka Island Massacre (1942): Slaughter of Australian Army Nurses

The Bataan Death March (1942)

The Sandakan Death March (1945)

Murder and cannibalism on the Kokoda Track (1942)

Conscripting women for sexual slavery in Japanese Army brothels (1937-1945)

Mutilation and murder of Dutch civilians in Borneo

Murder and cannibalism - captured American pilots

-Chas

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Lool, it's a pity but not surprising that Chas doesn't read the threads he's busy spamming, if he had he might have avoided proving me right whem I posted this in anticipation of his actions:

Chas is nothing if not predictable!

But then if your job is to try and counter and suppress any SGI dissent and disparage any possible competition, I guess you'll be kept really busy trying to keep a handle on it all.

Reading posts & threads properly will be difficult, especially when there's so much of it and you've got quotas to fill and most likely someone on your back to make sure you do. :)

Who'd work for such an outfit?!?!

I feel sorry for him but hey ho, nothing to be done until Chas is motivated to di something about it and extricate himself.

As Miao Lo says "Those who fall down push theselves up by their own efforts", it's not like Chas hasn't been offered plenty of helping hands, from what I can see, by plenty of different people over the years.

I think he just hasn't realised that he's fallen over and his face is in the mud. That'll happen and it's a problem, when you're intoxicated... too much mentor liquor, member's ruin, it's a big problem for today's SGIkeda faithful.

Be well :)

[Katie Higgins]

>>"Their [iainx,Mark, Katie] attacks on the SGI are merely a cover for their perpetual guilt over their [iainx,Mark,Katie] complicity in war crimes..."

I, Katie Higgins was born in 1954-- I became a member of the Nichiren Shoshu lay organization of America in 1988; I am no longer affiliated with either the SGI or the NST. I have NEVER joined ANY other SECT of Nichiren Buddhism ---

Of all currently existing SECTS of Nichriren Buddhism, I stand firmly on my conviction that SGIkeda is by far the most dangerous of the slanderous, heretical sects on the planet !

Chas says: >>"These war criminals have never been brought to justice.

It is high time that they are hauled into court, because there is no statute of limitations on war crimes. "<<

Chas DOESN'T say what either HE or his SGIkeda is doing to bring these "war criminals to justice"--

Either he already knows his *claims* are bogus, or he simply fears the repercussions for promoting ANY activity that denounces injustice , much less one that seeks to provide justice for *the people*.

Chas should either put a chunk of SGI's Billions where his Mouth is-- or SHUT UP !

Let's see what Chas actually will do --LOL

~Katie

[iainx...@gmail.com]

What a great response Katie! Perfect, perfect, perfect!

I especially liked the "Chas DOESN'T say what either HE or his SGIkeda is doing to bring these "war criminals to justice"

I think it is high time that SGI's leaders and it's mentor Ikeda campaign solidly to have these supposed injustices set right. New Komeito party is part of the ruling coalition of Japan and have been successful in altering Japan's peace constitution so Japanese armed forces can be deployed abroad, for the first time since the peace constitution was adopted after Japam's defeat in WW2.

Surely they can now turn, with their SGI backing and having done this big favour of supporting the ruling party yo pass the change to theirpeace constitution, and have any war criminals indicted and brought to justice? Meanwhile Mr Ikeda can lobby the UN to do the same and Chas and all SGI USA members can lobby Congress to put right these supposed wrongs. I think SGI USA should throw it's full weight behind this effort and it's new General Director should come out publicly to denounce these supposed wrongs based in Chas's history.

Meanwhile I think we should keep asking Chas, how he has got in with pressing his SGI senior leaders and General Director to do this ad that he should keep this forum fully informed of his progress and the responses he recieves from SGI USA.

In fact I think, seeing as how passionately he advocates this position, he should keep us up to date on the global SGI campaign to right these supposed wrongs.

What a spendid idea Katie! :D

Over to you Chas. We're all ears.

Lool - be well :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Thanks Katie I've poated more Daisaku Ikeda Quotes in this thread:

Daisaku Refutes Today's SGI Board & Paid Leadership.

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/VAWXoeBDr0g

Be well :)

[Chas.]

Readers will note that Mark Rogow and Katie smear along with what the KGB used to call the "useful idiot" Iain, while I quote the many history books to make my case against the un-indicted war criminals of Nichiren Shu, initiators and co-perpetrators of the Asian Holocaust against the peoples of the Pacific Rim and especially the Chinese people of Nanking.

These war criminals have never been brought to justice.

It is high time that they are hauled into court, because there is no statute of limitations on war crimes.

[Chas.]

What motivates Katie Higgins, Mark Rogow (Buku) and what the KGB calls their "useful idiot", Iain, to go on like this (aside from their inner demons cultivated by slandering the Law through chanting to statues and images), what causes them to attack the SGI so vigorously? They are connected to Nichiren Shu and Kempon Hokke and other temples and these temples are un-indicted co-conspirators in war crimes.

It's not just that their Nichiren Shu youth militia groups were the incendiary driving force behind the inner officer corps of the Imperial Japanese forces that pushed for expansion into the Asian Pacific War.

It's not just that their Nichiren Shu chaplains were on the front lines with those ravenous militias as they committed war crimes around the Asia Pacific, cheering them on and correcting their style of Zen beheading of innocents, and using bound captives for bayonet and other kinds of practice.

It's that at the very beginning, Nichiren Shu priests created the premise for invasion of China, they were the match that lit the conflagration.

They will deny the truth in their usual incendiary manner, but the two posts below quote many history books and you cannot deny the condemnation of history.

From: "Nichiren Shu (with Kempon Hokke Myomanji Sect) and the Asian Holocaust #1"
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.zen/pfHcnbnjHus/B_RYwmkbCgAJ

and from "Nichiren Shu (with Kempon Hokke Myomanji Sect) and the Asian Holocaust #2"
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.zen/QgGf39rK6jU/39hhlHcbCgAJ

So the answer to why they attack the SGI?

It's to cover up with flak the fact that Mr. Makiguchi died in prison, while Mr Toda spent the War in prison to be released at the end, for standing up the the imperial Way Buddhism and Imperial State Zen government perpetrating the Pacific War and its countless atrocities, which Nichiren Shu initiated, promulgated and rode the four horses of the Apocalypse straight through.

They can do no other than what they are doing to save the shreds of face that they still possess. That's why.

-Chas.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Thanks Chas, the supposed motivation or affliations of Katie, Mark and me, even if they were true (which they are not) are irrelevant.

What matters is whether the ckaims are true or not.

You are invited to address the arguments and answer them, if you cannot you are admitting defeat. I have listed these out lower down.

Readers meanwhile can use the forum functionality to skip over and ignore posters who they think are spamming or disrupting this forum, be that Chas, me, Katie or Mark.

To do this, use the double arrow at the top right of a thread to expand and collapse that thread until all the posts are collapsed, then dip into those posts from people you think are worth reading.

Chas, you are invited to address the following directly:

1) Did Daisaku Ikeda say the things that are quoted in these threads and did he teach those things?:

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/nQ-GrxWgu48

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/xVzgBC9_wWE

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/VAWXoeBDr0g

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/0mrgkLMLSik

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/AeGmzkbe7f0

2) Did Mr Toda say and teach the thinhs also quoted in those threads?

3) Have I ever misquoted either Daisaku Ikeda or Mr Toda? If you claim that I have, please cite the quote, link to the thread and provide the wording you claim is correct and fully refererence the source.

If Daisaku Ikeda and Mr Toda did say the things quoted, then my motivation is simple, which is to highlight the inconsistencies, to highlight the change of SGI teachings and to alert SGI members or those who would join to that fact.

If teaching is being distorted, as I have shown it has been, using Daisaku Ikeda's and Mr Toda's own words, then this is a matter of faith and corruption of faith. As a Nichiren Buddhist and a former SGI member, I am duty bound to point that out and I am in accord with Daisaku Ikeda's earlier teachings, Mr Tida's guidance and more importantly, Nichiren's teachings, when I do so.

That is my motivation. Itcs really quote simple and straightforward. One doesn't have to make up elaborate and false stories to explain the behaviour, either I have quoted accurately or not. Either Daisaku Ikeda said those things or he did not.

You have already been called on to lobby SGI leaders for a public official statement on your other claims. I call on you again to do this now and to report back to this forum.

Over to you Chas, the ball is now firmly in your court.

Be well 😃

Main forum Index:

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/mZOJ0HRcgpI

Chas refutation Index:

https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/z6wVQgVt0l0

[Katie Higgins]

When you put is this way, iainx;

>>"So not only do we seem to have accumulated 2 eternal Buddhas, we also serm to have acquired another Buddha fir the Latter Day, that the Sutra, forgot to mention and Shakyamuni and Nichiren forgot to tell us about but we also seem to have amassed 4 eternal mentors for kosen rufu. One of whom is one of the the eternal Buddhas and also the Buddha of the Latter day, who lived over 7 centuries ago, who forgot to mention both his eternal status and that he was the Buddha for the Latter day (which the Sutra also failed to mention) and the other three who lived very recently. "<<

One can see why the topics for discussion meetings and the strict guidelines for Gosho lectures are so strongly enforced!! Needless to say, the SGI's focus is on *confromity*, and elders enforce it *in unity* with their sesnsie-- But, it has to be noted that this is a TACTIC-- for suppressing the natural questions members would likely have, and those who choose to do some research, seeking answers themselves, will absolutely proceed on to Plan B-- expulsion from the SGI.

Ho ho!
~Katie

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"One can see why the topics for discussion meetings and the strict guidelines for Gosho lectures are so strongly enforced!! Needless to say, the SGI's focus is on *confromity*, and elders enforce it *in unity* with their sesnsie-- But, it has to be noted that this is a TACTIC-- for suppressing the natural questions members would likely have, and those who choose to do some research, seeking answers themselves, will absolutely proceed on to Plan B-- expulsion from the SGI.

Ho ho!
~Katie"

Spot on Katie!

I dunno about you but in the UK it wasn't always this way. Study meetings were themed across the country for sure and they usually git launchex with a central lecture on the Gosho but that focussed on things you might expect, Faith, Daimoku, hisorical background, Nichiren's overall teaching. The point was to inspire peopke to go back and bring it to life for the members, make it relevant to their lives and to if possible get them to study it directky for themselves. And the refernce point fir all that was one's own sincerity, Daimoku and Faith.

There was none of this Mr Ikeda's guidance stuff, sometimes it might get read to SUPPORT a point in the Gosho but not relace it.

Mr Ikeda's Guidance is now the Gosho effectively and it's almost literal. Course itcs not even him, it's tge corporate machine just churning out the necessary themes to drive recruitment, keep the useful loyal and of course encourage either giving or working for free.

The often sincere and well meaning SGI members haven't twigged that when tgey are told "you are the SGI!" by their often highly paid senior leaders, to those leaders in that context SGI stands for Such Gormless Idiots. No wonder they're often smiling when they say it, to them those "dumbasses don't even realise we're taking them all for a ride, they desrve to lose their hard earned cash to pay my wage"

Where Danny Nagashima gone by the way? Got promoted? Or got shuffled out? Wasn't Aiden Strauss a non member originally who was advising on finance or something? I seem to recall seeing a post about that before Danny moved on. I might have that wring, i don't take too much notice of SGI USA leader movements but I pick up stuff as I'm reading.

Be well :)

[Katie Higgins]

Interesting, iainx-- how Ikeda's guidance has become the *honorific teaching of the SGI* and how the members don't question this--

Back in 2011, when I was a member of SGI Boston, I sent an email to Aiden Straus, CFO in response to his column that appeared in the WT- kicking off the May contribution campaign-- which he was calling an *activity*. My question to him was concerning the stock portfolio he mentioned as an *asset* of the SGI. I wanted to know exactly how *my money* was invested.

Mr. Straus responded to my email saying that he had contacted the JT Territory Leader, also the Northeast bureau chief for the WT, Kathleen Olesky to "speak with me regarding my questions". A long time Boston SGI member and friend contacted Kathleen to set up a meeting, which took place at our local Starbucks. So, my friend and I met with Top leader, Kathleen Olesky, who gave me the pile about *faith and contributions*-- *dont ask, don;t tell format*-- I challenged the new description of the much longer running campaign [it used to be the month of May-- *special zaimu* period.] as an *activity*-- especially since there was so much emphasis on *SGI activities* as vital to gaining benefit. Ms. Olesky thought I was bring "knit -picky"-- I then pressed my original concern-- Which companies does SGI USA hold shares of stock in ?? and WHY couldn't Mr. Straus just disclose the contents of the SGI-USA portfolio-. Kathleen Olesky thought my question was *off base*-- even *rude*. She made a point of telling me that Aiden Straus was *hired* by SGI to act in a professional capacity as chief financial officer and was NOT a member of SGI. therefore, it was inappropriate for me to ask hm questions that are *faith based*.

So, witnessed by a member of SGI Boston with over 30 years of practice at that point, Top SGI Leader, Kathleen Olesky basically said that it was due to my lack of *faith* that I even had such questions. she, herself, had given an experience of giving a large financial contribution to the *May campaign* and received the *benefit* of purchasing and moving into her *dream* Victorian House- "so Myoho!!", she claimed-- THIS was proof that these campaigns were beneficial for members and my *negativity* would be my down fall-- and I was NOT to poison other's faith with this now *closed* issue.

Two of my closest friends, who are still in the SGI, stopped speaking to me because I pushed the issue of Aiden Straus being appointed General director of SGI USA in November 2015! One is the friend who witnessed the bizarre meeting I recounted above.

GD Strauss imparts regular messages via the WT-- they are also bizarre. My hope is that a larger number of SGI members will exit the SGI over this extremely troubling appointment-- It is helpful to have strong irrefutable background information to explain "How Did THEY GET HERE?"--

I am doing all I can to establish the *Truth* for the sake of many people I know well and am very concerned about--

You have been a tremendous help-- especially will *awakening* by husband-- at long last!!

~Katie

[Chas.]

Why statues are not to be chanted to -

On Friday, May 27, 2016 at 6:08:49 PM UTC-7, Mark Rogow wrote:
> Since SGI is wrong about the identity and nature of the Eternal Buddha why would you believe it is correct about anything else?
>
> The entire thrust of the Rissho Ankoku Ron is that the Treasure of the Buddha is Shakyamuni and the Treasure of the Law is Myoho renge kyo (Lotus Sutra).
>

Make a quote, please.

Taking just the first few horrible translations of the Gosho that you quote to "prove" your fictitious points...

> Nichiren says in "Reply to Lady Nichinyo": "I for the first time reveal, as a banner of the spread of the Hokkekyo the Great Mandala which even Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, and so on, and Tendai, Myoraku, and so on did not reveal. This is not at all something which I, Nichiren made myself. It is the Object of Worship which is from the print block of the Great Muni, the World Honored One within the Stupa of Taho and the Separate-Body Buddhas."
>
> Clearly, the Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon as taught to him by the Great Muni.
>

Your text is a profound forgery and utter uglification of the true text of the Gosho, written to Nichinyo.

From "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon", WND I, pp. 831-832:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/101#para-1

. How wondrous it is that, around two hundred years and more
. into the Latter Day of the Law, I was the first to reveal
. as the banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra this great
. mandala that even those such as Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu,
. T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo were unable to express. This mandala
. is in no way my invention. It is the object of devotion
. that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One,
. seated in the treasure tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and
. the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni’s emanations as perfectly
. as a print matches its woodblock. Thus the five characters
. of the Lotus Sutra’s title are suspended in the center,
. while the four heavenly kings are seated at the four
. corners of the treasure tower. Shakyamuni, Many Treasures,
. and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are
. side by side at the top. Seated below them are the
. bodhisattvas, including Universal Worthy and Manjushrī, and
. the voice-hearers, including Shāriputra and Maudgalyāyana.
. [Beside them are] the gods of the sun and moon, the devil
. king of the sixth heaven, the dragon king, and an asura. In
. addition, the wisdom kings Immovable and Craving-Filled
. take up their stations to the south and north. The evil and
. treacherous Devadatta and the ignorant dragon king’s
. daughter form a group. Not only the Mother of Demon
. Children and the ten demon daughters, who are evil demons
. that sap the lives of people throughout the major world
. system, but also the Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva
. Hachiman, and the seven reigns of the heavenly gods and
. five reigns of the earthly gods, who are the guardian
. deities of Japan—all the various great and small gods, that
. is, the main gods, are ranged in rows. How then could the
. remaining subordinate gods be left out? The “Treasure
. Tower” chapter states, “[Shakyamuni Buddha used his
. transcendental powers to] lift all the members of the great
. assembly up into the air.”
.
. Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great
. sages, and, in general, all the various beings of the two
. worlds and the eight groups who appear in the
. “Introduction” chapter of the Lotus Sutra dwell in this
. Gohonzon. Illuminated by the light of the five characters
. of the Mystic Law, they display the dignified attributes
. that they inherently possess. This is the object of devotion.
.
. This is what is meant when the sutra says “the true aspect
. of all phenomena.” Miao-lo stated: “The true aspect
. invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena
. invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors
. invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds
. invariably manifest in life and its environment.” It is
. also stated that the profound principle of the true aspect
. is the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo. The Great
. Teacher Dengyō said, “A single moment of life comprising
. the three thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless
. joy; this Buddha has forsaken august appearances.”
. Therefore, this Gohonzon shall be called the great mandala
. never before known; it did not appear until more than 2,220
. years after the Buddha’s passing.

Your priests have corrupted this beautiful description and will suffer the ages in Avichi hel for it, and now you, too, for climbing on the bandwagon with them. They wanted to worship Shakyamuni as a god, because they think so little of themselves. They wanted to worship stupas, like the Hinayana believers of the Pali canon. This was the original error that led to statue worship, abandoning the teachings and taking up with images of men as your object of worship.

> "Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha." (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)
>
> Same quote in the MW's:
>
> "When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni....but now it became apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha." (MW V.2, p.149)
>

Here is the actual quote from "The Opening of the Eyes", WND I, p. 256:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-187

. When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained
. enlightenment in the far distant past, it became apparent
. that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni.
. When the Buddha preached the earlier sutras and the first
. half, or theoretical teaching, of the Lotus Sutra, the
. other Buddhas were pictured as standing on an equal footing
. with Shakyamuni, after completing their respective
. practices and disciplines. Therefore, the people who take
. one or another of these Buddhas as their object of devotion
. customarily look down on Shakyamuni Buddha. But now it
. becomes apparent that Vairochana Buddha, who is described
. in the Flower Garland Sutra as being seated on a lotus
. pedestal, and the various Buddhas who appear in the sutras
. of the Correct and Equal and the Wisdom periods, such as
. the Mahāvairochana Sutra, are all in fact followers of
. Shakyamuni Buddha.

There is simply no end to the distortions you can vomit forth, perjured for you evil purpose: to support your Hindu/Shinto practice of worshiping Shakyamuni as a god, which he would himself decry. Shakyamuni was added to the Hindu pantheon of gods to the end of enfolding and crushing the life out of the corrupted practice of Buddhism after it had passed into the East.

Your Middle Day of the Law practice of worshiping statues is NOT for the era Nichiren Daishonin, it is the hollow and ghostly practice of the dead. The practice of the Latter Day of the Law is to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to the Gohonzon, not the image of any person, Shakyamuni or Nichiren Daishonin.

As I made clear earlier from this passage of the "Immeasurable Meanings Sutra", pp. 12-13, which is preached during the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra and is concurrent with it and not previous to the Lotus Sutra, and which is in no way provisional or to be discarded in any way. In fact the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho reference the true aspect, and without this definition, THEY WOULD BE INCOMPLETE!

Here's the quote that destroys all your statue worshiping, I have highlighted the key phrase so that you cannot miss it (although I fear your mind cannot read it):

. “When bodhisattvas have in this manner observed the
. beginning and end of these four aspects and have understood
. them in their entirety, then they will clearly perceive
. that all phenomena, never abiding from one instant to
. the next, are constantly being born anew and passing into
. extinction, and then they will immediately perceive the
. true aspect of birth, abiding, change, and extinction.
.
. “Once they have gained this perception, then they must turn
. to the capacities, natures, and desires of living beings.
. Because such natures and desires are immeasurable in
. variety, the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable;
. and because the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable,
. its meanings are likewise immeasurable. THESE IMMEASURABLE
. MEANINGS ARE BORN FROM A SINGLE LAW, AND THIS LAW IS
. WITHOUT ASPECT. WHAT IS WITHOUT ASPECT IS DEVOID OF ASPECT
. AND DOES NOT TAKE ON ASPECT. NOT TAKING ON ASPECT, BEING
. WITHOUT ASPECT, IT IS CALLED THE TRUE ASPECT.
.
. “When bodhisattvas mahasattva rest and abide in this
. understanding of the true aspect of all phenomena, then the
. pity and compassion that they put forth will be based on
. clear understanding and not groundless, and they will be
. truly capable of rescuing living beings from the sufferings
. that they undergo. And once they have rescued them from
. suffering, they will preach the Law for them and enable
. living beings to enjoy ease and delight.

Santai or the Three Truths can only be found in the Lotus Sutra, this is one of the glories of the Lotus Sutra. "The truth of non-substantiality, the truth of temporary existence, and the truth of the Middle Way." from the SGI Dictionary:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/T/183

The images of human beings are the images of their Temporary Existence alone, their impermanence.

I am impermanent and will vanish from the world, this is my destiny from birth: to be born is to die, that is the guarantee of the four sufferings. Birth, aging, sickness and death.

And yet, like an electron that has a particle and a wave function, I am also Non-Substantial and that was true before my birth, during my aging, sickness and after my death. In fact I am dying now, cells that were crucial to my function ar born and then die all the time. I am also like a wave.

In all those phases of my life I am in the Middle Way, the unification of the Three Truths.

Images of living beings are images of impermanence alone, and like "the Tripitaka teaching and the connecting teaching do not reveal the truth of the Middle Way and therefore lack the three truths," (from the definition of Santai) ... they do not possess the "true aspect."

The highest object of worship, the Gohonzon possesses the "true aspect" in the fact that it is an arrangement of characters and does not look like you or me or anyone you know. This is how it can reflect ALL THE LIVING BEINGS, not just here, but everywhere that life has or will develop in the ten directions and the three existences of past, present and future.

All living being possess the true aspect and they are all Buddhas, like the characters of an enormous version of the Lotus Sutra. However, not even the images of the Lord of Teachings, Shakyamuni or the Lord of Practice, Nichiren Daishonin reflect anything other than impermanence.

Only the Gohonzon reflects the true aspect. It is the highest object of worship and all others are pitiful in their aspect, by comparison: why would anyone chant the daimoku, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to any other object of worship?

How dishonorable!

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Chas, you have already revealed yourself to be >>", abandoning the teachings and taking up with images of men as your object of worship. "<<
In YOUR OWN WORDS, Chas, that *magic moment with your sensei, Mr. Ikeda::

>>"As our gazes met, I perceived an image of black Chinese characters on a purest white background, I think the character myo (to open, to revive, to be fully endowed). "<<

>>"... a deep bond was formed in that moment.<<"

>>" And that sums up the world view residing in my cortex,"<<

>>"... permanently colored by that mentor and disciple relationship, never to be swayed by anything"<<


Chas, you have described your experience of perceiving a man, a common mortal, Daisaku Ikeda "fully endowed", by virtue of your visualizing "the character Myo"-- which appears on your gohonzon, right, Chas? - You claim this character appeared when your gaze met the gaze of third SGI president, Daisaku Ikeda, Chas--

You also claim that experience was THE one that BONDED you to Ikeda-- that this experience established, for you,, "The mentor disciple relationship" -- and you, as is clear to all who read your repetitious posts and re-pasted attacks here; you are NEVER to be SWAYED BY ANYTHING!

Yes, Chas, you have made it quite clear that you have abandoned the *teachings of Nichiren*, though most likely you had no connection to them before your *love struck* encounter with Ikeda, the cult leader of the SGI.

And YOU, Chas, have demonstrated that you worship this *Common mortal*-- never *swayed* by any refutation from Nichiren's writings and the Lotus Sutra that clearly demonstrate YOUR errors. But, perhaps it is your behavior here that is the best demonstration of the divergence of your *practice* from the teachings of Nichiren.

I concur with iainix, when he says, ">>It's quite sick Chas, how you sleep at night I cannot imagine. How you live with yourself I cannot think. "<<

But, I will say that your constant presence as a designated disruptive force, makes it easier for readers to determine how *sick* the SGI is.

Thanks!
~Katie

[iainx...@gmail.com]

.

[Chas.]

Actually I sleep well every night after thanking the Gohonzon (and my girlfriend) for the most comfortable bed imaginable. So grateful for memory foam mattress toppers.
______________________________________________

On Friday, June 24, 2016 at 5:21:58 PM UTC-7, Mark Rogow wrote:
> The most perverse sect at the time of Nichiren was Tendai [Mikkyo] which mixed Lotus Sutra Buddhism and Shingon. Today, we have a similar problem but NST and SGI ...

[snip]

You are projecting. It is you and your Shinto-ized version of Hinduistic statue-worshiping distortion of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism that is clearly a corruption. Nichiren Daishonin declared the Gohonzon as the supreme object of worship throughout Jambudvipa, not your pictures and statues. They do not possess the true aspect.

From "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND I, p. 383-385:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-3

... NO ONE BUT NICHIREN has ever revealed teachings like these.
... Though T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyō knew about them in
... their hearts, they never put them into words. They went
... about their lives keeping this knowledge to themselves. And
... there was good reason for this. The Buddha had not
... entrusted them with the task, the time had not yet come,
... and they had not been the Buddha’s disciples from the
... distant past. Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices,
... and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among
... the Bodhisattvas of the Earth cannot only appear during the
... first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law and
... spread the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the essence
... of all phenomena, BUT ALSO GIVE CONCRETE FORM TO THE
... CEREMONY OF THE TWO BUDDHAS SEATED SIDE BY SIDE IN THE
... TREASURE TOWER. The reason is that what they are to spread
... and give concrete form to is none other than the teaching
... of the actual three thousand realms in a single moment of
... life in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching.
...

1. "No one but Nichiren" has revealed these teachings, not even Shakyamuni, Lord of Teachings, who is negatively included with all others in the phrase "no one".

It was no one else's mission, but Nichiren Daishonin to reveal the highest truth hidden at the heart of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin explains this in various other places as due to the time, however, it is also due to who Nichiren Daishonin is.

Nichiren Daishonin is the man for that moment, who turns that wheel that makes the new era of the Latter Day of the Law or Mappo, by revealing the truth that no one else can reveal.

This is the man Iain calls a "latter commentator", and who I call Daishonin or True Buddha. Nichiren Daishonin is the revealer, not the commentator, oddly, that role is left to Shakyamuni who predicted Nichiren Daishonin's revelation of the heart of the Lotus Sutra: the heart of the highest teaching.

The heart of the highest teaching that he reveals is not indicated directly in any quote in the Lotus Sutra, such that you can actually logically prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that what Nichiren Daishonin reveals is the truth.

The truth of the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra, as in all far lesser religious truths, is not logically deduced or induced, but is based on faith alone: however, in both the Western and Eastern worlds, Reason includes both Logic AND Faith.

Hence, faith-based logic is reasonable, unless you are without faith, then that logic is not reasonable and makes no sense whatsoever.

Faith in this case implies practice, you have to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to come to believe in it and experience the result to gain faith.

2. However, before you can have faith in the power of the daimoku, you had to have faith in Nichiren Daishonin, who reveals that highest truth, you would have to have faith in the mentor, that he is revealing to you, the disciple, the absolute truth and nothing else. Otherwise, your practice of the Lotus Sutra would be Tendai, and simple recitation of its chapters to your statues.

Not having faith in Nichiren Daishonin, since you had never heard of him, you had to have faith in the mentor that introduced you, or taught you to chant, or led the first district meeting you went to, or ... whoever the bodhisattva was: that person had faith in the daimoku, the Gohonzon and hence, that Nichiren Daishonin was in fact, completely right! The disciple first receives faith in the veracity of Nichiren Daishonin (or an echo of it) from their mentor.

3. "Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth ..." "... also give concrete form to the ceremony of the two Buddhas seated side by side in the treasure tower." That concrete form is the Gohonzon, the highest object of worship.

Shakyamuni not only cannot reveal the highest teaching ... also, he cannot enscribe the Gohonzon.

Why? Because it is not his mission given by the eternal Buddha. That was given to the very first of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Nichiren Daishonin, as the embodiment of Superior Practices, or Jogyo.

This means you either trust what Nichiren Daishonin says and choose the Gohonzon as your highest object of worship to chant the daimoku to, or distrust Nichiren Daishonin and chant the daimoku to your statues. You will however, have to choose which path to take, with hell to pay upon your mistaken choice.

... THEREFORE, THE TWO BUDDHAS, SHAKYAMUNI AND MANY TREASURES,
... ARE BUDDHAS WHO ARE FUNCTIONS [OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO]. IT IS
... MYOHO-RENGE-KYO THAT IS THE TRUE BUDDHA. This is what is
... described in the sutra as “the Thus Come One’s secret and
... his transcendental powers.” THE “THUS COME ONE’S SECRET”
... REFERS TO THE ENTITY OF THE BUDDHA’S THREE BODIES, AND IT
... REFERS TO THE TRUE BUDDHA. “His transcendental powers”
... refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers
... to provisional Buddhas. A COMMON MORTAL IS AN ENTITY OF THE
... THREE BODIES, AND A TRUE BUDDHA. A Buddha is a function of
... the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case,
... though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the
... three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the
... sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. ON THE
... CONTRARY, IT IS COMMON MORTALS WHO ENDOW HIM WITH THE THREE
... VIRTUES.
...

4. "Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is Myoho-renge-kyo that is the true Buddha."

Shakyamuni (and Taho) are functions of the eternal Buddha, Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which we invoke in the daimoku.

Is that crystal clear? If you chant the daimoku, you have to have faith that Nichiren Daishonin is correct, otherwise Myoho-Renge-Kyo would not be the eternal Buddha: and if you accept that, then Shakyamuni would not be a function of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

You cannot have it both ways, you must give up the supremacy of Shakyamuni and stop chanting to images of him, since you cannot chant the highest teaching hidden in the Lotus Sutra that was revealed by Nichiren Daishonin unless you agree with him on this completely central point. Stop chanting to functions, and chant to the Gohonzon.

5. These three phrases (a through c, below) refer to the common mortal, or true Buddha, which Nichiren Daishonin is, and also you and I as well as every common mortal. Common mortals in the Mappo era, after Nichiren Daishonin revealed the truth, are also Bodhisattvas of the Earth, according to Josei Toda.

Here's the proof of Nichiren Daishonin's point.

a. '“Thus Come One’s secret” refers to the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, and it refers to the true Buddha.'

b. "A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha."


c. "On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him [Shakyamuni] with the three virtues."

6. These two phrases (d and e) refer to provisional Buddhas like Shakyamuni, who are functions of the three bodies of the true Buddha.

d. '“His transcendental powers” refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers to provisional Buddhas.'

e. 'A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so.'

... The “Thus Come One” is explained clearly in T’ien-t’ai’s
... commentary as follows: “The Thus Come One is a general
... designation for the Buddhas of the ten directions and the
... three existences, for the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas,
... the true Buddha, and provisional Buddhas.” THE “TRUE
... BUDDHA” HERE MEANS COMMON MORTALS, WHEREAS “PROVISIONAL
... BUDDHAS” MEANS BUDDHAS. However, because of the difference
... between ordinary people and Buddhas that stems from the
... disparity between delusion and enlightenment, ordinary
... people are unaware that they are endowed with both the
... entity and the functions of the three bodies.
...

'The “true Buddha” here means common mortals, whereas “provisional Buddhas” means Buddhas.'

That is another direct quote making this very point again. Clear and straightforward and unmistakable.

The common mortal is the true Buddha, whereas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures in all their eternal glory as inscribed on the Gohonzon, are functions of the entity that is any common mortal enveloped in his or her delusion.

That means that if a statue worshiper really wanted to enshrine a more proper image to chant to, it would be the picture of a drunk or a hooker on the street: better that, than just a FUNCTION of that true Buddha, that very human being.

This is why we don't chant to images, since images cannot have the true aspect, only the Gohonzon has the true aspect, which means without having aspect (from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, without which the Lotus Sutra would lack the clear understanding of true aspect, and would therefore be less complete.)

... “All phenomena” in the sutra refers to the Ten Worlds, and
... the “true aspect,” to what they actually are. THE “TRUE
... ASPECT” IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MYOHO-RENGE-KYO; hence all
... phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Hell’s displaying the form
... of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the
... realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of
... hell. A Buddha displays the form of a Buddha, and a common
... mortal, that of a common mortal. The entities of all
... phenomena are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is the
... meaning of “the true aspect of all phenomena.” T’ien-t’ai
... states that the profound principle of the true aspect is
... the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo. This
... interpretation identifies the phrase “true aspect” with the
... theoretical teaching and “the originally inherent
... Myoho-renge-kyo” with the essential teaching. You should
... ponder this interpretation deep in your heart.
...

'The “true aspect” is another name for Myoho-renge-kyo; hence all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo.'

This is the fruit of the clear understanding of that description of true aspect.

If the true aspect was an image of Shakyamuni, then it could not be Myoho-Renge-Kyo, because Myoho-Renge-Kyo is without aspect, you cannot view it from any point and see an aspect.

Also, then all entities and phenomena could not be the true entity of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, without having the aspect of Shakyamuni, were Shakyamuni's image the true aspect.

All phenomena are the true aspect AND Myoho-Renge-Kyo, precisely because the true aspect means without having the aspect of any specific or particular entity.

This also, BTW explains that passage with all of the negations from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/1#para-23

'his body neither existing nor not existing,
neither caused nor conditioned, neither self nor other,
neither square nor round, neither short nor long,
neither appearing nor disappearing, neither born nor extinguished,
neither created nor arising, neither acted nor made,
neither sitting nor lying down, neither walking nor standing,
neither moving nor turning, neither idle nor still,
neither advancing nor retreating, neither in safety nor danger,
neither right nor wrong, neither gaining nor losing,
neither that nor this, neither departing nor coming,
neither blue nor yellow, neither red nor white,
neither crimson nor purple nor any other sort of color'

This is all straightforward and clear from the reading of the supreme teaching and the Gosho.

... Although not worthy of the honor, I, Nichiren, was
... nevertheless the first to spread the Mystic Law entrusted
... to Bodhisattva Superior Practices for propagation in the
... Latter Day of the Law. I was also the first, though only
... Bodhisattva Superior Practices is so empowered, to inscribe
... [the object of devotion as] the embodiment of Shakyamuni
... Buddha from the remote past as revealed in the “Life Span”
... chapter of the essential teaching, of Many Treasures Buddha
... who appeared when the “Treasure Tower” chapter of the
... theoretical teaching was preached, and of the Bodhisattvas
... of the Earth who arrived with the “Emerging from the Earth”
... chapter. Though people may hate me, they cannot possibly
... alter the fact of my enlightenment.
...

Nichiren Daishonin enscribed all of those onto the Gohonzon. Not onto an image of Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni could not reveal the daimoku at the heart of the Lotus Sutra, not inscribe the Gohonzon, according to Nichiren Daishonin, who did both.

... Therefore, to have exiled me, Nichiren, to this remote
... island is, I believe, an offense that can never be
... expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas. A
... passage from the “Simile and Parable” chapter reads, “If I
... were to describe the punishments [that fall on persons who
... slander this sutra], I could exhaust a kalpa and never come
... to the end.” On the other hand, not even the wisdom of the
... Buddha can fathom the blessings that one will obtain by
... giving alms to Nichiren and by becoming his disciple and
... lay supporter. The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains
... thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could
... never finish calculating their extent.”
...

Hence, slanderers, who deny the very intent of this sutra, which is its heart, commit"

"an offense that can never be expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas."

However, there is hope even for them, because:

'The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could never finish calculating their extent.”'

... Nichiren alone took the lead in carrying out the task of
... the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He may even be one of them.
... If Nichiren is to be counted among the Bodhisattvas of the
... Earth, then so must his disciples and lay supporters. The
... sutra states: “If one [of these good men or good women in
... the time after I have passed into extinction] is able to
... secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one
... phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the
... envoy of the Thus Come One. He has been dispatched by the
... Thus Come One and carries out the Thus Come One’s work.”
... Who else but us can this possibly refer to?

___________________________________________________________

On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 9:47:28 AM UTC-7, ilovedr...@gmail.com wrote:
> Chas, you forgot to take note:
>
> Let's look into "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon", and see what Nichiren teaches us.
>
> "This mandala is in no way my invention. It is the object of devotion that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the World Honored One, seated in the treasure tower of Many treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni's emanations as perfectly as a print matches its print block."
>

Your argument is a non sequitor and is sign of your fallacious reasoning and mental corruption. I never claimed that Nichiren Daishonin invented the Gohonzon, which is a depiction of the ceremony in the air at the moment that the Law is passed from the mentor (Shakyamuni) to the disciples (Bodhisattvas of the Earth, chiefly Jogyo Superior Practices, who is Nichiren Daishonin).

Nichiren Daishonin is the common mortal, who is the true Buddha, as are you and myself. Shakyamuni is a function of our true Buddhahood, this is what Nichiren Daishonin says. Take it or leave it. If you leave it, you cannot believe in the daimoku, which Nichiren Daishonin revealed and that you have to take on faith. He sadi it, I didn't, why do you want to thwart what he says so clearly with all this flak? Just accept it.

According to the Ongi Kuden and thus Nichiren Daishonin, the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings: the Lotus Sutra in the Parable of the Phantom City chapter identifies the eternal Buddha (the Buddha of Limitless Joy, AKA the Buddha of Beginningless Time) as the grandfather of Shakyamuni, who as one of the sixteen princes, was the son of Great Universal Wisdom Excellence Thus Come One, son of "the grandfather".

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/7#para-15

... The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: In
... this passage we learn about the Buddha of the original
... state [that is, the Buddha of limitless joy]. “Grandfather”
... is another name for the Dharma-realm. The first three of
... the ten factors listed in the “Expedient Means” chapter,
... the factors of appearance, nature, and entity, are referred
... to as “grandfather.” Outside of these three factors, there
... is no wheel-turning sage king.
...
... The word “wheel-turning” refers to the phases of birth,
... abiding, change, and extinction. The words “sage king”
... refer to the element of the mind. These three factors,
... appearance, nature, and entity, are the father and mother
... of all the Buddhas of the three existences of past,
... present, and future.
...
... Now, when Nichiren and his followers chant
... Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they are acting as father and mother
... of the Buddhas of the three existences, as their
... grandfather, the wheel-turning sage king.

That passage refers to this one, the one and only reference to "the grandfather", where the son and father of Shakyamuni, Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, attains enlightenment when "the Law of the buddhas finally appeared before him" :

The Parable of the Phantom City, LS-7, pp 156-157:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-35

... “Now, monks, the buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence
... passed ten small kalpas before the Law of the buddhas
... finally appeared before him and he attained supreme perfect
... p.157enlightenment. Before this buddha left the
... householder’s life, he had sixteen sons, the first of whom
... was named Wisdom Accumulated. These sons each had various
... kinds of rare objects and toys of one kind or another, but
... when they heard that their father had attained supreme
... perfect enlightenment, they all threw aside their rare
... objects and went to where the buddha was. Their mothers,
... weeping, followed after them.
...
... “Their grandfather, who was a wheel-turning sage king,
... along with a hundred chief ministers, as well as a hundred,
... thousand, ten thousand, million of his subjects, all
... together surrounded the sons and followed them to the place
... of enlightenment, all wishing to draw close to the thus
... come one Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, to offer alms,
... pay honor, venerate, and praise him. When they arrived,
... they bowed before his feet, touching their heads to the
... ground.

Aside from that, who knows, I don't. As far as I can tell, the eternal Buddha has no person otherwise identified in the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni attained enlightenment after his father.

At any rate, who was first hardly matters, unless you want to worship a statue of the first enlightened one.

I am satisfied that the Buddha leading our regiment of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is Nichiren Daishonin, AKA Jogyo Superior Practices. He is the mentor whose Gosho I have made my mentor. I practice as he says and only that way. I worship no person and images of no person.

I worship the Gohonzon of the True Aspect of all Phenomena, which, BTW is a topic none of you have touched on, although I have elucidated it fully for your edification.

> "It is also stated that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo.[Lotus sutra Chap.2] The Great Teacher Dengyo said, "A single moment of life comprising the three thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless joy. this Buddha has forsaken august appearances." [The Treatise on the Secret and Sacred Teachings]
>
>

Are you listening to yourself? The Buddha of Limitless Joy is without aspect, just as I quoted.

Not a statue of Shakyamuni. Get it?

> Do you need page#'s-- not sure which text you have.
>
> IF Nichiren were the Original Buddha, teacher of Shakyamuni, WHY wouldn't he claim credit for the SOURCE of the Gohonzon as "his own invention"?
>
> OR REVEAL the identity you claim is is TRUE identity?
>

Didn't claim that. Putting words in my mouth is lying. Don't do that.

All common mortals are the true Buddha, led by Nichiren Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin is the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, AKA Jogyo.

> With your own presumptions,You, Chas are identifying Nichiren as a cunning, duplicitous teacher-- when it is your Sensei who has earned that title a million times over!!
>

This is a pile of crap and wierd supposition, avoid it Katie.

> And that is the crux of the matter. You lost your true mind before you posted your first comment on this site---such is the fate of those who "follow evil teachers".
>
[snip the rest.]
_________________________________________________________

On Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 8:56:22 AM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:

> How fortunate that we can possess and chant to an *authentic* Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren's own hand...
>

These Gohonzon were received from the hands of an entire line of priests that betrayed Nichiren Daishonin and turned to Shinto-ized Hinduistic cult worship of images that Shakyamuni himself would have spurned, and ancient practices that were before Nichiren Daishonin turned the wheel to create the new era: of the Latter Day of the Law.

Receiving distortions of Nichiren's Buddhism and then Nichiren's stolen Gohonzon from evil priests worshiping in ancient and now-dead practices will incur instead a serious admonition from the Daishonin.

Cause and effect rules the world. You cannot steal Gohonzon and then expect benefit from distortions of the founder's practice.

-Chas.
_________________________________________________________

On Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 12:09:25 AM UTC-7, Chas. wrote:

>On Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 8:22:09 AM UTC-4, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Here's a refresher for you, Chas-- Nichiren's description of the Eternal Buddha and his attitude towards him--
>
> The passages are from "The Opening Of The Eyes"-
>
> "But the Buddha, our great teacher, has advanced beyond even transmigration with change and advance, let alone transmigration with differences and limitations. He has wiped out even the very root of fundamental darkness, let lone the illusions of thought and desire that are as minor as branches and leaves."
>
> "The Buddha, from the time of his enlightenment at the age of thirty until his passing at the age of eighty, expounded his sacred teachings for a period of fifty years. Each word, each phrase he spoke is true, not a sentence, not a verse is false. The words of the sages and worthy preserved in the scriptures and teachings of Confucianism and Brahmanism, as we have noted, are free of error, and the words match the spirit in which they were spoken. But how much more true is this in the case of the Buddha, who had spoken not a false word for countless kalpasI In comparison to the non-Buddhist scriptures and teachings, the doctrines that he expounded in a period of fifty or so years represent the great vehicle, the true words of the great man, Everything that he preached, from the dawn of his enlightenment until the evening that he entered into nirvana , is none other than the truth."
>

Interesting that you missed the next paragraphs and the meaning of this passage, which applies directly to you all.

It has to do with how the supreme teachings are attacked by “appropriating Buddhism” or “plagiarizing Buddhism”, by efforts to "twist what is lofty and force it into a mean context; they destroy what is exalted and drag it down among the base, striving to put the two on an equal level."

Here is the passage that describes what you and your traitorous priests do, by merging Hinduism and Shinto statue worshiping with Nichiren's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra ("The Opening of the Eyes (I)", WND I, pp. 223-225)
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-13

... However, when we examine the eighty thousand teachings of
... Buddhism expounded during a period of fifty or so years and
... recorded in scriptures, we find that they fall into various
... categories such as HINAYANA AND MAHAYANA, PROVISIONAL AND
... TRUE SUTRAS, EXOTERIC AND ESOTERIC TEACHINGS, DETAILED AND
... ROUGH DISCOURSES, TRUE WORDS AND FALSE WORDS, CORRECT AND
... INCORRECT VIEWS. BUT AMONG THESE, THE LOTUS SUTRA ALONE
... REPRESENTS THE CORRECT TEACHINGS OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA, THE
... LORD OF TEACHINGS, THE TRUTHFUL WORDS OF THE BUDDHAS OF THE
... THREE EXISTENCES AND THE TEN DIRECTIONS. The World-Honored
... One of Great Enlightenment designated a specific period of
... the preceding forty years and more, and defined the various
... sutras preached during that period, numerous as the sands
... of the Ganges, as the sutras in which he had “not yet
... revealed the truth.” He designated the Lotus Sutra preached
... during the eight years as the sutra in which he “now must
... reveal the truth.” Thus Many Treasures Buddha came forth
... from beneath the earth to testify that “all that you have
... expounded [in the Lotus Sutra] is the truth,” and the
... Buddhas who are emanations of Shakyamuni gathered together
... and extended their long tongues up to the Brahmā heaven in
... testimony. These words are perfectly clear, perfectly
... understandable, brighter than the sun on a clear day, or
... like the full moon at midnight. Look up to them and believe
... them, and when you turn away, cherish them in your heart!
...
... The Lotus Sutra contains two important teachings. The
... Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts,
... Dharma Characteristics, and Three Treatises schools have
... never heard even so much as the name of these teachings.
... THE FLOWER GARLAND AND TRUE WORD SCHOOLS, ON THE OTHER
... HAND, HAVE SURREPTITIOUSLY STOLEN THESE DOCTRINES AND MADE
... THEM THE HEART OF THEIR OWN TEACHINGS. The doctrine of
... three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found
... in only one place, hidden in the depths of the “Life Span”
... chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
... Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu were aware of it but did not bring
... it forth into the light. T’ien-t’ai Chih-che alone embraced
... it and kept it ever in mind.
...
... The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of
... life begins with the concept of the mutual possession of
... the Ten Worlds. But the Dharma Characteristics and Three
... Treatises schools speak only of eight worlds and know
... nothing of the entirety of the Ten Worlds, much less of the
... concept of their mutual possession. The Dharma Analysis
... Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools
... derive their teachings from the Āgama sutras. They are
... aware only of the six worlds and know nothing of the other
... four worlds. They declare that in all the ten directions
... there is only one Buddha, and do not even preach that there
... is any other Buddha in any of the ten directions. OF THE
... PRINCIPLE THAT “ALL SENTIENT BEINGS ALIKE POSSESS THE
... BUDDHA NATURE,” THEY OF COURSE SAY NOTHING AT ALL. They
... refuse to acknowledge that even a single person possesses
... the Buddha nature. IN SPITE OF THIS, ONE WILL SOMETIMES
... HEAR MEMBERS OF THE PRECEPTS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUTH
... SCHOOLS DECLARING THAT THERE ARE BUDDHAS IN THE TEN
... DIRECTIONS, OR THAT ALL LIVING BEINGS POSSESS THE BUDDHA
... NATURE. This is because the teachers of these schools who
... appeared after the passing away of the Buddha had stolen
... these Mahayana doctrines and incorporated them into the
... teachings of their own schools.
...

Buddhas in the ten directions. Do you know who they are? The world of living beings.

THEY ARE COMMON MORTALS, WHO ARE NONE OTHER THAN THE TRUE BUDDHA.

How could you possibly miss this point?

... To illustrate, in the period before the appearance of
... Buddhism, the proponents of the non-Buddhist teachings in
... India were not so bound up in their own views. But after
... the appearance of the Buddha, when they had listened to and
... observed the Buddhist teachings, they became aware of the
... shortcomings of their own doctrines. THEY THEN CONCEIVED
... THE CLEVER IDEA OF APPROPRIATING BUDDHIST TEACHINGS AND
... INCORPORATING THEM INTO THEIR OWN DOCTRINES, AND AS A
... RESULT THEY FELL INTO EVEN DEEPER ERROR THAN BEFORE. THESE
... ARE EXAMPLES OF THE ERRORS KNOWN AS “APPROPRIATING
... BUDDHISM” OR “PLAGIARIZING BUDDHISM.”
...

And this appropriation into Hinduism (the non-Buddhist schools of India), continues with the statue worshipers of Nichiren Shu, and now Nichiren Shoshu, since Alex is an active part of your Sangha.

... The same thing occurred in the case of non-Buddhist
... scriptures in China. Before Buddhism was brought to China,
... Confucianism and Taoism were rather naive and childish
... affairs. But in the Later Han, Buddhism was introduced to
... China and challenged the native doctrines. In time, as
... Buddhism became more popular, THERE WERE CERTAIN BUDDHIST
... PRIESTS WHO, BECAUSE THEY HAD BROKEN THE PRECEPTS, WERE
... FORCED TO RETURN TO SECULAR LIFE, OR WHO ELECTED TO JOIN
... FORCES WITH THE NATIVE CREEDS. THROUGH SUCH MEN, BUDDHIST
... DOCTRINES WERE STOLEN AND INCORPORATED INTO THE CONFUCIAN
... AND TAOIST TEACHINGS.
...

This is much like the Nichiren Shu and now, Nichiren Shoshu and Iain's Sangha.

... In volume five of Great Concentration and Insight we read:
... “These days there are many devilish monks who break the
... precepts and return to lay life. Fearing that they will be
... punished for their action, they then go over to the side of
... the Taoists. Hoping to gain fame and profit, they speak
... extravagantly of the merits of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu,
... usurping Buddhist concepts and reading them into their
... erroneous scriptures. THEY TWIST WHAT IS LOFTY AND FORCE IT
... INTO A MEAN CONTEXT; THEY DESTROY WHAT IS EXALTED AND DRAG
... IT DOWN AMONG THE BASE, STRIVING TO PUT THE TWO ON AN EQUAL
... LEVEL.”

"They twist what is lofty and force it into a mean context; they destroy what is exalted and drag it down among the base, striving to put the two on an equal level."

That's what you guys are all about.

>
> Do you notice, Chas--- how Nichiren upheld the Lotus Sutra? Do you notice that he doesn't call himself, "Buddha"?
>

Absolutely Nichiren Daishonin does, over and over.

He refers to himself as a "common mortal".

The term "Daishonin" or "true Buddha" means "common mortal." Shakyamuni is a provisional Buddha, or a function of the true Buddha, which is a common mortal.

That's why the Gohonzon works so perfectly for everyone. It raises the enlightened aspect of not only the provisional Buddha function of Shakyamuni, but all the other provisional Buddhas and other functions in your life, when you add the "pure and far-reaching voice" invoking the daimoku of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

Do I need to include those passages again? I will until you can grasp their truth, which you repeatedly are missing.

[snip the rest.]

-Chas.
_________________________________________________________

On Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 10:41:22 PM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:

Yo! Chas - maybe the reason Nichiren does not refer to himself or his staunch followers as "Buddha" is because they are not " Buddha"-

Maybe you have noticed that only in the disputed Gosho, "The True Aspect of All Phrnomena" and the proven forgery , the Ogni Kuden , will you find such nonsensical references re: common mortals are Budfhas -- yaddy yaddy ---

[snip]
_________________________________________________________

On Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 12:50:26 AM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:

But Chas, this is exactly your behaviour which can be clearly seen by reveiwing your postings. The evidence for such is actual in relation to you (readers can chevk this for themselves by using the forum index):

"THEY TWIST WHAT IS LOFTY AND FORCE IT
... INTO A MEAN CONTEXT; THEY DESTROY WHAT IS EXALTED AND DRAG
... IT DOWN AMONG THE BASE, STRIVING TO PUT THE TWO ON AN EQUAL
... LEVEL.”

[snip]
_________________________________________________________

On Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 10:18:43 AM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:

iainx, I think you are pointing out a very fundamental aspect of the attitudes and beliefs that Chas exemplifies here; the same *ends* justifies the *means* attitude that produced forgeries, fake doctrines -- in the name of *widespread propagation*.

What is Chas actually propagating? if not; Make it easy, make it about materialism, make it into a *business* --- He has no more qualm about lying and manipulation than the originators of the transfer documents, the ogni kudon , the dai-no-honzon!! They all believed the *ends* justified the *means*--

[snip]
_________________________________________________________

On Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 10:59:38 PM UTC-7, Chas. wrote:

How you congratulate and reinforce each other's different delusions! What a deadly embrace.

Katie (and Mark Rogow) discard the parts of Nichiren Daishonin's life work that they disagree with: those parts that point to the erroneous nature of their practice of worshiping Shakyamuni as a GOD.

Bowing down to images of another human being, they are like impoverished and starving children looking through the window outside of the supermarket, who will never get to eat the nutritious food inside, but will perpetually place all their devotion and desire on that food.

Little do they know there is food in their pockets already: as common mortals they have always been and will always be true Buddhas possessing the three bodies of the Buddha received from their parents, and entities of the Mystic Law, the Buddha of limitless joy.

Iain is worshiping the Law itself and has divorced that Law from the true Buddha, who is a common mortal. He is like a man in prison on a hunger strike, who has the keys to his cell in his pocket: as a common mortal he has always been and will always be the true Buddha of Beginningless Time and the Buddha of Absolute Freedom.

Although they appear to believe differently: Katie and Mark thinking the eternal Buddha is someone other than themselves who they must worship, and Iain thinking that the Buddha is the Law and no one he would follow in particular, they actually agree. They all think the Buddha is outside.

How tragic and pitiful.

-Chas.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"Iain is worshiping the Law itself"

Yep, just like Nichiren sets out in Gosho you yourself have quoted Chas.

Good luck trying to divorce the original Buddha from the Law Chas. Do you understand ANYTHING about the religion you are supposed to be practicing?

I have corrected you on this before and yet you continue to misrepresent me. I have also urged you not to do so.

Your increasingly erratic posting and resort to increasingly hat filled posts that alledge all sorts of nonesense, demonsttates clearly that you are already falling foul of the Dharini Chapter. Please stop hurting yourself Chas. I urge you again to take the 150 day Daimoku challenge and use Daimoku and Nichiren's teaching to heal your fragmenting mind.

Please be well :)

[Chas.]

I see a problem if you do not have a strong connection to the Gohonzon and only to daimoku. people like this tend not to be anchored in their practice and drift. Maybe that explains what has befallen you, who knows.

That would be my concern about that one aspect of your new Iain Buddhism.
________________________________________________

Iain makes a new buddhism, starting by attacking and replacing the SGI and President Ikeda +

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 2:42:29 PM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
||| Does the emphasis modern SGI teaching places on the
||| mentor-disciple relationship help or hinder practice
||| of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's Buddhism?
|||
||| To address this question it is first necessary to define
||| what the SGI means by 'mentor'. The term is used in
||| 6 main ways by SGI:
|||
||| 1) The Law as mentor
||| 2) The Buddha as mentor
||| 3) One or other of the "3 Presidents"
||| 4) Mr Ikeda as mentor
||| 5) A generalised umbrella term that is used to refer to
||| any of 1-5 without being specific 6) A general concept that
||| wraps 1-5 into a 'oneness'
|||

You forgot countless. President Ikeda once called the Gohonzon the true mentor, he has mentioned being mentored by children he talks to, and by Zhou Enlai of China (and many others), and has said the SGI is filled with great mentors and that they should mentor each other.

||| Using this term in so many different senses invites
||| confusion.
|||

The true state of affairs in life is as confusing as hell. So, what?

Mentoring and being mentored in Nichiren Buddhism is good. If I shakubuku someone and they decide to come to a meeting, even if they don't decide to take up the practice and receive the Gohonzon right away, this is still an absolute good. They will without doubt attain enlightenment sooner than they would if they only heard me say Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo when I first invited them (I never, ever, forget to say Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.)

In all three cases the result is guaranteed, so why do I bother trying to get people to come to meetings (acting as their parent and mentor)? The answer is that there is an untold amount of human misery that can happen along the path towards enlightenment and I am a determined enemy of human misery: to diminish and end it, forthwith.

When I was yet unborn but residing in my mother's womb after September 1950, the martyred Tsunesaburo Makiguchi was still the President of the Soka Gakkai. Before my birth in June 1951, Josei Toda became the President of the Soka Gakkai. When I was nine, Daisaku Ikeda became the President of the Soka Gakkai. I claim all three as mentors.

Mr. Toda said, "Abolish human misery," and I have vowed to do so.

||| In terms of the Law and the Buddha, it is unnecessary,
||| since the acts of teaching, learning,  embracing and
||| following are already implicit and explicit. In terms of
||| Nichiren's teaching 'Namu' underscores those actions.
|||
||| It can be helpful to describe the relationship between
||| human mentors and their disciples and a shared mission to
||| accomplish something. The question is should this linear
||| and usually personal relationship be conflated with faith
||| and practice of the Law or relationship with the Buddha?
|||
||| What happens, for instance, if the 'mentor' in the sense
||| of the 3 presidents or Mr Ikeda are at variance with the
||| Law or the Buddha? And if one has conflated them, will one
||| be able to spot if there is a variance?
|||
||| Associating these different usages things together, as is
||| done in 5) and 6), makes it hard to think about them
||| separately.
|||
||| Specifically, if one has got used to thinking about 1-5
||| as a 'oneness', if there is variance, then cognitive
||| dissonance with result. If one has accepted the proposition
||| that it is RIGHT to think of these things as a 'oneness'
||| then the likely response to any dissonance, will be to
||| excuse, overlook or dismiss the incongruity. And that's a
||| problem when it comes to practicing the Law.
|||

So picky. The principle mentor and disciple is about practicing the Lotus Sutra, not theorizing about it. In the Ceremony in the Air, the Buddha preaches the Law and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth arise and vow to receive the Law, protect it and spread it widely. This is an organized action and they had a leader name Jogyo, Superior Practices. They were not theorizing, like Shakyamuni's followers who were monks (and yourself), they were taking action (like President Ikeda and the SGI.)

||| Nichiren's stance is clear, he resisted bringing the Law,
||| The Buddha, The Sutra and spiritual teachers together in
||| this way and in the following passage we can see why.
|||

Baloney, not clear at all. You are simply avoiding doing the hard work of Kosen Rufu, by sitting and meditating about theory and chanting to pagodas.

||| "How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain
||| Buddhahood Through The Lotus Sutra"
|||
|||
||| WND Volume 1 page 872-873
|||
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/110#para-4
|||
||| "A sutra says: 'Rely on the Law and not upon persons.
||| Rely on the meaning of the teaching and not on the words.
||| Rely on wisdom and not on discriminative thinking. Rely on
||| sutras that are complete and final and not on those that
||| are not complete and final.'
|||
||| The meaning of this passage is that one should not rely
||| upon the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers, but should
||| heed what was established by the Buddha. It further means
||| that one should not rely upon the teachings of the True
||| Word, Zen, and Nembutsu schools, which are based upon the
||| sutras of the Flower Garland, Āgama, Correct and Equal, and
||| Wisdom periods, but should uphold the sutras that are
||| complete and final. And by relying upon 'sutras that are
||| complete and final,' it means upholding the Lotus Sutra."
|||
||| By keeping teachers (or mentors) and bodhisattvas
||| separate, he maintains the supremacy of the Law and The
||| Buddha as the spiritual authority. And by making
||| distinctions between the Sutras, he does the same.
|||

You are conflating "True Word, Zen, and Nembutsu schools" with the SGI and upholding the Lotus Sutra with yourself? You are clearly creating a new Sangha of Iain Buddhism now, by replacing the SGI and President Ikeda with yourself.

Also, the "A sutra" quoted by Nichiren Daishonin is the Nirvana Sutra, which we all know is final, but incomplete, although it is the Buddha's last word and testament. Literalists like yourself would note the inconsistency. Disciples who follow their mentors, like myself, will try to understand and follow the Buddha's last will and testament. That is mentor and disciple, too.

||| Clearly, it was important to him to ensure that his
||| followers understood this but why?
|||
||| Nichiren's writings are full of instances where he argues
||| that 'teachers' can and do lead their disciples astray,
||| specifically away from a correct faith in the Lotus Sutra.
||| He was also went to great lengths to avoid doing that
||| himself, which is why some people refer to Nichiren as a
||| 'scriptural' Buddhist.
|||
||| We can see this approach in the two translations of the
||| following passage:
|||
||| Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol , Page 543.
|||
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/66
|||
||| "Your process of questioning is backwards. If I had cited
||| passages from the commentaries of men such as T’ien-t’ai
||| and the others and you had then asked whether there were
||| passages from the sutras and treatises to support them,
||| that I could understand. But since I have already cited
||| sutra passages that clearly prove the argument, it is
||| hardly necessary to ask if there are similar passages in
||| the commentaries. If by chance you found that the sutras
||| and the commentaries disagreed, would you then discard the
||| sutras and follow the commentaries?"
|||
||| Writings of Nichiren Shonin, Doctrine 1, University of
||| Hawaii Press, page 195
|||
||| "Your question is out of order. You may ask for
||| scriptural proofs to back up statements in later
||| commentaries, but you may not look for proofs in later
||| commentaries when the statements in sutras are clear. Are
||| you going to side with commentaries against sutras in cases
||| where you find then contradictory?"
|||

I'm sorry, you can't dismiss Nichiren Daishonin (as a "later commentator" to be ignored) to avoid his admonitions against slander of the Law and towards refuting slander of the Law (which you have), and then quote him to support your attack on his true followers in the SGI.

You yourself said that the Lotus Sutra is the only mentor you will follow, so to be consistent with your denial of Nichiren Daishonin as mentor, please quit quoting him to undermine those true disciples of Nichiren Daishonin that actually follow him closely and carry out his intent by their actions, in the SGI.

You are either with Nichiren Daishonin or you are in Avichi Hell:

From the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 138,

... Point Seventeen, on the words "Abandoning restraint, they
... give themselves up to the five desires / and fall into the
... evil paths of existence."
...

... The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says:

... "Abandoning restraint" is a term designating slander of
... the Law. Those who do so are without doubt destined to
... fall into the Avichi hell.
...
... But now Nichiren and his followers, who chant
... Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, are exempted from the fate referred
... to in this passage of the sutra.

After summarily dismissing Nichiren Daishonin (have you every called him "Daishonin" in this forum? I think not) and then having the temerity to quote the dismissed Bodhisattva Superior Practices, you then have the utter gall to go on and interpret what he says and re-interpret the Lotus Sutra for yourself.

||| Here Nichiren is setting a priority between reliance on
||| the Sutra and the commentaries.
|||
||| It is not automatically bad to take heed of what teachers
||| or mentors have to say, they may have genuinely useful
||| insights.
|||
||| The issue is about keeping a separation between them and
||| setting the correct hierarchy so that one can evaluate
||| those insights against the benchmark of the Law,  Buddha
||| and (Lotus) Sutra, whist maintaining the priority order
||| that maintains the supremacy of Law, Buddha and Sutra. 
|||
||| In terms of any modern Nichiren sect that claims to
||| practice his teachings, one might add Nichiren's teaching
||| to the end of that pecking order.
|||
||| So we can see by this that the teaching of "the way
||| mentor disciple" as currently used by the SGI is at best
||| unclear and invites confusion in the practice of the Lotus
||| Sutra and at worst is open to abuse.
|||
||| Further more it is at odds with Nichiren's approach.
||| Where he deliberately separated these concepts to avoid
||| risk, the SGI brings then together and invites it.
|||
||| One particular problem is the emphasis with which the
||| mentor is given by some practitioners, which has potential
||| to obstruct their faith and hinder their practice. This
||| results from the general focus that is currently accorded
||| to thus teaching by SGI.
|||
||| It results in strange statements about having a
||| 'supercharged practice' as a result of embracing the mentor
||| or achieving radical life transformation as a result of
||| having 'made a relationship with Sensei (or 'my mentor').
||| As if pure faith in Namu myoho renge kyo and the Gohonzon
||| wasn't enough!
|||

People who have experienced what you have not, try and express their experiences in human terms that you can understand. That is mentoring. Just having faith in the Lotus Sutra and undermining the Sangha that encouraged your practice of that faith, is not a small evil, Iain.

||| Given that Nichiren Buddhism is fundamentally about
||| correct faith in the correct object of worship, this trend
||| should be worrying to any organisation that is concerned
||| with teaching thus Buddhism.
|||
||| There are indications that the focus on the mentor is
||| displacing Namu myoho renge kyo and the Gohonzon and
||| becoming a thing in itself that is considered as the means
||| for salvation.
|||
||| I'm sure some will object, pointing out that SGI continue
||| to chant the Daimoku to the Gohonzon and to teach about
||| Nichiren, the Daimoku and the Gohonzon. This is all true
||| however it's a red herring. It's not that the SGI does
||| these things, it's a question of how and to what degree.
|||
||| Put simply, anything that has the potential to damage
||| correct understanding and correct faith or to divert from a
||| central correct focus on the power of Namu myoho renge kyo
||| and the Gohonzon, should be put aside.
|||
||| We have seen how conflating different things by using the
||| same term to refer to them is not correct in terms of
||| Nichiren's teaching.
|||
||| If one goes further and then states "if one forgets the
||| way of mentor-disciple, one cannot attain enlightenment" as
||| Mr Ikeda does in his 2009 lecture on the Heritage of the
||| Ultimate Law of Life and Death, one can clearly see the
||| danger that Nichiren was warning his disciples about.
|||
||| To assert such a thing is not only irresponsible but it
||| is unsupportable on the basis of the Lotus Sutra and
||| Nichiren's teaching. The Sutra clearly teaches that if one
||| makes a relationship with the Sutra, even if one rejects it
||| or slanders it, one will attain enlightenment. Nichiren
||| teaches the same thing. So how can Mr Ikeda assert such a
||| thing and who do we take as right?
|||

What President Ikeda says is simply a reflection of his experience doing Kosen Rufu and by doing countless shakubuku and leading activities and seeing what has worked and what has not. You have none of that experience, Iain. Those who divide and undermine the Sangha, EVEN WHEN THEY MIGHT BE RIGHT IN SOME SMALL PRINCIPLE, are doing a great evil to the greater Kosen Rufu movement.

Note that the Three Presidents all suffered under the yoke of an absolutely corrupt priesthood, and remained supportive, handing over vast amounts of money and follwing their rituals loyally. It was the ingratitude and jealousy of the NST priesthood that caused THEM to excommunicate US. That was the reward the SGI received from them. We didn't leave them, they kicked us out. We followed Nikko Shonin's admonitions to the bitter end as loyal disciples of the Fuji School. And like a tongue pushed to the side as the rotten tooth of Nichiren Shoshu is extracted from the mouth of the Fuji School, we will remain healthy in spite of their corruption. Their will be peripeteia, a reversal of fortune, for the Fuji School.

||| The answer should be clear based on Nichiren's statements
||| above. Mr Ikeda's teaching is to be disregarded. And yet
||| for many SGI members who have accepted the teaching of
||| mentor-disciple and accepted the notion that it is
||| legitimate to bring different things together to form a
||| oneness, will most probably either miss this variance with
||| the Sutra or find a way explain it away. It is likely that
||| if they have taken Daiseku Ikeda as their mentor that they
||| will favour him and accepted his teaching rather than
||| reject it on the basis of the Sutra.
|||
||| One nutshell, they are likely to reject Nichiren, reverse
||| the priority and assert his supremacy over that of the Law,
||| Buddha, The Sutra and Nichiren. And if they do that, they
||| will have damaged their faith.
|||
||| So, does the teaching of mentor disciple help or hinder
||| practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism? My answer to that is a
||| resounding no.
|||
||| The purpose of a teacher of the Law is to facilitate
||| their students to a correct faith and practice that becomes
||| self motivated and self sustaining and to get out of their
||| way when it does. In a sense it is the most humble role
||| that if done well is as effective as it is invisible.
|||
||| When the student establish a faith and practice that
||| results in the Law pulsing strongly through their lives as
||| it did with the Atsuhara believers the teacher knows they
||| have done what they came to do, it is time to quietly
||| celebrate one's achievement, laud the students achievement
||| and let go.
|||
||| Now that really is a mentor...

I take it that you are the "great teacher" showing President Ikeda and the SGI (and the "later commentator" Nichiren Daishonin) how to do this properly?

I will repeat what I said to you in another post.

I note that your preaching to your new Sangha is an attempt to mentor and collect disciples to your new Buddhism, Iain.

You have identified both Nichiren Daishonin as "later commentators" that you can ignore at your whim, by virtue of your vast wisdom and interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, replacing them both and putting forth your new Iain Buddhism.

There are three treasures, not two.

The Sangha is third of those, and a Sangha must have a
leader to survive.

Hence, not following the Sangha's leader means abandoning
the Sangha and forgoing one of the legs of that three
legged platform for your life.

Even though you misrepresented yourself as a member of
the SGI for two months after you abandoned it, you must
at least comprehend that.

Replacing the Buddha with oneself and stealing the
Buddha's Sangha are the acts of Devadatta, Iain. It all
starts out with lies and ends in misery.

Here's the initial revealing of the misrepresentation,
complete with putting the blame on others for your
actions:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/eVElZxnOADY/fJGOdGdhDAAJ

On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 8:59:06 AM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
||| Oh and on a related note, I parted company with SGI on
||| the last day of 2015 and have been remiss in thanking you
||| for enabling me to understand how far it had drifted from
||| the organisation I joined (and would still join if it
||| taught the sane things and facilitated the sane pure
||| faith). I owe you a great debt of gratitude. :D

Note that the disciples are collecting already at the
bottom of that list of posts.

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 9:13:22 PM UTC-8, kahlei...@gmail.com wrote:
||| *applause* Iain your posts continue to give me life and
||| are a source of encouragement. Thank you. Daily life is
||| busy so at the moment i do not have time to post or even
||| read. But i do have a question I would like to get answered
||| from the gosho steeped people of this forum so will post
||| later.
||| Happy Thursday.

Here's the first failed attempt to form a Sangha outside
ARBN, which failed utterly [with Julian's responses],
which is why you continue to attempt to make this
forum your new Sangha:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/RULYUjCHykc/eHiAld6SEAAJ

On Friday, January 1, 2016 at 1:32:11 PM UTC-8, Julian wrote:
> On 01/01/2016 18:19, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> ||| Thanks Chas, I know it wasn't directed at me and I've
> ||| guessed there's a history between David and you, lool I've
> ||| seen some of the exchanges here and on Narchive! Still, I
> ||| found it surprising and I restate that I don't think you do
> ||| that, at least I hope you wouldn't!!!
> |||
> ||| Odd that you're having posts blocked, I haven't had
> ||| that at all but hey. So what do you reckon? Shall we move
> ||| out of the wild west and into a moderated forum? What's
> ||| your vote? Alex? David? Mark? Anyone else?
> |||
> ||| If we want to do that, I'd want to set some ground
> ||| rules we could agree on and that keep the forum lively,
> ||| free yet not prone to excesses of objectionable posting.
> ||| Provided that's agreed and stated up front, very happy to
> ||| moderate a group on that basis...
> |||
> ||| What say you guys? :)
>
> I'm not interested in moderated fora unless I, alone, am
> the moderator.
> Even then it would be too tiresome to keep my interest
> beyond a day
> or so.

On Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 4:29:53 AM UTC-8, Julian wrote:
> On 01/01/2016 22:36, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> ||| OK, thanks Julian, that's a pity. Not even if it's a
> ||| loosely moderated forum and moderated openly to jointly
> ||| agreed criteria? If you change your mind, let me know. I
> ||| hope you're doing well by the way. Happy New Year to you :)
> |||
>
> In my experience, invariably, the moderators go insane
> corrupted by even so little power.

I have nothing to add there.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

>>"I see a problem if you do not have a strong connection to the Gohonzon and only to daimoku. people like this tend not to be anchored in their practice and drift. Maybe that explains what has befallen you, who knows. "<<

Begs the question, Chas-- what has befallen the guy who cannot come to grips with the ushering out of ALL connection your SGIkeda once had to Nichiren's teachings? Ikeda flip flops-- what? every 10 years or so? iainx indexed this for you to address--. Perhaps something has befallen you?

<<"That would be my concern about that one aspect of your new Iain Buddhism.<<"

Ah yes. iainx's blatant displays of clear concise references to Daisaeku Ikeda's divergence from the teachings of HIS mentor. But, what's new about that, Chas? Nichiren himself challenged those who brought confusion to the Buddha's teachings. Nichiren himself denounced disregarding Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra. I think the problem is you don't recognize the *old Buddhism" of Nichiren Daishonin that was once the foundation of the SGI's practice.

Something must have befallen you, Chas not to even notice how absurd your thesis statements have become.

~Katie

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"Here's the first failed attempt to form a Sangha outside
ARBN, which failed utterly [with Julian's responses],"

Ah yes Chas, your false assertion "creating a sangha" which I answered at the time. And your buddy or alter ego Julian. The person who spends so much time critiscising my "long winded posts" etc. and yet completely refrains from any critucism or comment on your longer and more rambling posts. Strange that isn't it? Lool. Nobodu here is fooled by the Chas and Jules double act. You've both been in here for 20 odd years playing the same game.

It's just funny you think you still think peole are. You leave the loose ends and others and I tie you both together. The tapestry you create is just one thing, there for all to see, systematic, organised, SGI trolling and disruption of this forum, and all done with your own posts. Lool.

Be well :)

[Katie Higgins]

[Chas.]

So, you make the case that I am an SGI troll, and that Julian is one as well?

Frankly a more rational person would perceive the truth.

I defend the SGI and attack its attackers and those who slander the Law (one in the same, of course: the three treasures.)

Julian, on the other hand simply detests puffed up blowhards.

I somehow escape this, probably because I know I am an unworthy lacking in excellence, but endeavoring in spite of that.

You, Mark and Katie have apparently triggered Julian's blowhard detector, like, big time!
_________________________________

Iain learns about Mentor and Disciple on the eve of his departure from the SGI +

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 2:42:29 PM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:

[Written 7 days after Iain's belated announcement
that he had left the SGI on January 1st.]

> Does the emphasis modern SGI teaching places on the
> mentor-disciple relationship help or hinder practice of the
> Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's Buddhism?
>
> To address this question it is first necessary to define
> what the SGI means by 'mentor'. The term is used in 6 main
> ways by SGI:
>
> 1) The Law as mentor
> 2) The Buddha as mentor
> 3) One or other of the "3 Presidents"
> 4) Mr Ikeda as mentor
> 5) A generalised umbrella term that is used to refer to
> any of 1-5 without being specific 6) A general concept that
> wraps 1-5 into a 'oneness'
>

You forgot countless. President Ikeda once called the Gohonzon the true mentor, he has mentioned being mentored by children he talks to, and by Zhou Enlai of China (and many others), and has said the SGI is filled with great mentors and that they should mentor each other.

> Using this term in so many different senses invites
> confusion.
>

The true state of affairs in life is as confusing as hell. So, what?

.
. Skip all this ...
.
.

We begin with Iain's first (and I'm sure not the last) failed attempt (foiled by Julian) to create a new Sangha, one day after he secretly left the SGI:

__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

What follows are exchanges on the same topic of Mentor and Disciple in the previous month of December 2015 as Iain was secretly planning to leave the SGI and start a new Buddhism with a new Sangha on January 1st, but still hiding behind the false cloak of SGI membership: to freely denounce Sensei and the SGI from the inside, with impunity.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/rndfISdEPvw/anCsekHyCwAJ

On Monday, December 14, 2015 at 8:59:05 AM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
[Written 17 days before Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

> Chas, my point was specific "organisation needed to propogate". My push back > If you are suggesting that the 'cadres' representated in the passage you quoted somehow mystically translates into this day and age in the shape of the SGI, I think that's a poor suggestion. No doubt in that mythology, Nichiren would be Superior Practices and the three presidents the other leaders of the bodhisattva's of the earth. I have no doubt that this could be what the forces that are reshaping the SGI away from the Law and Gohonzon are driving towards. Those who interpret the meaning have control over that meaning. Beats me Why anyone would need to write Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra when one can simply read it and chant Daimoku...
>

Your rhetorical technique of declaring some things to be others, or relabeling, is specious. The SGI history and struggle is not a "mythology", it is a fact.

Since you haven't bothered to read "The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra", how can you present a critique? You probably haven't read "The Living Buddha", "Buddhism, The First Millennium", or "The Flower of Chinese Buddhism", yet either. Those are world-renowned and widely-taught histories, as well. I would suggest reading them, you might learn something you don't already know.

Recent studies of how the human brain actually works presents some interesting insight. The technicolor and stereo picture you have of the world around us is not the way it really is. Vision signals come into the thalamus from the optic nerves and flow to the visual cortex in the back for processing and then to the cortex on top to create your world model a half-second delayed, incorporating the other sense paths.

What's interesting about this is that there is six times as much signal flowing back into the thalamus and modifying your vision signal as the original signal from the optic nerves. So what you see as "objective reality" is six times as much subjective as objective. Hence the people rambling around talking to themselves and seeing things are actually talking to people and seeing those things. Or the people who see their mother in a photo, feeding back six times as much information into the recognized image, surrounding her face with a golden aura and love and warmth...

Hence, what people perceive when the chant to the Gohonzon, or when they see Sensei, or go to an SGI meeting and chant together and talk with other members ... this is mostly context from the inside and not from the outside.

So, when David Cole was standing guard outside the chamber where President Ikeda was having personal meetings with one after another young women's division leader for many hours in Southern California all those years ago ... he perceived Sensei having sex with all those girls one after another in an act of superhuman sexual prowess unmatched by any human male in history. It was the only way he could explain what was progressing, and I'm sure he received visual, aural and other sense queues to reinforce that world model in his cortex. This was because he did not have the mentor and disciple relationship to protect him from the demons that arise at the beckoning of the devil king in all people who chant and attempt to attain enlightenment to challenge the dominion of the devil king over the six worlds.

You may have had similar "experiences" of SGI life.

My experiences are quite different.

My first experience with Sensei close up was in 1973? or 1974?, when I was a bus toban at the San Diego convention. There I was on the street holding back the crowd behind me to protect them from running out into the motorcade passing by 20 feet away. As Sensei smiled and waved at each of us: a joined wave of joyous sound passed up the street and finally got to me as we looked at each other.

I had no idea of what to expect and no preconceived expectations of any kind. I had precious little religious belief or faith in Buddhism. I was chanting, because I had a desire to make something of my life, and absolutely no faith in anything else whatsoever, so Buddhism was my only hope. I was, however, quite sincere and diligent in protecting my bus load of members, every step of the way from the very beginning of the trip until the last member stepped off the bus at the end and went on their way. Their well-being was my entrustment and in that moment I was fulfilling my vow, with no idea of what the effect would be of that cause. I was chanting like crazy on that trip, because every time the bus made a rest stop was another chaotic opportunity for deviltry to destroy the trip for someone or everyone. I would watch everyone like a hawk, and make precision head counts every time we got back on the bus.

As our gazes came close, my life condition soared, I know this now, because I have chanted many tens of millions of daimoku and that is how it feels to chant a lot.

As our gazes met, I perceived an image of black Chinese characters on a purest white background, I think the character myo (to open, to revive, to be fully endowed). I had never heard of such a thing from anyone and it was a surprise to me. As the motorcade went up the street and looked back at the people I was protecting and they were all similarly blown away.

It took me a while to process that experience and come up with a conclusion that in the mirror of the Gohonzon, we were simply two bus tobans doing our job, although his bus was significantly larger.

However, before and after coming to an understanding of that, a deep bond was formed in that moment, and every time there is an opportunity for devils to arise in the relationship of myself and Sensei, or the SGI or any leader or member of the SGI, that mentor and disciple relationship, like a grandmother cell in the visual cortex, recognizes him and them as true self. And anything that attacks them as something I have to deal with, sometimes with great care, other times very strictly.

And that sums up the world view residing in my cortex, permanently colored by that mentor and disciple relationship, never to be swayed by anything.

Now, this experience didn't make me a great bodhisattva or anything, I was still a lousy Buddhist, pursuing my career flying around the world, repeatedly out of touch from the organization periodically, missing gongyo a lot (so glad it's shorter), sometimes only chanting when I was miserable, which of course guaranteed a lot of that. But like the jewel sewn into the robe, the one and only thing in the world I had faith in was that relationship with Sensei, and that finally brought me back into focus in the SGI, where I found out we had been excommunicated. Being permanently on Sensei's side in any dispute, I traded in my Nittatsu Gohonzon for a larger Nichikan Gohonzon and here is my unworthy self, completely shed of any attachment to the NST priesthood.

As Nichiren states in "Encouragement to a Sick Person", pp. 77-78,

. Moreover, every single person is guilty of slander of the
. Law, an offense exceeding even the ten evil acts or the
. five cardinal sins. Although few people slander the Lotus
. Sutra with actual words of abuse, there are none who accept
. it. Some appear to accept the sutra, but their faith in it
. is not as deep as their faith in the Nembutsu or other
. teachings. And even those with profound faith do not
. reproach the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. However great the
. good causes one may make, or even if one reads and copies
. the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand
. times, OR ATTAINS THE WAY OF PERCEIVING THREE THOUSAND
. REALMS IN A SINGLE MOMENT OF LIFE, if one fails to denounce
. the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to
. attain the way.

Note the characters in bold, even if you perceive ichinen sanzen in the Gohonzon and fail to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it is impossible to attain the way.

Iain, I note that you started chanting in 1988 (27 years ago, according to you), did you receive a Nikken Gohonzon? Have you done the Gohonzon exchange?

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 17, 2015 1:31 PM
[14 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

Thanks Chas,

I don't see any point discussing anything further with you. You have clearly formed a particular belief system founded on Mr Ikeda and SGI as absolute and unchangeable entities that seem not to be subject to delusion or capable of corruption. I have expressed my views and they are very clearly different from yours and incompatible. Our worldviews and view of the practice are mutually exclusive. Although I disagree with your views and your beliefs, you have a right to them. You are the boss of your life Chas and you alone are responsible for it. Likewise for me.

I would however like to correct you on your baseless assumption:

"Since you haven't bothered to read "The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra", how can you present a critique?"

I suggest you read my posts to understand how wrong you are. Especially the one that clearly states when I got my copies of that series. I find it surprising that you would make this error towards someone who clearly has an extensive library and who has clearly read and can reference the books within that library.

"You probably haven't read "The Living Buddha", "Buddhism, The First Millennium", or "The Flower of Chinese Buddhism", yet either."

These were among the first books of Mr Ikeda's that I got along with the Buddhism in action series. And, like many of Mr Ikeda's writings of that era, I got a lot from them. I can't remember precise dates of acquisition but I remember I got them from Richmond Green, when that was our National Centre, so 1988 - 1990? not much later.

"Those are world-renowned and widely-taught histories, as well. I would suggest reading them, you might learn something you don't already know."

Not quite Chas, I enjoyed them but by Mr Ikeda's own admission, they are to someone extent reimaginings. Buddhist history told in a digestible format and from a very particular standpoint. There is always more we can know Chas, I haven't stopped learning, nor will I.

On the Gohonzon exchange, what an odd question! Why even would it matter if I had or had not exchanged the Mandala? Gohonzon is Gohonzon, is Gohonzon. But since you are curious about the Mandala I chant to, Omamori was bestowed in about 1998 and Tokabetsu was bestowed in 2005, you work it out. Just let's be very clear, Gohonzon is found in the two characters for faith. That's the really important thing, not the Mandala in and of itself.

To end, I have noticed you like to try and keep the exchange going. In future of I need to respond, I will simply reference this post. As I said at the start of this post, I am not interested in further discussion with you for the reasons given. Good wishes to you and farewell. :)

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 18, 2015 6:41 AM

On Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 1:31:13 PM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Thanks Chas,
>

> I don't see any point discussing anything further with you....

> To end, I have noticed you like to try and keep the exchange going. In future of I need to respond, I will simply reference this post. As I said at the start of this post, I am not interested in further discussion with you for the reasons given. Good wishes to you and farewell. :)

Farewell, again, Iain.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 19, 2015 5:30 AM
[12 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

An observation on the following statement from earlier in the thread is that if one understands and applies the nine consciousnessess model, this is self evident. In fact what is notable is the extent to which the findings of modern neuroscience support that model.


"... So what you see as "objective reality" is six times as much subjective as objective. Hence the people rambling around talking to themselves and seeing things are actually talking to people and seeing those things. Or the people who see their mother in a photo, feeding back six times as much information into the recognized image, surrounding her face with a golden aura and love and warmth...


> Hence, what people perceive when the chant to the Gohonzon, or when they see Sensei, or go to an SGI meeting and chant together and talk with other members ... this is mostly context from the inside and not from the outside."


So briefly, on the nine consciousnessess. The 'sensory' consciousnesses are aligned to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell but they are not those senses in and of themselves.

Their job is to filter and make sense of the input from the external world that comes via each of those inputs.

The sixth consciousness puts it all together into a coherent whole. However that is not a one way street. The 6th interplays with the sensory consciousnessess.

The seventh, allows deeper judgement, Dick Causton locates the ego in the seventh consciousness.

The eight is the 'storehouse' at a superficial level this is memory itself, a deeper reading would, in psychological terms be the subconscious, unconscious and even collective unconscious. A still deeper reading in Buddhist terms is that it is the seat of our karma and quite possibly the single greatest factor in shaping who we are.

Likewise, as for the 6th, there is an interplay between the collective of 6,7 & 8 and the sensory consciousnesses. Our internal subjective reality is the product of their collective operation.

One can look at this in a different way, thought (perception), influences feeling (emotion), emotion, influences behaviour, behaviour influences the way our external world responds, which in turn influences out thoughs (perception).

Our subjective perception (subjective reality) is essentially a model of the world (objective reality) that's all, it is not the fact itself.

How accurate our subjective reality is is determined by the limits on the amount of information we can hold and process plus the choices we make in rendering the world and the cognitive mistakes we make. Eugene Gendlin, in his philosophical works, has an interesting take on this.

The problem of subjective reality is that it's really hard to spot the limits of something that seems so real and spot the choices/errors we have made in creating it. Hence the usefulness of the ninth consciousness. Hence also why the ninth consciousness is said to 'purify' the other consciousnessess when it is active and operative.

Once one can see clearly, one then has a better basis for living well. Again, there similarities with this view, which could be said to be reliance on the Law, and with Gendlin's research in his counselling works, suggest the same phenomenon.

As Nichiren once said, attaining Buddhahood is nothing extraordinary. I think he's right. It is a purely natural function with us that should be simple but that gets overcomplicated and sometimes deliberately so by those with vested interests.

Most of the problem of becoming enlightened and routinely using enlightenment as an aid to living comes from trying to get past the compelling delusion of the perception we are presented with, which is created by the workings of the unenlightened 8 consciousnessess.

Just to make things more difficult, there is money to be made and power to be had by keeping people in an unenlightened state and keeping them dependent. It's unsurprising that any teachings and teachers that advocate and deliver people into the independence of their enlightened minds meet with persecution and resistance.

In today's world, that's probably most typified by powerful corporations that have become adept at using the nudges of behavioural economics and the insights that come from data mining, psychological profiling and neurological research to inform and drive whole marketing industries that effectively influence behaviour in unenlightened people.

Not that all powerful organisation are problematic but for some, can you imagine how undesirable a massive outbreak of enlightenment and thus independence, would be in the world population? People would be much harder to control, heavens they might even start thinking for themselves, challenging inequalities and elites. The share prices of some could plummet and careers left in tatters.

That's why a clear focus on reliance on the Law and steadfast faith are needed. It's the only route past an internal reality that is so compulsively believable even when it is so flawed and which is so ably supported and encouraged by elements in the external world.

This is indeed a difficult age...

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com 12/19/15
[12 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]
[Not the "appeal to authority" made by wrapping himself in the SGI leadership, even though he is secretly leaving it.]

Correction to this statement:

"You may have had similar "experiences" of SGI life."

That is made against the backdrop of the quotion further down.

The simple answer is no, my experience of SGI life has been very positive. The embedded assumption in the statement quoted is as follows: If you (I) had experienced a positive SGI life, I would have formed the same mystical bind with 'Sensei' and therefore I would not see anything but good in the SGI or Mr Ikeda. So by extension, I must have had a negative SGI life and not formed the proper bond with 'sensei' and not been protected by the mentor-disciple relationship. Therefore, by further extension I am in the 'other' group and therefore what I say can be dismissed.

OK now for the truth, not only have I had a very positive experience of SGI and its NST lay society forerunner, not only am I on record for having Saud so and credited Mr Ikeda but it is precisely because of taking careful note of what Mr Ikeda taught and of those wonderful people who helped me shape my faith that I dissent in some areas not.

I will not have the a lazy labelling applied, particularly when it is not accurate or true.

Let's be really clear about this, SGI teaching and those credited to Mr Ikeda have objectively changed. One can see that objectively by comparison of then and now teachings, side-by-side and like-for-like.

This is not a product of the internal workings of an imagining compelling deluded internal subjective reality, this is careful side-by-side textual analysis. Clearly there are differences.

I am true to what I embraced and was taught and remain so. I have put that into practice to great effect and continue to.

My view is that SGI has and is deviating from that true root, so as I am obliged to, as the SGI charter exhorts me to, I speak out.

It is unsurprising that those who would see an organisation they profess to fervently follow and a person who they have all but apothosised, try and dismiss such inconvenient views.

Every time an indisputable point is put it is ignored. As was the case in the textual analysis using Mr Ikeda's lectures on the same Gosho, then and now. Heaven forbid that objectivivity should get in the way of a nicely running, 6 fold thalamus feedback created subjective thrall We really don't want to disturb that Nice warm cosy golden glow now do we?

Such fake followers are like so many cunning and cowardly foxes barking in the night. They care naught for their organization nor their 'sensei' and even less for the Law.

So long as their selfish beliefs remain intact and they can continue to live in La, La land with the warmth of their golden internal reality decorated with black mystical Chinese characters on a pure white background floating in the air, like a bad rendition of the "The Bullet Proof Monk", they're happy. And they'll go to any length's to keep it that way.

This was the pitiful attempt at a slur on my SGI experience (rofl):

"So, when David Cole was standing guard outside the chamber where President Ikeda was having personal meetings with one after another young women's division leader for many hours in Southern California all those years ago ... he perceived Sensei having sex with all those girls one after another in an act of superhuman sexual prowess unmatched by any human male in history. It was the only way he could explain what was progressing, and I'm sure he received visual, aural and other sense queues to reinforce that world model in his cortex. This was because he did not have the mentor and disciple relationship to protect him from the demons that arise at the beckoning of the devil king in all people who chant and attempt to attain enlightenment to challenge the dominion of the devil king over the six worlds.

You may have had similar "experiences" of SGI life."

Good luck with trying to get anyone who knows me, including our current and two previous General Director's to support your view and your slur.

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 20, 2015 6:02 AM

Didn't say you had those experiences.

Was saying that the mentor and disciple relationship is protective against such experiences.

Sorry you took it that way, was truly speaking from the heart.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 20, 2015 12:48 PM
[11 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

That's true Chas you did not say 'I had' those experiences, you actually said I 'may have had' those experiences.

Still, I am having trouble reconciling your later statement, that you were illustrating your claim that the mentor disciple relationship was protective against, for want of a better phrase 'demon attack', with your speculation about whatever experiences I may or may not have had.

You choose David Cole to as a foil for your point, so why speculate about me and my experiences? Your point could have been made quite adequately without reference to me. Do you not think I'm close enough to Mr Ikeda and his teachings? Has it ever crossed your mind that I may just actually care quite a bit for him and this organisation? That I might just actually be one of the best 'disciples' he has? I know little but I know this, those who stray from the Law, suffer, that gives me no delight. So my first priority is as a votary of the Sutra. Who the heck do you think taught me that??? And who the heck, besides Mr Toda & Mr Makaguchi made it possible for him to be able to teach so??? Think, Chas think...

This was your actual quote. I 'took it that way' because it was put that way, it had no place being there.

But your apology, even though it is couched in the 'sorry you' (your problem) rather than 'sorry I' (I am responsible for my words) language, is accepted. Thank you.

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 21, 2015 7:52 AM

There are clearly different writing styles at play here.

I make it perfectly clear at the outset who I am with and who is my Sensei, and [that] is the SGI and Daisaku Ikeda. No one has to ponder for a moment to get that from what I write.

I do not want anyone to think even briefly, that I might be objective or diffident about any of this, and willing to consider or to change over to their distortions of Lotus Sutra Buddhism, or some even lesser amalgamation with Hinduism, like Mark Rogow's.

I am utterly inflexible on that point, due to the mentor and disciple experiences I have described and many others.

The mentor and disciple principle has closed that door into chaos and misery for me. It is like armor, and I always strap on that armor.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 21, 2015 9:56 AM
[10 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

And that Chas is precisely my point.

That inflexiblity and that concern only for yourself is what will be manipulated so that you end up betraying what you say you hold dear. Unless you are in direct and regular contact with Mr Ikeda? Which I very much doubt.

As I said in my previous post, this is just like the barking of cowardly, cunning foxes in the night. I'm not yet decided as to which type of fox you are.

The problem you refuse to confront in your naivete or wilful blindness, is that those who hold the image of the mentor and filter his words hold the power over such unthinking and gullible disciples.

Of course that could be benign, of course it could but that really isn't the point. 'If you slacken for even a bit demons will take advantage', seems an appropriate quote.

It is the same with those who hold the power over the lectures on the Gosho and the Sutra, likewise they who hold the power over the message, when the norm is that one reads Gosho and Sutra, only through the commentary, hold the power to make the Gosho and Sutra support whatever they want it to support. They are free from challenge, especially if it was the mentor's supposed interpretation!

That, my friend was exactly why SGI changed its regulations, to prevent such a situation arising or at least to counter it if it did. A fact that seems lost on you and which I note you have consistently refused to address.

You are so busy refuting and defending the enemies without, it doesn't seem to occur to you that the simplest way to defeat the good work that's been done is to corrupt the organisation from within.

But of course, you no doubt will be able to spot that if it happens, won't you Chas? Because those nice corruptors will have the decency to say 'Hi, we're here to corrupt the SGI', they'll wear nice big signs on their backs 'Icky a corruptor', just so as you can see them easily and take aim.

So, ridiculousness aside, just how would you spot such people? Just how would you know they are at work? Or do you propose that the mentor-disciple thingy is so potent, it will protect against that too?

So, is your proposition that all the nice people who say, act and do like good disciples should - they're OK.

All the slightly dodgy ones, like me for instance, who question, analyse and probe, we'll we are so obviously the ones to be wary of. Yeah, 'I've got a nice big sign on my back Chas', I'm a real threat.

Get real Chas, it's a leitmotive throughout human history that deceivers will always say and do what people want them too in order to get what they want and they will always have a plausible reason to cover any inconsistentcies. Only people who are solidly based, rely on the Law and take careful notice are not deceived and cannot be so.

You still haven't taken up the challenge to make a side-by-side comparison of Mr Ikeda's 1979 and 2009 lectures on the same Gosho Chas. Why not? You called me out on the shift of emphasis from Gohonzon to mentor-disciple relationship. I responded, as I said I would with direct proof, fully referenced, of that shift. And since you have been silent on that point. You refuse to look, or it's convenient for you not to, just let the indisputable point quietly drop...interesting behaviour.

Be streafast in you armour but since you are using militaristic analogies, you might take lesson from Agincourt to see the perils of becoming so locked in, bogged down and inflexible. That way defeat lies but it is your choice.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Agincourt

The flexible, who are fleet of foot and who have superior range, they, not the elites, win. And I thought in one of your posts that you said you knew how to fight, clearly not...

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 22, 2015 7:21 AM

Nah. The armor of mentor and disciple is both light and flexible and worth wearing. Without it you an unprotected from evils like that with befell David [Cole]. Your analogy is more befitting Hitler's wunderwaffe foolishness.

And I am not blind to evil. However, there is a long distance between espousing higher principles, which I do, and leveling charges, which I won't do inside the sangha.

In your analysis of "shift", are you allowing for evolution of thought and of learning from experience? Dealing with the corruptions and evils of the NST priesthood was an advanced education in Buddhist ethics and philosophy in action. We would be poor students if we did not learn from it. Those shifts you describe are partly from that, partly from the wisdom of age and reflection.

Even though the 69,384 character Lotus Sutra and the Law are immutable, our understanding of it grows and changes. WE change.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 22, 2015 9:31 AM
[9 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

Lool, reliance on the Law protects us from evil and only that. There are some things that should not change with learning from experience, reliance on the Law, which is the true object of worship and ultimately self reliance, is one of them. Your defence is weak.

If you have Omamori, you should know that difference well. The Gohonzon is subtly different because it's bearer has the faith to perform the protectivr function. Or didn't they tell you that when you received yours, if in fact it was bestowed on you.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 22, 2015 10:36 AM
[9 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]
[And here is where Iain make a grievous error of miscategorization of the sutra.]

And just to be absolutely doubly without doubt, whilst the Immeasurable Meanings sutra, is indeed mentioned in the introduction to the Lotus Sutra, note that it is referenced there as a distinct entity. Also note the following passage, which you omitted to quote.

If you followed Nichiren's Buddhism as you claim, you would not quote a provisional teaching and treat it as equal to the Lotus Sutra, even if it is the opening sutra to the Lotus Sutra.

It is still provisional in comparison with the latter. The passage you omitted is the reason this is so. It clearly sets out why the Lotus is superior. What follows that passage is the unfolding of the wisdom of all Buddhas. Immeasurable meanings does not give one that, the Lotus does.

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/1#para-149

"At that time the world-honored one, surrounded by the four kinds of believers, received offerings and tokens of respect and was honored and praised. And for the sake of the bodhisattvas he preached the great vehicle sutra entitled Immeasurable Meanings, a teaching to instruct the bodhisattvas, one that is guarded and kept in mind by the buddhas.


When the Buddha had finished preaching this sutra, he sat with his legs crossed in the lotus position and entered into the samadhi of the origin of immeasurable meanings, his body and mind never moving. At that time heaven rained down mandarava flowers, great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers, and great manjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and over the great assembly, and everywhere the buddha world quaked and trembled in six different ways."

Fat lot of good studying the 'Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra' regularly has done you if you cannot understand this most basic point. There seems to be a distinct lack of wisdom in your approach and understanding.

May I suggest you go back to the Gosho and carefully read Nichiren's writings on the matter until you grasp the point?

You might also ponder how the events unfold from there on. Later in that chapter, to understand why Immeasurable Meanings is provisional. Later in that same chapter (note the term 'great Law'):

(ibid)

"At that time Manjushri said to the bodhisattva mahasattva Maitreya and the other great men: "Good men, I suppose that the Buddha, the world-honored one, wishes now to expound the great Law, to rain down the rain of the great Law, to blow the conch of the great Law, to beat the drum of the great Law, to elucidate the meaning of the great Law.

Good men, in the past I have seen this auspicious portent among the buddhas. They emitted beams of light like this, and after that they expounded the great Law. Therefore we should know that now, when the present Buddha manifests this light, he will do likewise. He wishes to cause all living beings to hear and understand the Law, which is difficult for all the world to believe. Therefore he has manifested this auspicious portent."

So in other words, the Lotus Sutra is clearly telling us that this great Law has not been expounded in Immeasurable Meanings. The Buddha then starts expounding this great Law in chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra.

Parroting terms like 'theoretical ichinen sanzen' and bandying them around is of little use if one can't distinguish provisional and true and if one thinks the object of worship is simply an expedient concept that can be de-emphasised and legitimately replaced with the mentor-disciple relationship because of acquiring learning since the time of practicing with the priesthood.

But thank you for confirming that a change of doctrine has in fact taken place.

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 27, 2015 8:19 AM

I think you are incorrect.

The SGI Dictionary says this:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/I/14

. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra (Chin Wu-liang-i-ching;
. Muryōgi-kyō): Also known as the Sutra of Immeasurable
. Meanings. A sutra regarded as the introductory teaching, or
. prologue, to the Lotus Sutra. It was translated into
. Chinese in 481 by Dharmagathayashas, a monk from central
. India. The sutra describes the Buddha’s preaching on Eagle
. Peak and consists of three chapters. In the first, or
. “Virtuous Practices,” chapter, Bodhisattva Great Adornment
. praises Shakyamuni Buddha in verse on behalf of the
. assembly. This verse section contains the passage known as
. the thirty-four negations, referring to the substance or
. essence of the Buddha. In the second chapter, “Preaching
. the Law,” Shakyamuni explains that all principles and
. meanings derive from a single Law. He then declares:
. “Because their [people’s] natures and desires are not
. alike, I preached the Law in various different ways.
. Preaching the Law in various different ways, I made use of
. the power of expedient means. But in these more than forty
. years, I have not yet revealed the truth,” indicating that
. all the prior teachings were provisional and expedient. The
. final, “Ten Benefits,” chapter explains that by practicing
. this sutra one can obtain ten kinds of blessings. The
. Buddha encourages Bodhisattva Great Adornment and the other
. eighty thousand bodhisattvas present to propagate the
. sutra, and they vow to do so.

Nothing that I can see, other than from you, specifically describes the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra as a provisional teaching.

They say the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is "A sutra regarded as the introductory teaching, or prologue, to the Lotus Sutra."

The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is preached after Myoho-Renge-Kyo is heard in the title of chapter one, or introduction to the Lotus Sutra. It is preached inside the Lotus Sutra and nowhere else, as far as I can see.

Provisional teachings cannot follow the utterance of the title of the Lotus Sutra.

And provisional teachings do not know the word provisional, that distinction is first drawn in the Lotus Sutra.

Now that is not to say it is the highest teaching, because it is not complete, in the same way that the Nirvana Sutra is not provisional, but is also not complete. Only the Lotus Sutra is both complete and final.

The first word of the title of the Lotus Sutra (Myo) encompasses all of the Lotus Sutra, according to Nichiren Daishonin. After the Lotus Sutra is preached, none of the Buddha's teachings are provisional.

In fact, I believe it is in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra that Shakyamuni describes first what is provisional and what is true (in the above references.)

Note that in the "Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, chapter 3, Ten Benefits", it refers to the Lotus Sutra as "this sutra", not "that sutra". This implies, if not identity, at least that it [the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra] is non-provisional.

If a provisional teaching were used to support the complete and final teaching of the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching in Buddhism, this would be a structural flaw in the support [of} the highest teaching, I believe.

Here are those 59 instances, capitalized:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/3

. “If there are living beings who are able to hear THIS
. SUTRA, they will gain great profit. Why? Because if they
. can practice it, then without fail they will quickly gain
. unsurpassed enlightenment. As for those living beings who
. are unable to hear it, one should know that they will lose
. great profit, for though immeasurable, boundless,
. inconceivable asamkhya kalpas may pass, they will in the
. end fail to gain unsurpassed enlightenment. Why? Because
. they will not know about the great direct way to
. enlightenment, but will travel perilous byways beset by
. numerous hindrances and trials.
.
. “World-Honored One, THIS SUTRA is beyond comprehension. We
. beg that the world-honored one, taking pity upon this great
. assembly, will broadly expound the profound and
. unfathomable matters contained in THIS SUTRA. World-Honored
. One, where does THIS SUTRA come from, where does it lead
. to, where does it abide, that it should possess such
. immeasurable benefits, such inconceivable powers, assuring
. to the multitude the quick attainment of supreme perfect
. enlightenment?”
.
. At that time the world-honored one said to the bodhisattva
. mahasattva Great Adornment: “Excellent, excellent, good
. men. It is just so, just so, just as you have spoken. Good
. men, THIS SUTRA I preach is profound, profound, truly
. profound! Why do I say so? Because it assures that the
. multitude will quickly attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
. Because once one hears it, one can uphold all the
. doctrines. Because for living beings it brings great profit
. and enrichment. Because practicing it, one travels a great
. direct way free of hindrances and trials.
.
. “Good men, you ask where THIS SUTRA comes from, where it
. leads, where it abides. Listen carefully and with
. attention. Good men, THIS SUTRA issues originally from the
. dwelling and abode of the buddhas. Its aim is to lead all
. living beings to conceive the desire for enlightenment. And
. it abides in the practices carried out by bodhisattvas.
. Good men, this is where THIS SUTRA comes from, where it
. leads, and where it abides. Therefore THIS SUTRA is able to
. possess such immeasurable benefits, such inconceivable
. powers, and to assure to the multitude the quick attainment
. of unsurpassed enlightenment.
.
. “Now, good men, would you like to hear about the ten
. inconceivable benefits and powers that THIS SUTRA possesses?”
.
. Bodhisattva Great Adornment said, “Please, we wish very
. much to hear!”
.
. The Buddha said: “Good men, the first is that THIS SUTRA
. can cause bodhisattvas who have not yet conceived the
. desire for enlightenment to conceive such a desire. It can
. cause those who are without compassion or benevolence to
. nurture compassionate minds. It can cause those who delight
. in killing and slaughter to nurture minds of great pity. It
. can cause those filled with envy and jealousy to nurture
. minds of joyful acceptance. It can cause those who are
. begrudging and attached to things to nurture minds capable
. of relinquishing. It can cause those who are close-fisted
. and greedy to nurture minds of almsgiving. It can cause
. those of abundant arrogance and pride to nurture minds that
. uphold the precepts. It can cause those much given to wrath
. and anger to nurture forbearing minds. It can cause those
. who are indolent and lazy to nurture minds of diligence. It
. can cause those who are scatterbrained and disordered to
. nurture minds devoted to meditation. It can cause those
. with much ignorance and folly to nurture minds of wisdom.
. It can cause those who are not yet capable of saving others
. to nurture minds set upon saving others. It can cause those
. who practice the ten evil acts to nurture minds devoted to
. the ten good acts. It can cause those who delight too much
. in the conditioned to strive for minds fixed on the
. unconditioned. It can cause those whose minds are given to
. regression to cultivate minds of non-regression. It can
. cause those given to outflows to nurture minds free of
. outflows. It can cause those with many earthly desires to
. nurture minds that cleanse and extinguish such desires.
.
. “Good men, this is called the first benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the second inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If living beings are able to hear THIS
. SUTRA, though they hear only one recitation, one verse, or
. just one line, they will be able to comprehend and master
. hundreds, thousands, millions of meanings, so many that
. although immeasurable numbers of kalpas should pass, they
. would never be able to finish expounding the teaching they
. have received and uphold. Why? Because the meanings of this
. teaching are immeasurable.
.
. “Good men, THIS SUTRA may be likened to a single seed from
. which grow hundreds, thousands, ten thousands of other
. seeds, and from each of these seeds in turn grow more seeds
. numbering in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, so
. that they keep on increasing in this way until they become
. immeasurable. THIS SUTRA is like this. From a single Law
. grow hundreds and thousands of meanings, and from each of
. those hundreds and thousands in turn grow more, numbering
. in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, so that they
. keep on increasing in this way until there are an
. immeasurable, boundless number of meanings. That is why
. THIS SUTRA is called Immeasurable Meanings.
.
. “Good men, this is called the second benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the third inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If living beings are able to hear THIS
. SUTRA, though they hear only one recitation, one verse, or
. just one line, and are thereby able to comprehend and
. master hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of
. meanings, then although they have earthly desires, it will
. be as though they were free of earthly desires, and they
. will go in and out of the realm of birth and death without
. thoughts of fear or dread. Toward living beings they will
. acquire minds of pity and tenderness, and they will
. confront all phenomena with brave and stalwart thoughts.
.
. “They will be like a young man of great strength who can
. lift and hold aloft various heavy objects. The person who
. upholds THIS SUTRA will in like manner be able to shoulder
. the weighty treasure of unsurpassed enlightenment and bear
. living beings on his back, carrying them out of the path of
. birth and death.
.
. “Even before he is capable of saving himself he will be
. capable of saving others. He will be like a ship’s captain
. whose body is afflicted with grave illness, whose four
. limbs fail to function properly, and who remains on this
. shore. But he has a sound and durable ship and can always
. explain to others the articles needed to get them over the
. water, so that by providing these he can insure their
. crossing. The person who upholds THIS SUTRA will be like
. this. Though he is afflicted with the body of one who
. dwells in the five realms, constantly beset by one hundred
. and eight illnesses, and though he remains on this shore,
. the shore of ignorance, aging, and death, yet he will
. possess this durable great vehicle sutra, Immeasurable
. Meanings, which explains how living beings can be saved and
. how, if one practices it as it directs, one can escape from
. birth and death.
.
. “Good men, this is called the third benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the fourth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If living beings are able to hear THIS
. SUTRA, though they hear only one recitation, one verse, or
. just one line, they will be filled with brave and stalwart
. thoughts. Though they have not yet saved themselves, they
. will be able to save others. They will become companions of
. the bodhisattvas, and the buddhas, the thus come ones, will
. at all times turn toward such persons when they expound the
. Law. And once these persons have heard it, they will be
. able to accept and uphold all of it, abide by it without
. violation, propagate it for the sake of others, and preach
. it widely in accordance with what is appropriate.
.
. “Good men, such persons will be like a prince newly born to
. the king of a country and his queen. When he is one day,
. two days, or seven days old; one month, two months, or
. seven months old; one year, two years, or seven years old,
. though he is not yet able to manage the affairs of state,
. already he is respected and looked up to by the ministers
. and the people. He is a companion to the sons of other
. great kings, and the king and queen love and dote on him
. and are forever talking of him. Why? Because he is still
. just a child.
.
. “Good men, the person who upholds THIS SUTRA will be like
. this. The buddhas, who are the king, and the sutra, which
. is the queen, join together in harmony to give birth to
. this bodhisattva son. If the bodhisattva is able to hear
. THIS SUTRA, whether it is one line or one verse, one
. repetition, two repetitions, ten, a hundred, a thousand,
. ten thousand, or immeasurable, countless repetitions equal
. to the sands of a million ten thousand Ganges Rivers,
. though he cannot fully grasp the extent of its truth, and
. though he cannot make the lands of the major world system
. quake and tremble or with brahma sounds like the roll of
. thunder turn the great wheel of the Law, already he will be
. revered and looked up to by all the four kinds of believers
. and eight kinds of guardians, and he will have the great
. bodhisattvas for his companions. He will enter deeply into
. the secret Law of the buddhas and will be able to expound
. it without error or omission. He will be constantly guarded
. and kept in mind by the buddhas, who will pity and love
. him, favor and shelter him, because he is new in these
. studies.
.
. “Good men, this is called the fourth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the fifth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If there are good men or good women
. who, while the Buddha is in the world or after he has
. passed into extinction, accept, uphold, read, recite, or
. copy this profound, unsurpassed great vehicle Immeasurable
. Meanings Sutra, then although such persons are still bound
. and encumbered by earthly desires, unable to remove
. themselves from the concerns of the ordinary individual,
. yet they will be able to manifest and show to others the
. way of the great bodhisattva. They will be able to expand a
. single day so that it covers a hundred kalpas, or compress
. a hundred kalpas into a single day, causing other living
. beings to rejoice and give wholehearted assent [to their
. words].
.
. “Good men, these good men and good women will be like
. little dragons who, only seven days after they are born,
. are already able to make clouds rise up and rain to fall.
.
. “Good men, this is called the fifth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the sixth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If good men or good women, while the
. Buddha is in the world or after he has passed into
. extinction, accept, uphold, read, or recite THIS SUTRA,
. then although they are still encumbered by earthly desires,
. they will be able to preach the Law for living beings and
. enable them to break away from earthly desires, from the
. realm of birth and death, and to cut off all suffering.
. Once living beings have heard them, they will carry out
. religious practice, gaining the doctrines, gaining various
. stages, and gaining the ways, just the same as if they had
. been taught by the Buddha, the thus come one.
.
. “Suppose, for example, there is a prince who, although
. still just a boy, is entrusted with the management of
. affairs of state because the king is abroad on a journey or
. has been seized by illness. If at that time the prince
. follows the king’s orders and abides by the law in issuing
. directives to the various clerks and government officials,
. guiding the flow of affairs in a proper manner, then each
. of the people of the state will comply with the spirit of
. his instructions, and the order that prevails will be like
. that when the king himself is in charge.
.
. “The good men and good women who uphold THIS SUTRA will be
. the same as this. Whether the Buddha is in the world or has
. passed into extinction, if these good men, though they have
. not yet been able to reach the stage of immobility, follow
. the Buddha’s methods of preaching and giving instruction
. when they expound the Law, then once living beings have
. heard them and single-mindedly applied themselves to
. practice, they will be able to cut off earthly desires,
. gain the doctrines, gain various stages, and gain the ways.
.
. “Good men, this is called the sixth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the seventh inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If good men or good women, while the
. Buddha is in the world or after he has passed into
. extinction, are able to hear THIS SUTRA and rejoice and put
. faith and hope in it, greeting it as something rare; if
. they accept, uphold, read, recite, copy, explain, preach,
. and practice it as it directs, conceiving a desire for
. enlightenment, cultivating good roots, nurturing minds of
. great compassion, and desiring to save all living beings
. from their sufferings, then although they have not yet been
. able to practice the six paramitas, the six paramitas will
. of themselves appear before them. In their present bodies
. they will be able to gain the truth of birthlessness, their
. earthly desires and their sufferings of birth and death
. will in one moment be cast off and destroyed, and they will
. ascend to the seventh stage of the bodhisattva.
.
. “Suppose, for example, there is a stalwart hero who wipes
. out the king’s enemies. Once these enemies have been
. destroyed, the king rejoices greatly and takes half of his
. kingdom and presents it all to the hero as a fief. The good
. men and good women who uphold THIS SUTRA will be similar to
. this. They will be the bravest and most heroic of all
. practitioners. And though they do not seek for them, the
. six paramitas, those treasures of the Law, will come to
. them naturally. Their enemies, birth and death, will of
. themselves be scattered and destroyed, and they will be
. enlightened to the truth of birthlessness, which is like
. receiving half the buddha land in fief and its treasures as
. a gift to enjoy in tranquillity.
.
. “Good men, this is called the seventh benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the eighth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If there are good men or good women
. who, while the Buddha is in the world or after he has
. passed into extinction, are able to obtain THIS SUTRA, they
. will revere and put faith in it as though they were gazing
. upon the Buddha’s body, and will not let themselves treat
. it any differently. They will love and delight in THIS
. SUTRA, accept, uphold, read, recite, copy, and do obeisance
. to it, putting it into practice as the Law directs,
. strictly observing the precepts, firmly persevering,
. carrying out the paramita of almsgiving, cultivating
. profound pity and compassion, and preaching this
. unsurpassed great vehicle Immeasurable Meanings Sutra far
. and wide for the sake of others.
.
. “If there are persons who have never believed in the
. existence of sinfulness or blessing, then they will show
. them THIS SUTRA and, employing various kinds of expedient
. means, will convert them and prevail upon them to believe.
. Through the authority and power of the sutra, such persons
. will be able to develop minds of faith, abruptly changing
. their direction. And once having developed minds of faith,
. because they proceed with courage and diligence, they will
. be able to acquire the dignity, virtue, authority, and
. power of THIS SUTRA, to gain the ways, and to gain various
. stages.
.
. “Therefore these good men and women, because of the
. benefits they gain through being converted, will in their
. present forms as men and women be able to gain the truth of
. birthlessness, to gain the upper level, and to become
. companions of the bodhisattvas. Quickly they will be able
. to lead living beings to success, to purify the buddha
. land, and before long to gain unsurpassed enlightenment.
.
. “Good men, this is called the eighth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the ninth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: If there are good men or good women
. who, while the Buddha is in the world or after he has
. passed into extinction, are able to obtain THIS SUTRA, who
. leap with joy on having gained what they never had before,
. who accept, uphold, read, recite, copy, and offer alms to
. it and for the sake of the multitude, observing
. distinctions, expound and preach the message of THIS SUTRA
. far and wide, then in one instant they will be able to wipe
. out the lingering guilt and heavy obstacle of their deeds
. in former existences and to attain a state of purity.
. Thereafter they will acquire great eloquence, step by step
. adorn themselves with the paramitas, acquire various
. samadhis including the shuramgama samadhi, enter the great
. gate of the dharani teachings, gain the power of diligent
. effort, and quickly attain the highest levels. They will be
. skilled at dividing their bodies and producing emanations
. of themselves, dispatching them to the lands in the ten
. directions to rescue and save all living beings in the
. twenty-five realms of existence from their dire sufferings,
. enabling them all to gain emancipation. This is because the
. sutra possesses this power.
.
. “Good men, this is called the ninth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, the tenth inconceivable benefit and power of
. THIS SUTRA is this: Suppose there are good men or good
. women who, while the Buddha is in the world or after he has
. passed into extinction, are able to obtain THIS SUTRA, and
. are filled with great joy, greeting it as something rare.
. After they themselves have accepted, upheld, read, recited,
. copied, offered alms, and put it into practice as it
. directs, they will also be able far and wide to encourage
. those in household life and those who have left such life
. to accept, uphold, read, recite, copy, offer alms, explain,
. and preach the sutra and practice it as the Law directs.
. Because they have the power to cause others to practice
. THIS SUTRA, others will gain the ways and gain various
. stages. All this will come from the fact that these good
. men and good women are moved to compassion and have the
. power to convert others diligently. As a result, these good
. men and good women in their present bodies will be able to
. gain immeasurable dharani teachings.
.
. “While they are still at the stage of ordinary persons,
. while they are just beginning, they will find themselves
. naturally capable of committing themselves to countless
. asamkhyas of broad resolutions and great vows,
. demonstrating profound determination to save all living
. beings, exercising great compassion, rescuing multitudes
. far and wide from their sufferings, gathering to themselves
. a mass of good roots, and bringing enrichment and benefit
. to all. They will expound the moisture of the Law, pouring
. it everywhere to water the dry and barren places. They will
. show themselves able to dispense the medicine of the Law to
. living beings, bringing peace and happiness to all.
. Gradually they will come forth and ascend until they reside
. at the stage of the clouds of the Law. The moisture of
. their favor will water all places; nothing will be outside
. their compassion. They will encompass all living beings who
. suffer, causing them to enter upon the buddha path. And
. because of all this, these people will before long gain
. supreme perfect enlightenment.
.
. “Good men, this is called the tenth benefit and
. inconceivable power of THIS SUTRA.
.
. “Good men, this unsurpassed great vehicle Immeasurable
. Meanings Sutra fully possesses great and marvelous
. supernatural powers such as these. It is worthy of
. unsurpassed veneration, for it can enable ordinary persons
. all to attain the stage of sage; leaving forever the realm
. of birth and death, they will all gain freedom. Therefore
. THIS SUTRA is called Immeasurable Meanings. It can cause
. all living beings who are still at the level of ordinary
. persons to put forth immeasurable shoots that will grow
. into the way of the bodhisattva, to plant trees of benefits
. that will flourish, put out branches, and spread. Therefore
. THIS SUTRA is dubbed the possessor of inconceivable
. benefits and power.”
.
. At that time the bodhisattva mahasattva Great Adornment and
. the others of the eighty thousand bodhisattvas mahasattva,
. speaking in a single voice addressed the Buddha, saying:
. “World-Honored One, as the Buddha has preached, this
. profound, subtle, wonderful, unsurpassed great vehicle
. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is true and correct in word and
. principle, worthy of unsurpassed veneration. It is guarded
. and protected by all the buddhas of the three existences.
. There is no devil host, no congregation of non-Buddhist
. believers who can invade it, nor can it be destroyed by any
. erroneous views or accidents of birth and death.
.
. “Thus it is that THIS SUTRA possesses ten benefits and
. inconceivable powers such as have been described. It brings
. great enrichment and benefit to all living beings
. immeasurable in number. It causes all bodhisattvas
. mahasattva each one to gain the samadhi of immeasurable
. meanings. Or perhaps they will gain hundreds and thousands
. of dharani teachings, or they will be able to gain the
. various levels and various types of cognition of the
. bodhisattva, or they will gain the four-way and four-stage
. enlightenment of the cause-awakened one and the arhat. The
. world-honored one in his compassion and mercy has been
. pleased to preach the Law for us in this way, enabling us
. to gain the great profits of the Law. This is most
. wonderful, something never known before. The compassion and
. favor of the world-honored one is indeed difficult to repay!”
.
. When they had finished speaking these words, the major
. world system quaked and trembled in six different ways.
. From the sky there rained down various kinds of heavenly
. flowers, heavenly utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda
. flowers, pundarika flowers. There also rained down
. countless varieties of heavenly incense, heavenly robes,
. heavenly necklaces, and priceless heavenly jewels that came
. tumbling and turning through the air and descended as
. offerings to the Buddha and the great assembly of
. bodhisattvas and voice-hearers. Heavenly vessels from
. heavenly kitchens were heaped and overflowing with a
. hundred heavenly flavors; merely observing their forms and
. smelling their aromas was enough to make one feel
. satisfied. Heavenly streamers, heavenly banners, heavenly
. canopies, and wonderful heavenly playthings were ranged
. here and there, heavenly musical instruments played, and
. songs were sung to praise the Buddha.
.
. Then in the eastern region the buddha worlds numerous as
. Ganges sands also quaked and trembled in six different
. ways, raining down heavenly flowers, heavenly incense,
. heavenly robes, heavenly necklaces, priceless heavenly
. jewels, heavenly vessels from heavenly kitchens with a
. hundred heavenly flavors, so that observing their forms and
. smelling their aromas was enough to make one feel
. satisfied. Heavenly streamers, heavenly banners, heavenly
. canopies, and wonderful heavenly playthings were ranged
. here and there, heavenly musical instruments played, and
. songs were sung in praise of the buddhas and the great
. assemblies of bodhisattvas and voice-hearers there, and the
. same occurred in the southern, western, and northern
. regions, in the four intermediate directions, and in the
. upper and lower regions.
.
. At that time the Buddha addressed the bodhisattva
. mahasattva Great Adornment and the others of the eighty
. thousand bodhisattvas mahasattva, saying: “You should
. approach THIS SUTRA with profound feelings of respect,
. practice it as the Law directs, convert all beings far and
. wide, and propagate it with a diligent mind. At all times
. be industrious in its cause, guard it day and night, and
. enable living beings, each one of them, to enjoy the
. profits of the Law. You will then in truth be showing great
. compassion and great pity. Use the transcendental power of
. your vows to guard and protect THIS SUTRA, and do not let
. it be impeded by doubt. In the time given you, you must
. without fail cause it to spread throughout Jambudvipa,
. making certain that all living beings are able to see and
. hear it, to read, recite, copy, and offer alms to it. Then
. as a result you yourselves will be able quickly to gain
. supreme perfect enlightenment.”
.
. At that time the bodhisattva mahasattva Great Adornment and
. the others of the eighty thousand bodhisattvas mahasattva
. rose from their seats and proceeded to where the Buddha
. was. They bowed their heads to the ground in obeisance
. before the Buddha’s feet and circled around him a hundred
. thousand times. Then they advanced, knelt on one knee, and
. all blending their voices in unison, spoke to the Buddha,
. saying: “World-Honored One, we have been fortunate enough
. to receive the compassion and mercy of the world-honored
. one, who for our sake has preached this profound, subtle,
. wonderful, unsurpassed great vehicle Immeasurable Meanings
. Sutra. Respectfully we accept the Buddha’s charge. After
. the thus come one has passed into extinction, we will
. propagate THIS SUTRA far and wide, causing all beings
. everywhere to accept, uphold, read, recite, copy, and offer
. alms to it. We beg you to have no concern or fret on that
. account. We will employ the power of our vows to enable all
. living beings everywhere to see, hear, read, recite, copy,
. and offer alms to THIS SUTRA, and to gain the sutra’s
. marvelous supernatural blessings.”

In spite of the fact that I think you are wrong, I do not means this as criticism of you, Iain, remembering the immortal words of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging:

“I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood.”

I don't know what this has to do with a change in doctrine in the SGI, but I'm sure you will explain that.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 27, 2015 8:21 AM

Oh, and happy holiday! I hope you and yours are doing well.

-Chas.

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 28, 2015 4:21 AM
[3 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

Thanks Chas and likewise. My holiday has been filled with good people and good vibes. Truely I am blessed in this regard as I hope you are also. But the world is still a difficult place and many are not so fortunate, my enjoyment is tempered by this fact.

The change in doctrine should be obvious from the thread. I presented a like for like, side by side comparison of Mr Ikeda's lectures on the same gosho, one in 1979 the other in 2009 to support my assertion that Gohonzon had been de-emphasised and replaced by an emphasis on the mentor-disciple relationship. I did thus because you disputed my assertion. You did not address my comparison directly but made the statement to the effect that the change can be explained by learning since the SGI split with the priesthood (and so presumably legitimate). This is the change in doctrine. To stop emphasising Gohonzon and trying to develop correct faith in it as a means to enlightenment and instead emphasise the mentor-disciple relationship and develop a correct relationship with the mentor as a means to enlightenment is a fundamental change of doctrine. Such a change is not legitimate in terms of Nichiren's teaching nor in terms of SGI teaching of that earlier period. It cannot be explained away by claiming it is learning acquisition since the priesthood split. It is just wrong in terms of the two criteria I set out above.

___________________________________________________________

Chas. Dec 28, 2015 7:19 AM

On Monday, December 28, 2015 at 4:21:24 AM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Thanks Chas and likewise. [Snip]
>
> The change in doctrine should be obvious [Snip]

You are inserting another topic again, instead of dealing with my refutation of your claim that the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is provisional: it is not and you are wrong about that.

The Lotus Sutra is the highest teaching, both complete and final.

The accompanying sutras are concurrent with the Lotus Sutra, and the Nirvana Sutra is after the Lotus Sutra. None of those are provisional and therefore candidates for discarding.

Before means "preceding the beginning of" and not "concurrent with".

"I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood." - Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 28, 2015 9:07 AM
[3 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]

I answered the point on provisional/true in the other thread and I did not 'change' topic. Read your own posts Chas, you asked about the change of doctrine, so I answered that.

You are conflating provisional with discarding. Again you make the same error. The two are not synonymous but I can see why you might do that. Again, this comes down to mixing frames.

With regard to before and after versus concurrent, it simply isn't relevant. Even if Immeasurable Meanings were preached at the same time as the great Law is expounded, it makes no difference. The key point is that it is a separate entity and in being so, it does not teach or reveal the great Law. That is why it is inferior, the timing of its preaching or whether or not it is referred in the Sutra, is if no consequence.

In so many of these exchanges, you argue like a dog refusing to let go of its bone, only to have it finally prised from your jaws with incontrovertible evidence, then you run off to the next bone to pick. When questioned on the non response to the proof, you disemble, play dumb or attempt to distract.

It's not hard Chas, just read the Gosho and chant sincerely about it. Quoting isn't the same as studying. What I can't understand is that people of my generation of SGI were taught to do that and that remained so until about mid 2000's, so how comes you weren't?

___________________________________________________________

iainx...@gmail.com Dec 28, 2015 10:59 AM
[3 days until Iain's secret departure from the SGI.]
[And here is where Iain makes a final connection to the Mentor before departing the SGI.]

Against my better judgment, I'll throw you a bone Chas, this is probably a good place to start in the Gosho to understand the relative merits of each Sutra and the collection of Immeasurable Meanings, Lotus & Nirvana sutras.

In the first paragraph of the quote below, Nichiren makes the distinction between the three Sutras mentioned above and all other sutras.

In the second paragraph, he makes distinctions between these three sutras. Note that Nichiren is treating each sutra as a distinct entity. Note also that he reserves the highest place for the Lotus Sutra and note his reasons for doing so. So yes, Immeasurable Meanings is Ghee but no, it is not the Lotus Sutra, it is inferior to the latter and so provisional in terms of the latter. Should it be discarded? No but then again it is not necessary for the aims of the Lotus Sutra to be achieved. The Gosho quote below should also help you understand this point.

Put another way, if you were escaping a burning building and you could take one of these three Sutras with you but only one because you could not carry more than one, which would you take with you? There is only one right answer in terms of Nichiren's teachings. More importantly, why would you make that choice, because Nichiren told you too? Or because of the reason Miao-Lo gives below?


King Rinda

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/136#para-4


"[Among all the Buddhist teachings] the Āgama sutras may be compared to the flavor of milk; the Meditation and the other sutras of the Correct and Equal period may be compared to the flavor of cream; the Wisdom sutras may be compared to the flavor of curdled milk; the Flower Garland Sutra may be compared to the flavor of butter; and the Immeasurable Meanings, Lotus, and Nirvana sutras may be compared to the flavor of ghee.

Again, if the Nirvana Sutra is compared to the flavor of ghee, then the Lotus Sutra may be compared to a lord who rules over the five flavors. Thus the Great Teacher Miao-lo stated: “If we discuss the matter from the point of view of the doctrines taught, then the Lotus Sutra stands as the true lord of all the teachings, since it alone preaches ‘opening the provisional and revealing the distant.’ This is the reason that it alone is permitted the word myō, or ‘wonderful’ [in its title].”1 He also said, “Therefore, we understand that the Lotus Sutra is the true lord of the ghee.”

___________________________________________________________

Finally, Iain admits his error, without really understanding the extent of it.

He has doggedly clung to labelling the introductory Immeasurable Means sutra of the Lotus Sutra as provisional, which implies that one of the foundations of the Lotus Sutra is discardable, even arguing that you could leave it to burn.

So many things in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, which is concurrently preached inside the Lotus Sutra, are only preached in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, that it is difficult to even imagine what Iain considers.

One can summarize the extent of the damage done, by imagining having a tooth knocked out and continuing to smile with a gap-toothed grin. It is the hole, the missing tooth that everyone expects to see that is noticed, and not the smile.

What would happen in Chapter one of the Lotus Sutra when the Buddha starts to preach the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra and then stands there speechless for the good part of an hour? I wouldn't like to consider it.

However, even after admitting his mistake: "I'll throw you a bone Chas", Iain persists in this infamy as he leaves the SGI to start his brand new Iain Buddhism, collecting his brand new Iain Sangha, with himself as brand neww Iain Sensei, closely studying the accreted phrases of his brand new Hurvitz translation of the Lotus Sutra. All brand new!

-Chas.

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 10:46, Chas. wrote:
> So, you make the case that I am an SGI troll, and that Julian is one as well?
>
> Frankly a more rational person would perceive the truth.
>
> I defend the SGI and attack its attackers and those who slander the Law (one in the same, of course: the three treasures.)
>
> Julian, on the other hand simply detests puffed up blowhards.

True.

> I somehow escape this, probably because I know I am an unworthy lacking in excellence, but endeavoring in spite of that.

You don't lack gratitude for the people who turned you on to the Lotus.

> You, Mark and Katie have apparently triggered Julian's blowhard detector, like, big time!

Even if I were comatose on Mogadon and Smack.

I've still got things to do this year so I'll snip the rest. :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Thanks Chas. The salient point is that I was following the statements Nichiren made about the different parts of the Sutra in relation to one another.

From this relative stand point, the introduction to the Sutra is not yet the revelation of the truth. Nichiren is very clear on this point. I refer you back to the Gosho.

You are setting up a straw man argument then attacking that, rather than the point I was actually making.

But to the substantive point, any external representation could be looked upon as a limitation of the ultimate reality and the unfathomable truth, including a script mandala.

The object of worship is the Law itself as stated by Nichiren and defined by him as Namu Myoho Renge-kyo. By definition, this is indeed ineffable and unfathomable, it cannot be understood by our everyday minds but it can be grasped by faith.

"The wisdom of all buddhas can only be understood between a buddha and a buddha"

"Entry is through faith alone"

In terms of the mandala, it should be remembered that Nichiren did not confer these in every believer.

Nichiren only conferred these on believers who he deemed to have strong faith.

Nichiren declined to confer them on believers he deemed to have weak, erratic or unstable faith.

Faith was the determinant in whether one was granted a mandala.

However, nowhere does Nichiren ever say that enlightenment is only assured for those believers he has bestowed a mandala on.

Faith is the determinant of whether one will gain enlightenment. This is consistent with the sutra itself.

Chas, your arguments about Gohonzon are surprising because you yourself do not believe that enlightenment is through faith alone.

As you have stated, you believe that buddhahood is attained through the way of mentor-disciple. This current SGI teaching and "entry is through faith alone" are mutally exclusive. It is either one or the other.

The Sutra teaches that if you take faith and uphold even one phrase of the Sutra, enghtenment is assured. Nichiren defined the Daimoku, Namu Myoho Renge-kyo as being both the essence and the entirety of the Sutra. He taught faith and encouraged believers to deepen and strengthen their faith.

Nichiren defined Shakyamuni as the only teacher to be relied upon, therefore the words of the scripture itself.

I have quoted Nichiren's words, quoting the Nirvana sutra, rely on the Law, not persons... many times to you.

If faith alone is sufficient then there is no need for any modern day mentor. The words of the Sutra, The Buddha and Nichiren's encouragement are sufficient.

If the way of mentor-disciple is sufficient (with is not my view but yours) then there is no need for faith or the Gohonzon.

You may be tempted to suggest that the way of mentor-disciple somehow contains faith and Gohonzon. Not according to Nichiren or the Sutra. "Entry is through faith alone". It is worth emphasising "alone", that is "not in conjunction with" but "alone". Faith alone.

Other people can't build faith in us, we can only do that ourselves. They can encourage us for sure but there's a whole body of Nichiren's writings that contain all the encouragement one might need. And there is the Sutra itself which is unflaggingly encouraging. What else is needed?

Nichiren's writings have the advantage of being doctrinally sound, particularly so because Nichiren takes the Sutra itself as his basis.

If one wants to ensure purity and accuracy, go directly to the source, The Sutra and Nichiren. Most importantly though, cultivate faith, rely on the Law and chant Namu Myoho Renge-kyo with the mind of faith. Just like Nichiren taught believers to do.

It's noteworthy to mention, the Nichiren himself did not take his teacher status for granted nor urge blind adherance. Instead he asks them whether deserved to be regarded as a "correct teacher" and always defers to The Buddha and The Sutra as the final and ultimate authority.

People or organisations that try to impose themselves or their interpretations between us and our enlightened life, that seek to usurp the authority of The Sutra or The Buddha do not practice nor teach Nichiren Buddhism.

If anyone is in doubt on this point I refer them to On Repaying Debts of Gratitude and to search the Nichiren library on the phrase "rely on the Law".

Chas, if you want to embrace the ever changing SGI philosophies and teachings of Daisaku Ikeda, that is up to you.

For the rest of us who do as Nichiren taught, spend time reading the Sutra directly, reading Nichiren's writings directly, cultivating and practicing our faith, we will continue to spread that faith and teaching.

We will continue to direct to direct readings of Sutra and Gosho, urge others to take faith and chant Namu Myoho Renge-kyo, to rely on and follow the Law.

You wish to spread SGI Religion, faith in Daisaku Ikeda, the SGI organisation and the lineage of the SGI "Three President's" concept. That is your right.

You wish to use the artifacts and terminology of Nichiren Buddhism and religion more generally, to legitimise that SGI Religion - faith, daimoku, Gohonzon, the Lotus Sutra "kosen rufu" etc. We cannot stop you from doing that, just like we cannot stop you ir SGI from claiming it has grown when, on it's own figures, it has shrunk by almost half since 1988.

All we can do is patiently point out yours and SGI's use of these artifacts to try justify and legitimise itself. And state and restate that Nichiren Buddhism is a completely seperate and distict teaching from SGI Religion and that Nichiren Buddhism is simple, empowering, life enhancing and highly effective.

All we can do is encourage people to read and study the Sutra and Nichiren's writings directly, to chant Daimoku Namu Myoho Renge-kyo, to follow the Law and to take as their ultimate authority the words of the Buddha as Nichiren taught us to do.

In so doing, we put clear blue water between us and Nichiren Buddhism and the chaotic teachings of the declining SGI.

We know that as soon as people start reading the Sutra and Nichiren's writings directly and as soon as they clear away the unnecessary weeds and clutter of organisational promotional "guidance" and instead focus solely on their faith in the Sutra itself, they will return to the Gohonzon.

We know that as soon as they put the notion that "entry is through faith alone" centre, embracing and upholding that one phrase, their Daimoku will become supremely effective, their minds will become straight, clear and calm, their bodies at ease. They will then be practicing Nichiren Buddhism as Nichiren taught and they will spread this teaching quite naturally.

You are right to be insecure in your faith in the SGI Religion and insecure about it's onward spread. It has already lost so many of its members, either because they left or because it chucked them out for asking to many legitimate questions.

Many of those who left continued their faith and corrected the errors they'd picked up from poor teaching. They did so by going back to The Sutra, going back to Nichiren and by following the Law. There is a remarkable consensus between all of these people, who in many cases took their journeys alone post SGI about Nichiren's teaching. They may have taken different routes but they ended up in the same place, "entry is through faith alone".

More will leave the SGI as they are doing or be ejected as they are being. Those who continue to seek the Sutra, will find exactly the same thing.

You are right to be insecure about SGI, about it's fragility and worried about it's continued survival. I can understand you want to attack Nichiren Buddhism and it's adherants. SGI is declining and will continue to. Between SGI's religion and Nichiren Buddhism as Nichiren taught it, there simply is no contest. Nichiren Buddhism is the competition to the SGI's "mentor" religion.

Nichiren Buddhism is superior to the SGI's mentor religion, it's Daisaku cult, in every respect.
It is superior in its simplicity.
Superior in its accesibility.
Superior in its flexibility.
Superior its consistent delivery of results
And superior in its ability to spread itself correctly and naturally without the aid of any organisation or mentor.

It is superior practice. SGI mentor-disciple teaching doesn't even make it to inferior practice. It's not worthy of attention.

Truely Nichiren's teaching is the religion of the 21st, 22nd, 23rd centuries and far beyond. It did very well for 700 years before SGI arrived and it will be here and flourishing well after the SGI and its leaders are long forgotten.

As for the SGI's "mentor" religion I'd be very surprised if it makes it to of the latter part of this century let one to the end of it.

When you get fed up of being angry and insecure, get tired of lied to, decieved, used, abused. Or if you get chucked out for asking the wrong question or not having enough faith in Daisaku - Nichiren Buddhism is here. "Entry is through faith alone" it will heal your mind, and heal your life. The Sutra is good medicine.

Be well :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

The lengths that both you and Julian are now going to to justify yourselves and support each other is perhaps the clearest sign that your credibility has been damaged beyind repair.

In Julian's case, he once held the position that he would "laugh in your face" if someone made a false assertion. So his justifications are particularly surprising.

Julian is big on short prose and cutting ine liners, until one hits home, then the multible posts and longer justifications come out. Iycs a dead give away, readers can check for themselves.

As for you Chas, they can check the forum for multiple duplicate and identical posts on the same topics. Even when there is no other activity in the forum.

What is the purpose if this? Why would a genuine poster need to repeat and repeat the same topic threads?

Why would they need to swamp a forum in such a way, when nobody is reponding to those threads?

Why would you need to do this over a 20 year period Chas?

This, I suggest is not normal individual posting behaviour, nor can it be attributed to a fanatical individual.

It is calculated. It has the effect of burying legitimate discussion threads, skewing search results and diluting dissenting opinions and promoting, what after all is an SGI line.

It creates SGI haystacks around the dissenting needles of dissenting opion.

As for Julian, he has been complicitly quiet whilst all this has gone on. He's a smart guy,he even told us about the effect on search in one unguarded moment. For whatever reason, your blowhard doesn't trigger Jules. You feed him the lines, he assents, the favour is returned.

That's what I point out Chas. And it's compelling because neither of you has come up with an adequate or pkausibke reason for that behaviour, nor your similar length of time in this forum, nor your continual monitoring of it.

Look at Jules comment and messaging above:

"You don't lack gratitude for the people who turned you on to the Lotus."

In another post put it another way in his supposed onward journey from SGI "I took what they had to offer and went gratefully on my way"

Notice the subtle emphasis on gratitude.

The implication is the same in both your posts. Namely that critiscism of SGI is attacking it and is being ungrateful. Julian is reinforcing that point from the supposed independent non sectarian stance. Something he has recently been keen to to us.

That directly benefits the SGI, the message is, "leave if you must but don't be ungrateful - stay quiet".

Of course, that's nonesense in Nichiren Buddhism, it's precisely that Nichirem didn't stay quiet that we have his teaching. The supposedly erudite Julian should know that, Nichiren writes repeatedly on this point and he wrote a whole Gosho refuting the points Julian is making "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude"

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/88

Readers can search the forum,they can look at Jules posts and yours Chas, they can not the interaction between you and the willingness to attack others, critical if the SGI but not each other. They can note your carful monitoring of the forum and can decide for themsekves whether thatcs accident, coirdinated or corporate.

My veiw is clear, it's corporate and carefully coordinated. I arrive at that veiw because over a 20 year period, with individual believers, swamping a forum with dupicate posts by one, is unlikely to be the wirk if a genuine poster. And constant monitoring of a forum so swamped, without comment, by the other, is unlikely to be behaviour of a genuine participant.

It is more likely in my veiw, that most people, with better things to do, would lose interest and move on after quite a short time, let alone 20 years.

Let me remind you both, this forum had very little activity in it prior to a year ago. I had to search through years of Chas's duplicate posts to find threads with discussion in them to put into an index.

For me, your stories are not credible.

Julian's latest line is "leave if you must but don't speak out". Very SGI friendly not very friendly to Nichirencs teaching though.

He also does a nice line in characterising all SGI critical voices as fanatics, or deranged, or unenlightened etc. something he excepts Chas from.

Coming from a supposed non sectarian, disinterested and supposedly independent voice, that veiw might carry more weight. Which is probably the point.

Chad according to Jules, has real faith because he has spammed a forum with identical duplicate postings. Another SGI friendly line. Real faith? Or simply a buddy or co-worker helping the other one out? You decide.

Be well :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 14:41, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> "On 11/09/2016 10:46, Chas. wrote:
>> So, you make the case that I am an SGI troll, and that Julian is one as well?
>>
>> Frankly a more rational person would perceive the truth.
>>
>> I defend the SGI and attack its attackers and those who slander the Law (one in the same, of course: the three treasures.)
>>
>> Julian, on the other hand simply detests puffed up blowhards.
>
> True.
>
>> I somehow escape this, probably because I know I am an unworthy lacking in excellence, but endeavoring in spite of that.
>
> You don't lack gratitude for the people who turned you on to the Lotus.
>
>> You, Mark and Katie have apparently triggered Julian's blowhard detector, like, big time!
>
> Even if I were comatose on Mogadon and Smack.
>
> I've still got things to do this year so I'll snip the rest. :)"
>
> The lengths that both you and Julian are now going to to justify yourselves

There speaks a hypocrite famous spamming ARBN with posts
utterly lacking in brevity and coherent content.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"There speaks a hypocrite famous spamming ARBN with posts
utterly lacking in brevity and coherent content."

1) you will find no duplicate threads in my posting Jules.



2) it is true that I have sometimes used the same post to answer points in more than one thread, which the first instamce of which was when you and Chascs attempted pincer movement alleged setting up of a sangha/creating my oen Buddhism.

I knew then that you guys were joined by a common pivot, SGI.

Since I am not a corporation but an induvidual, I have limited time so have used this tactic to counter Chascs relentless misinformation.

It is also useful for stopping Chas from thread hopping, having the sane converstation across threads.


3) I have been posting for about 1 year.
4) Readers will see the majority of my posts are unique, not dublicated.


5) I may deal with the same themes but usually they are unique threads and often new information.

Readers can decide whether that amounys ti spamming, many seem to have made up their minds it does not and have followed up with their own reasearch.

Again the attack is predicatble "lacking in brevity and coherent content" and again it is rebuffed by other contributors. SGI would love to try and blunt the voices of Mark, Katie and I. You are merely a (poor) vehicle for doing that. But the speed of your response is telling.

You had better things to do earlier Jules, apparently. You work from a laptop, so you have said, not a mobile device like a phone or tablet.

Readers can check your pattern of activity Jules. So what's someone with better things to do, doing monitoring a forum "just in case" and responding so quickly for?

Are you honestly telling me that you're willing to clutter up your inbox with ARBN messages, just in case? And that you scan through them for mention of your name, just in case? Or if you've got ARBN open in your desktop via another interface, you always have it open, just in case? Really? For 20 years? And in a firum that was largely silent and swamped with duplicate posts for years? Really? Just in case?

It's not credible Jules.

Here's what I think, it's more likely that the desperation and theme increasing need for you to explain and justify each other, is because you are in danger of losing your contract.

My guess but it is only a guess is that your not directly employed but are contracted to monitor and manage this and other forums.

Why do I think this? You are far to IT savvy and in unguarded moments will give detailled info about search, urls, search rankings, the servers that ARBN posts sit on etc. It's the sort of language and knowledge I'd expect from a dev or webops.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Apologies, I hit post by accident.

So Jules, you may be into buddhism or have a passing knowledge of it but for me your voice is not independent, nor is it distant from SGI. And your doubke act with Chas, which Akex thinjs is simply also you, is consistent and striking.

If I'm right, and if you lose control of this forum, as you guys have already begun to do, that potentially pulls the plug on your contract.

Of course I could be wrong but 20 years of monitoring just in case? Really? For someone who presents a persona of having "taken what you they had to offer and gratefully gone on your way" you sure di seem to have formed a atrong attachment to ARBN, a spammed, largely dead before this year, forum. You seem to have great trouble moving on from it and taking what it had to offer and going gratefully on your way. Now why would that be Jules?

As the type of carefree, accomplished, spiritual seeker you paint yourself at, it doesn't ring true. 20 years, just in case - lool. Readers can decide. I've made up my mind and it will syay made up until I see some convincing evidence to the contrary.

And no Jules, doing some lazy foot work to make a show of having an almost rrasinabke discussion when the heat is on and your back is against the wall doesn't count.

It's just as unconvincing, when set against 20 years of cutting one liners and a point blank refusal to state what you beive, why you believe it and how you got there.

You see others have a blowhatd detector too. The difference, ours is more reliable and it's evidence based.

Have a good day - I hope the sun doesn't create too much glare on your laptop screen, whilst the busy family man that you are, watches you wife and kids do their stuff on this glorious day.

Be well :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 15:53, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> "There speaks a hypocrite famous spamming ARBN with posts
> utterly lacking in brevity and coherent content."
>
> 1) you will find no duplicate threads in my posting Jules.

I might not find such because my 21st century software, Thundebird,
with its relatively sophisticated and powerful customisable filters,
that prioritise posts of concern to me and mark everything else read
and thus hidden before informing me of ARBN activity, compared to your
20th century commercialised internet for dummies WWW, protect my finer
sensibilities from most of your garbled blather.

snip. The lengths that you are now going to to justify yourself. :p

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 16:14, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Apologies, I hit post by accident.
>
> So Jules, you may be into buddhism or have a passing knowledge of it but for me your voice is not independent, nor is it distant from SGI.

Your relationship with SGI is far more entrenched than mine
but it just happens to be a "poison drum relationship" rather
than mine which is simply gratitude to NSUK and all who sailed
in it.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Jules - you don't have to read my posts, you never have yet your supposed self mastery and control goes out the window with me in particular.

You complain about some of my posts length and feel the need to comment,yet you read them anyway. Why?

You complain about their supposed incoherence and make a loint of saying that. Yet you read them anyway. Why?

Are you trying to save me? To give me the benefit of your self claimed enlightenment?

That's what you need to explain and justify if you want to be taken seriiusly.

Why would someone like you be in herefir 20 years, dishing out the sane to anyone who dares criticise the SGI?

And why would a man who claims to be so unattached be so attached to a forum for 20 years?

More to the point, square your position on gratitude with Nichiren's teaching on the sane as set out in On Attaoning Debts of Gratitude.

You're either a Nichiren Buddhist or you are not. By definition, that means following his teaching and if you have interpreted it in a certain manner, explaining your reasoning.

You're very fond of putting others down if they quote Gosho, dismissing it as an alleal to authority. Yet Nichiren himself make quite clear that The Buddha is the authority and justifies himself and his teaching based on that authority. As Mark puts it, that Nichiren was a scriptural Buddhist.

You now need to square your position with Nichiren's, which he also sets out ckearly in On Repaying Debts of Gratitude, that is if you want to be taken seriously.

If you don't want to be, fine. We all know where we stand then don't we.

Like Chas, you seem to have a fondness for ambiguity.

I don't think for one moment that you'll respond and give a clear and unambigous statement of your position, nor how you have derived it, nor how you have interpreted On Repaying Debts of Gratitude to arrive at a sound doctrinal stance. Surprise me.

If you don't, well that's just another difference between you and Nichiren, he was used to doing just that and if he was here right now and I asked him to do the same, I have no doubt he would have done just that.

But then I suspect that's the difference between the "faux enlightened", as you like to put it and the truely enlightened, for Nichiren people were important, all people.

Your own vitriolic posting gives comment on your state of awareness Jules. Your words, not mine. :)


Be well :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 16:50, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Jules - you don't have to read my posts

True.

I was brought up to believe it is rude to ignore someone who is speaking
to me.

> you never have yet your supposed self mastery and control goes out the window with me in particular.

See above. ie. "I was brought up..."

> You complain about some of my posts length and feel the need to comment,yet you read them anyway.

Not true. I read until the first premise that is built on sand is
encountered and then, knowing everything that follows that first
is logically flawed, I cease... Just like here, now.

ps.

Perhaps you haven't noticed but I rarely, if at all,
engage with Chas's posts that do not address me either.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Really Jules? Is it more entrenched? Hmmm

Look at this "but it just happens to be a "poison drum relationship" "

Suggestive of the SGI being the vehicle of enlightenment. Perfect fit with Chascs stance and also a perfect fit with SGI teaching 2009 onwards.

One doesn't have a poison drum relatuonship with SGI, the Sutra yes not the SGI.

Let's remind teaders what a poison drum relationship is,in the context of Nichiren Buddhism.

It's a reverse relationship that through slander or critiscism of the Sutra, leads to enlightenment.

Your choice of words is entirely consistent with the SGI notion of the Buddha of the SGI, it's refernce to "sutras of the future" and it's claims to be the true imheritor of Nichirencs teaching and thus the true entity of enlightenment, which is in rssence tge mentor-disciple teaching it has adopted from 2009 onwards.

So no Jules, I do not have a "poison drum relationship" with the SGI. It is not the entity of enlightenment nor can it be. That is reserved for the Sutra and Sutra alone and "entty us through faith alone" but regardless, a relationship with the Sutra,positive ir negative, assures enlightenment.
I doubt very much someone whocd keft NSUzk and was erudite and knowledgable about Nichiren Buddhism as yku claim to be, would have used such a phrase in this context.

You would have understoid the connetation clearly, the link with enlightenment and would have avoided the term. Especialky an NSUK member if that era. Gosho wasn't out of oyr hands, well not the committed ones anyway. The lazy maybe.

So you're either not knowledgable or you have an SGI post 2009 agenda to support and push.

My bet is on the second.

Be well :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Nope soz Jules that "I was brought up not to ignore" statement doesn't fit with your other statemnets. Do you want me to find and post them and link back to them?

Icm liking the langauge in the rest of your post, very Chas, youcre beginning to sound like each other. Of course like Chas, your statements are built in unevidenced assertions, I can evidence mine. :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 17:11, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Really Jules? Is it more entrenched? Hmmm
>
> Look at this "but it just happens to be a "poison drum relationship" "
>
> Suggestive of the SGI being the vehicle of enlightenment.

Suggestive to you perhaps but not what I wrote.

A poison drum relationship with the SGI is mundane
compared to a poison drum relationship with the Lotus.

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 17:16, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Nope soz Jules that "I was brought up not to ignore" statement doesn't fit with your other statemnets. Do you want me to find and post them and link back to them?

You'll have to find and post them ALL if you
don't want to be dealing with a mere partial
understanding/interpretation of my position.

Go ahead.

If you only cherry pick some that you think
bolster your argument you are, again, pissing
in the wind.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Nope that won't do Jules. Poison drum relationship has a soecific connation in Nichiren Buddhism and a specific link to the Sutra and enlightenment. Shoddy at best, deliberately misleading at worst. A very poor choice of words for someone supposedly so learned.

My point was you woukdn't have written it if you had knoweldge or weren't pushing an agenda.

I'll take either as an explanation.

Where did you practice when you were in NSUK? And when did you quit. I can't place you. How imvolved were you with the org? Like did you get involved with any of the big activities? Or were you just a fringe player?

Be well :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"You'll have to find and post them ALL if you
don't want to be dealing with a mere partial
understanding/interpretation of my position."

Usual cop out Jules.

You can't on the one hand say "I eas brought up not to ignore" and on the otgrr at another time say "I just ignore". It's not a doctrinal "position", there's no "whole of it" to be plumbed. It's simple inconsistency and amounts to you being able to say anything you like, regardless of inconsistencies - very much like SGI. Which is fine, you can do abything you want. It just makes you not credible - very much like Chas and SGI. :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 17:30, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Nope that won't do Jules. Poison drum relationship has a soecific connation in Nichiren Buddhism and a specific link to the Sutra and enlightenment.

I am free to use the concept in any context I choose
just as I am free to use metaphor and any other figures
of speech.

Whether my point is made successfully by my using
figures of speech is anther matter.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

"I am free to use the concept in any context I choose
just as I am free to use metaphor and any other figures
of speech"

Of course you are Jules, just as I'm entitled to point out the poor use of such a key phrase.

"Whether my point is made successfully by my using
figures of speech is anther matter."

Thank you for conceding the point. I believe SGI is looking for guidance writers, I think you'd fit right in.

Be well :)

[Julian]

Unlike yourself I am here for my amusement
and not, unlike yourself, seeking credibility.

Your game is not my game.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

I note you skipped over the question about your NSUK credentials. Best not expose yourself to scrinutiny too much eh? Too much info makes it hard to back peddle, as you've found out ;)

[Julian]

They couldn't afford to draw me out of retirement.

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 17:54, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> I note you skipped over the question about your NSUK credentials.

I didn't notice it.

Perhaps it occurred after one of your false premises
in which case it wouldn't have been read.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Fantastic! 20 years in a forum, latterly dead and then revived, "for amusement".

No need for credibility for me but nice try at trying to attribute a Chas like "motivation" to my posting. Also a return to the "ego" labelling you tried a while back (and got massively wrong as I seem to remember - glad you adopted the correct usage eventually)

I try to get across the points as best I can. The Law is important, not me.

You say I don't, others disagree. It's not important to me, just that I try my best. I owe the Sutra a debt. That's the long and the short of it.

Oh were the motivation so simple, SGI would have no problems then. But it's not, which is why you and Chas are here. Lool 20 years for amusemnt - it just get's better.

I think video games, TV, snowbording, mountain biking, roller blading, social media, home music production with the likes of ableton, video capture and editing, digital photography have all happened since you first came in here. If this is your entertainment, I suggest you need to get out more.

Course, how you could have avoided any of that stuff, being a father with kids beats me...

I do it because I owe a great debt to the Sutra and have gratitude for the extra life I was given as a result. If I want entertainment, I go out and dance, cycle, skate, swim, chill out with mates, visit exhibitions, make music... using the life I was given. :)

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Well enjoy your "retirement" Jules. Glad your so active now though. :)

[Julian]

On 11/09/2016 18:18, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Well enjoy your "retirement" Jules. Glad your so active now though. :)

Of course. I don't scorn you for that.

[Julian]

ps.

If you care to resubmit your enquiry without
a whole bunch of gobbledegook I'll consider it.

[Chas.]

On Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 4:17:15 AM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Thanks Chas. The salient point is that I was following the statements Nichiren made about the different parts of the Sutra in relation to one another.
>
> From this relative stand point, the introduction to the Sutra is not yet the revelation of the truth. Nichiren is very clear on this point. I refer you back to the Gosho.
>

Now, when I make a Gosho reference, I include it. Here Nichiren Daishonin describes your attitude and that of Ōta Jōmyō (who would later redeem himself) as a "completely distorted view" and also "possessed by the heavenly devil, or Pāpīyas". Bolded to focus your wayward mind.

From the "Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Devotion", pp. 977-978:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/134#para-10

... YOU ALSO MENTIONED IN YOUR LETTER THAT THE PEOPLE CONNECTED
... WITH ŌTA JŌMYŌ ARE APPARENTLY SAYING THAT THE THEORETICAL
... TEACHING OF THE LOTUS SUTRA CAN IN NO WAY LEAD TO
... ENLIGHTENMENT. THEY ARE MAKING A SERIOUS MISTAKE. Remember
... this about the theoretical and essential teachings of the
... Lotus Sutra: Which is shallow and which profound, which
... superior and which inferior, which lenient and which
... severe, and which subordinate and which primary must be
... judged in accordance with the time and the people’s
... capacity. There are three periods in which the sacred
... teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime should be propagated;
... the people’s capacity should be thought of in the same way.
...
... In the first five hundred years of the Former Day of the
... Law following the Buddha’s passing, only Hinayana teachings
... spread, while in the next five hundred years, provisional
... Mahayana teachings spread. The thousand years of the Middle
... Day of the Law saw the rise of the theoretical teaching. In
... the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, only the
... essential teaching spreads, BUT EVEN SO, THE THEORETICAL
... TEACHING SHOULD NOT BE DISCARDED. NOWHERE IN THE ENTIRE
... LOTUS SUTRA DO WE FIND A PASSAGE SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD
... DISCARD THE FIRST FOURTEEN CHAPTERS, WHICH COMPRISE THE
... THEORETICAL TEACHING. When we distinguish between the
... theoretical and the essential teachings on the basis of the
... threefold classification of the entire body of the Buddha’s
... teachings, the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings were to be spread
... in the Former Day, and the theoretical teaching, in the
... Middle Day, but the Latter Day is the time to propagate the
... essential teaching. In the present period the essential
... teaching is primary, while the theoretical teaching is
... subordinate. BUT THOSE WHO THEREFORE DISCARD THE LATTER,
... SAYING IT IS NOT THE WAY TO ENLIGHTENMENT, AND BELIEVE ONLY
... IN THE FORMER, HAVE NOT YET UNDERSTOOD THE DOCTRINE OF
... NICHIREN’S TRUE INTENTION. THEIRS IS A COMPLETELY DISTORTED
... VIEW.
...
... THIS DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE THEORETICAL AND ESSENTIAL
... TEACHINGS IS NOT MY OWN [BUT WAS EXPOUNDED BY THE BUDDHA].
... THOSE WHO WOULD DISTORT IT CAN ONLY BE POSSESSED BY THE
... HEAVENLY DEVIL, OR PĀPĪYAS, AND WILL TOPPLE OTHERS ALONG
... WITH THEMSELVES INTO THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE HELL OF
... INCESSANT SUFFERING. HOW FOOLISH THEY ARE! Teach this
... doctrine to others clearly as I have taught you these many
... years. Those who call themselves my disciples and practice
... the Lotus Sutra should all practice as I do. If they do,
... Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, Shakyamuni’s emanations
... throughout the ten directions, and the ten demon daughters
... will protect them. Yet, for all that, [some people
... associated with Ōta Jōmyō distort the teaching]. I cannot
... fathom what could be in their minds.

> You are setting up a straw man argument then attacking that, rather than the point I was actually making.
>

Baloney. You made your point quite clear and now Nichiren Daishonin himself has refuted you ... or is this Gosho also "faked" because it disagrees with Iain?

> But to the substantive point, any external representation could be looked upon as a limitation of the ultimate reality and the unfathomable truth, including a script mandala.
>

Following your same logic, the sound of my voice is simply dissipating pressure waves in the atmosphere and also limited (most certainly by the edge of the atmosphere in space), and so then is my daimoku limited. You seem to suffer from a lack of understanding of how profound is a single atom of hydrogen, with a single nucleus containing quarks in sometimes vast numbers.

It is as if diminishing the Gohonzon as a "script mandala" gives you some kind of power over it. The physical world is a hell of a lot more remarkable then you can fathom, Iain.

> The object of worship is the Law itself as stated by Nichiren and defined by him as Namu Myoho Renge-kyo. By definition, this is indeed ineffable and unfathomable, it cannot be understood by our everyday minds but it can be grasped by faith.
>

So, when Nichiren Daishonin states: "Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvīpa."

As usual there is a diminishing return beyond the 4th paragraph.
______________________________________

Iain needs to fear slander of the Law, as Nichiren Daishonin and his followers do +

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/5DLc_yCbSgA/gowoHAHtFQAJ
On Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 11:18:32 AM UTC-8, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
||| Here's one for you Chas..."BOO!"...
|||
||| I know I shouldn't do that to people wracked with
||| phobias (irrational fears), who are scared of their own
||| shadow (not to mention, hell, yakuza, martial arts,
||| alternative healing arts, most movies, porn stars,
||| anything that could possibly touched toxic Zen, recycling
||| - probably - see the toxic Zen point) but I can't resist.
|||
||| There is a great way to overcome those phobias apart
||| from some good professional intervention. I know of a
||| really good practice that reliably brings forth the
||| qualities of wisdom, courage and compassion...not to
||| mention abundant life-force.
|||
||| Let me know if you're interested. It's not hard to
||| learn, can be bit difficult to carry on, like anything -
||| gym, diet, etc. etc.
|||
||| But do watch out for the cowboys, they'll have you
||| thinking you need to buy it and that you have to do extra
||| things for it to work AND they don't teach it right - well
||| they have to keep adding things to convince you theirs is
||| unique and change the formula to keep you hooked and keep
||| it profitable.
|||
||| It's - like soap powder really, you end up with less
||| active ingredient, mixed with with lots of useless crap
||| and you end up paying through the nose - advertising and
||| marketing costs.
|||
||| In some cases those additives are harmful, just like the
||| bakers additives in years gone by or the modern
||| equivalents that have made it into diets worldwide
||| especially in USA and UK...
|||
||| But you don't need those branded spiritual "products",
||| the original is simple, cheap and much more effective,
||| ditch the personal trainer, get a better results and save
||| yourself lots of money and harm.
|||
||| What about spiritual humanism, helping suffering people?
||| Oh well if you want to join an organisation that's
||| focussed on that well there are lots of aid agencies but
||| be careful, charities and "humanitarian" orgs. in
||| particular have a reputation for using this as a cover.
|||
||| You want to check out their finances in particular and
||| their mission statement. There should be independent
||| scrutiny and evidence on how effective they are at
||| achieving their goals and maximising use of their
||| donations. They should have good governance and financial
||| transparency and control.
|||
||| For example, a few have been found to be diverting funds
||| away from their primary goals and the people they're
||| supposed to be helping. In such orgs, a high percentage is
||| spent on administration costs, chief executive and senior
||| leaders salaries, plush offices, unnecessary technology
||| advertising, unnecessary real estate acquisition, vanity
||| projects, consultant costs, political lobbying,
||| entertaining etc.
|||
||| That leaves little to actually help the people they are
||| supposed to be helping or achieve the mission they are
||| supposed to be focused on.
|||
||| Three religious organisations provide a comparison to
||| SGI and a prompt for further research. SGI is by no means
||| the only player in this spiritual arena that espouses the
||| warm and fluffy values that it pushes forward. It was
||| distinct in its faith, belief in Gohonzon and Daimoku but
||| it seems not the quite understand what it teaches it
||| believes anymore or at least keeps changing it. Current
||| flavour of the month is 'mentor-disciple'
|||
||| Arguably there are other organisations that are much
||| more effective and from whom SGI may have borrowed.
|||
|||
||| The Quakers seem to have a good rep.
|||
||| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
|||
||| Originally from the UK, they seem to keep it small in an
||| organisational sense but are very good at putting their
||| beliefs into action, they've been doing it well for
||| centuries. The SGI deems to have borrowed quite a lot of
||| their approach, turned it into rhetoric but hasn't modeled
||| their organisation along Quaker lines and their sense of
||| equality of faith either.
|||
||| There's Tzu Chi, seems very good at actually helping
||| people in crisis and responding to disasters.
|||
||| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzu_Chi
|||
||| Started in the 60's from a sewing circle of 6 people.
||| Also Lotus Sutra based but non Nichiren. Some
||| controversies.
|||
||| In the Nichiren line there's Rissho Kosei Kai. They
||| chant Daimoku but it's a different focus.
|||
||| Established before Mr Toda's Nichiren Shoshu Soka
||| Gakkai, it's entirely possible that RKK may have provided
||| NSSG (SGI) with some of the templates that the latter then
||| adopted for its organisational activities/structure. The
||| similarities are stiking. Equally, RKK may have learned
||| from NSSG (SGI). It's likely the two nay have learned
||| from each other but RKK seems to have attracted less
||| critical press, be generally well-regarded and better at
||| delivering practical help.
|||
||| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risshō_Kōsei_Kai
|||
||| Is very good on interfaith, seems quite good on
||| campaigning to end poverty and hunger, some controversies
||| but generally seems to be effective and we'll thought of.
||| Has a similar discussion meeting type thing going on. Not
||| sure about financial transparency though. Might be worth
||| futher checking out.

A phobia is a psychological condition that you are uncredited to diagnose, that being an unreasonable fear of something that can only be feared by an irrational person.

You think you are making light of me (and WHO would care about THAT), but in fact you are making light of Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra.

Iain, you should fear slander of the Law more than fearing attack or disapproval from the authorities, or from your peer group, or from the risk of death itself. Nichiren speaks volumes on this one topic, and in fact he never fails to warn his followers and whomever he is writing to, with regards to fearing slander of the Law. I will highlight the key points in UPPERCASE, so that you won't miss them, this time.

This on evil friends and mad elephants, from "On the Protection of the Nation", WND II

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/181#para-347
... Therefore the Nirvana Sutra states: “Bodhisattvas and
... mahāsattvas, have no fear of mad elephants. WHAT YOU SHOULD
... FEAR ARE EVIL FRIENDS! WHY? BECAUSE A MAD ELEPHANT CAN ONLY
... DESTROY YOUR BODY; IT CANNOT DESTROY YOUR MIND. BUT AN EVIL
... FRIEND CAN DESTROY BOTH BODY AND MIND. A MAD ELEPHANT CAN
... DESTROY ONLY A SINGLE BODY, BUT AN EVIL FRIEND CAN DESTROY
... COUNTLESS GOOD BODIES AND COUNTLESS GOOD MINDS. A MAD
... ELEPHANT MERELY DESTROYS AN IMPURE, STINKING BODY, BUT AN
... EVIL FRIEND CAN DESTROY BOTH PURE BODY AND PURE MIND. A MAD
... ELEPHANT CAN DESTROY THE PHYSICAL BODY, BUT AN EVIL FRIEND
... DESTROYS THE DHARMA BODY. EVEN IF YOU ARE KILLED BY A MAD
... ELEPHANT, YOU WILL NOT FALL INTO THE THREE EVIL PATHS. BUT
... IF YOU ARE KILLED BY AN EVIL FRIEND, YOU ARE CERTAIN TO
... FALL INTO THEM. A MAD ELEPHANT IS MERELY AN ENEMY OF YOUR
... BODY, BUT AN EVIL FRIEND IS AN ENEMY OF THE GOOD LAW.
... THEREFORE, BODHISATTVAS, YOU SHOULD AT ALL TIMES KEEP FAR
... AWAY FROM EVIL FRIENDS.”

And also this on the same topic, from "Reply to Hoshina Gōrō Tarō", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/15#para-16

... Yet it should be known that, while the non-Buddhist
... practitioners possessed such impressive powers, they could
... not escape the flames of the Avīchi hell, not to mention
... those with only trivial powers of transformation. Even
... less can slanderers of the great vehicle avoid this fate.
... The priests of the True Word school are evil friends to
... all living beings. Avoid them; fear them. The Buddha
... states: “Have no fear of mad elephants. WHAT YOU SHOULD
... FEAR ARE EVIL FRIENDS! Why? Because a mad elephant can
... only destroy your body; it cannot destroy your mind. But
... an evil friend can destroy both body and mind. A mad
... elephant can destroy only a single body, but an evil
... friend can destroy countless bodies and countless minds. A
... mad elephant merely destroys an impure, stinking body, but
... an evil friend can destroy both pure body and pure mind. A
... mad elephant can destroy the physical body, but an evil
... friend destroys the Dharma body. Even if you are killed by
... a mad elephant, you will not fall into the three evil
... paths. But if you are killed by an evil friend, you are
... certain to fall into them. A mad elephant is merely an
... enemy of your body, but an evil friend is an enemy of the
... good Law.” THEREFORE, EVEN MORE THAN VENOMOUS SERPENTS
... OR MALEVOLENT DEMONS, ONE SHOULD FEAR THE EVIL FRIENDS WHO
... FOLLOW KŌBŌ, SHAN-TAO, AND HŌNEN. THIS IS JUST A BRIEF
... CLARIFICATION OF THE ERROR OF HOLDING DISTORTED VIEWS.

And then also this, from "What It Means to Slander the Law", WND II

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/188#para-84

... Answer: The various sutras say that one should shun the
... company of women, but I would point to the passage in the
... Nirvana Sutra, which the Buddha preached in the grove of
... sal trees just before his death: “Bodhisattvas! Though you
... can perceive the countless faults and ailings that attach
... to and beset your bodies, because you have made up your
... minds to accept and abide by the Nirvana Sutra, it will
... guide and protect you and will not cause you to be
... lacking. Bodhisattvas, have no fear of mad elephants. WHAT
... YOU SHOULD FEAR ARE EVIL FRIENDS! WHY? BECAUSE A MAD
... ELEPHANT CAN ONLY DESTROY YOUR BODY; IT CANNOT DESTROY
... YOUR MIND. BUT AN EVIL FRIEND CAN DESTROY BOTH BODY AND
... MIND. A MAD ELEPHANT CAN DESTROY ONLY A SINGLE BODY, BUT
... AN EVIL FRIEND CAN DESTROY COUNTLESS GOOD BODIES AND
... COUNTLESS GOOD MINDS. . . . EVEN IF YOU ARE KILLED BY A
... MAD ELEPHANT, YOU WILL NOT FALL INTO THE THREE EVIL PATHS.
... BUT IF YOU ARE KILLED BY AN EVIL FRIEND, YOU ARE CERTAIN
... TO FALL INTO THEM.”
...
... The meaning of this passage is that, if one cares about
... the next life, ONE SHOULD FEAR ALL KINDS OF CAUSES THAT
... LEAD TO REBIRTH IN THE EVIL PATHS. BUT EVEN MORE THAN SUCH
... CAUSES, ONE SHOULD FEAR EVIL FRIENDS OR TEACHERS.

In this passage Nichiren Daishonin goes into much detail describing precisely how the evil friending process works with deception and flattery, etc. Seems reminiscent of someone in this forum, yes?

From "On Reciting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra", WND II

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/186#para-42
... Therefore the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter reads: “In a
... muddied kalpa, in an evil age there will be many things to
... fear. Evil demons will take possession of others and
... through them curse, revile, and heap shame on us. . . .
... [The evil monks of that muddied age], failing to understand
... the Buddha’s expedient means, how he preaches the Law in
... accordance with what is appropriate . . .” This passage
... means that, in that muddied and evil age, monks will fail
... to understand that the teachings they put their faith in
... are no more than an expedient means preached by the Buddha
... in accordance with what is appropriate. Thus when persons
... appear who clearly distinguish between the provisional
... teachings and the true teaching, these monks will revile
... them and attempt to refute their arguments. This is all
... because evil demons have taken possession of them, although
... they are not aware that this has happened.
...
... THEREFORE, WHAT THE UNINFORMED PEOPLE OF THIS LATTER AGE
... SHOULD MOST FEAR ARE NOT SWORDS AND STAVES OR TIGERS AND
... WOLVES, OR PERSONS WHO COMMIT THE TEN EVIL ACTS OR THE FIVE
... CARDINAL SINS, BUT RATHER THOSE MONKS WHO ARE EQUIPPED WITH
... THREE ROBES AND ONE BEGGING BOWL, THOSE BENIGHTED
... PRACTITIONERS OF ZEN, AND THE LAY BELIEVERS WHO ESTEEM
... MONKS WHO FOLLOW THE PROVISIONAL TEACHINGS AND HATE THOSE
... WHO PRACTICE THE TRUE TEACHING.
...
... For this reason, the twenty-second volume of the Nirvana
... Sutra states: “Have no fear of mad elephants. WHAT YOU
... SHOULD FEAR ARE EVIL FRIENDS! WHY? BECAUSE A MAD ELEPHANT
... CAN ONLY DESTROY YOUR BODY; IT CANNOT DESTROY YOUR MIND.
... BUT AN EVIL FRIEND CAN DESTROY BOTH BODY AND MIND. . . .
... EVEN IF YOU ARE KILLED BY A MAD ELEPHANT, YOU WILL NOT FALL
... INTO THE THREE EVIL PATHS. BUT IF YOU ARE KILLED BY AN EVIL
... FRIEND, YOU ARE CERTAIN TO FALL INTO THEM.”
...
... Regarding the meaning of this sutra passage, the Great
... Teacher Chang-an says: “MAD ELEPHANTS MERELY INFLICT HARM
... ON OTHERS; THEY DO NOT AROUSE EVIL IN PEOPLE’S MINDS. BUT
... EVIL FRIENDS EMPLOY ENTICING WORDS, DECEPTION AND FLATTERY,
... CLEVER SPEECH AND AN AFFABLE MANNER, AND IN THIS WAY CAUSE
... OTHERS TO DO EVIL. AND IN LEADING THEM TO DO EVIL, THEY
... ARE DESTROYING THE GOOD MINDS THAT ARE IN THEM. TO DESTROY
... GOOD MINDS IS TO KILL PEOPLE, THAT IS, TO CAUSE THEM TO
... FALL INTO HELL.”
...
... THIS PASSAGE OF COMMENTARY MEANS THAT EVIL FRIENDS WILL
... EMPLOY ENTICING WORDS, DECEPTION AND FLATTERY AND SPEAK IN
... A CLEVER MANNER, THEREBY GAINING CONTROL OVER THE MINDS OF
... IGNORANT AND UNINFORMED PEOPLE AND DESTROYING THE GOOD
... MINDS THAT ARE IN THEM. AND THE PASSAGE FROM THE NIRVANA
... SUTRA IS MEANT TO WARN US THAT PERSONS WHO SLANDER THE LAW
... AND ARE ICCHANTIKAS ARE MORE TO BE FEARED THAN THOSE WHO
... COMMIT THE TEN EVIL ACTS OR THE FIVE CARDINAL SINS. THE
... TERM “ICCHANTIKA” REFERS TO THOSE WHO SPEAK EVIL OF THE
... LOTUS AND NIRVANA SUTRAS.

In the Letter to Niike, WND I, Nichiren Daishonin warns us that simply associating with slanderers: "those with impure hearts" (beyond the point of shakubuku) is complicity.

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/145#para-8
... Neither Buddhas nor gods would ever accept contributions
... from those who slander the correct teaching. Then how can
... we human beings accept them? The deity of Kasuga Shrine
... proclaimed through an oracle that he would accept nothing
... from those with impure hearts, though he should have to
... eat the flames of burning copper; that he would refuse to
... set foot in their homes, though he should have to sit on
... red-hot copper. He would rather come down to a miserable
... hut with weeds choking the passageway, or to a poor
... thatched house. He declared that he would never visit
... persons lacking in faith, even if they hung sacred
... festoons for a thousand days to welcome him, but that he
... would go to a house where the people have a mind of
... faith, even though they might be in mourning for a
... parent. Lamenting that slanderers have overrun this
... country, the benevolent gods have abandoned it and
... ascended to heaven. “THOSE WITH IMPURE HEARTS” MEANS
... THOSE WHO REFUSE TO EMBRACE THE LOTUS SUTRA, AS IS STATED
... IN THE FIFTH VOLUME OF THE SUTRA. If the gods themselves
... regard alms from slanderers as more abominable than the
... flames of burning copper, how could we human beings
... possibly accept them? If someone were to kill our parents
... and then try to offer us some gift, could we possibly
... accept it? NOT EVEN WISE PERSONS OR SAGES CAN AVOID THE
... HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING IF THEY ACCEPT OFFERINGS FROM
... SLANDERERS. NOR SHOULD YOU ASSOCIATE WITH SLANDERERS, FOR
... IF YOU DO, YOU WILL SHARE THE SAME GUILT AS THEY. THIS
... YOU SHOULD FEAR ABOVE ALL.
...
... Shakyamuni Buddha is the father, sovereign, and teacher
... of all the other Buddhas and all the gods, of the whole
... assembly of human and heavenly beings, and of all living
... beings. How could the heavenly gods and benevolent
... deities rejoice if the Buddha were killed? Today all the
... people of our country have proved to be enemies of
... Shakyamuni Buddha, but more than laymen or laywomen, it
... is the priests with perverse wisdom and hearts who are
... the Buddha’s worst enemies. There are two kinds of
... wisdom, correct and perverse. NO MATTER HOW WISE A PERSON
... MAY APPEAR, IF HIS ASSERTIONS ARE WARPED YOU SHOULD NOT
... LISTEN TO HIM. NOR SHOULD YOU FOLLOW PRIESTS MERELY
... BECAUSE THEY ARE VENERABLE OR OF HIGH RANK. But if a
... person has the wisdom to know the true meaning of the
... Lotus Sutra, no matter how lowly he may appear, pay
... respect to him and make offerings to him as though he
... were a living Thus Come One . Thus it is written in the
... sutra. That is why the Great Teacher Dengyō says that
... the men and women who believe in this sutra, even if they
... lack knowledge or violate the precepts, should be seated
... above priests who observe all two hundred and fifty
... precepts of the Hinayana teachings, and never be seated
... in a humble position, and that this is all the more true
... of the priests of this Mahayana sutra.

And complicity in slander is a complex and wide-reaching phenomenon: for individuals, for families and for countries. Hence the importance of the Kosen Rufu movement and the profound punishment that comes from undermining it. From the "Letter to Akimoto", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-25

... In practicing the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, there are
... three principles that must be understood. The first is
... that regarding slanderers. The monk Superior Intent, the
... monk Shore of Suffering, the Scholar Vimalamitra, and the
... Great Arrogant Brahman are examples. These men dressed
... their bodies in the three robes, lifted a single begging
... bowl up before their eyes, and meticulously observed the
... two hundred and fifty precepts, and yet they were in fact
... enemies of the Mahayana and in the end fell into the great
... citadel of the hell of incessant suffering.
...
... In recent times in Japan there have been men like Kōbō,
... Jikaku, and Chishō who observed the precepts just as those
... earlier monks did and who did not differ from them in
... wisdom. But because they asserted that the True Word
... teaching of the Mahāvairochana Sutra ranked first and the
... Lotus Sutra ranked second or third, if my view of the
... matter should by any chance be correct, they are now in
... the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering.
...
... IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO UTTER SUCH WORDS, AND STILL MORE
... DOES ONE HESITATE TO PUT THEM INTO WRITING. BUT WHEN THE
... BUDDHA HIMSELF HAS DECLARED THAT THE LOTUS SUTRA IS
... FOREMOST, IF ONE LEARNS OF A PERSON WHO RANKS IT SECOND OR
... THIRD AND, OUT OF FEAR OF OTHER PEOPLE OR OF GOVERNMENT
... AUTHORITIES, FAILS TO SPEAK OUT, THEN “ONE IS IN FACT HIS
... ENEMY,” THAT IS, ONE IS ACTING AS A FEARFUL ENEMY TO ALL
... LIVING BEINGS. THIS IS STATED IN BOTH THE SUTRAS AND THE
... COMMENTARIES, AND SO I SPEAK OUT.
...
... TO SPEAK OUT WITHOUT FEARING OTHERS AND WITHOUT FLINCHING
... BEFORE SOCIETY—THIS IS WHAT THE SUTRA MEANS WHEN IT SAYS,
... “WE CARE NOTHING FOR OUR BODIES OR LIVES BUT ARE ANXIOUS
... ONLY FOR THE UNSURPASSED WAY.”
...
... It is not that one does not recall the calumny, the staves
... and stones that were suffered by Bodhisattva Never
... Disparaging. It is not that one is unafraid of the world.
... It is just that the censure of the Lotus Sutra is even
... more severe. It is like the case of Sukenari and
... Tokimune, who acted as they did even though they found
... themselves in the camp of the shogun, because they longed
... to avenge themselves upon their enemy and were
... ashamed at the thought of failing to do so.
...
... THE ABOVE IS THE PRINCIPLE RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL
... SLANDERERS.
...
... AS FOR THE FAMILIES OF SLANDERERS, THE FAMILY MEMBERS MAY
... PASS THEIR ENTIRE LIVES WITHOUT SLANDERING THE LOTUS
... SUTRA. BUT EVEN THOUGH THEY PRACTICE IT EVERY HOUR OF THE
... DAY AND NIGHT, THE FACT THAT THEY WERE BORN INTO THE
... FAMILY OF A SLANDERER MEANS THAT THEY WILL INVARIABLY BE
... REBORN IN THE HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING. For example,
... those persons who were born into the family of the monk
... Superior Intent or the monk Shore of Suffering and became
... their disciples or lay supporters all fell, against their
... will, into the hell of incessant suffering. Or it is like
... the family members of Yoshimori. Setting aside those who
... gave their lives in battle, even the children still in
... their mothers’ wombs, torn from their mothers’ bellies,
... were killed before birth.
...
... NOW I, NICHIREN, HAVE MENTIONED THE THREE GREAT TEACHERS
... KŌBŌ, JIKAKU, AND CHISHŌ, WHO BOLDLY STATE IN THEIR
... WRITINGS THAT THE LOTUS SUTRA REPRESENTS THE REGION OF
... DARKNESS, THAT IT IS A FALSE AND DELUDED DOCTRINE. IF WHAT
... THE LOTUS SUTRA ITSELF SAYS IS CORRECT, THEN WHAT DO YOU
... SUPPOSE WILL BECOME OF THE PRIESTS AT MOUNT HIEI, TŌ-JI,
... ONJŌ-JI, THE SEVEN MAJOR TEMPLES OF NARA—AT ALL THE 11,037
... TEMPLES THROUGHOUT JAPAN? IF THE EXAMPLES CITED EARLIER
... ARE ANY INDICATION, THEY WILL WITHOUT A DOUBT FALL INTO
... THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING.
...
... SUCH IS THE PRINCIPLE RELATING TO THE FAMILIES OF
... SLANDERERS.
...
... NEXT, WE COME TO THE COUNTRY OF SLANDERERS. THOSE PERSONS
... WHO HAPPEN TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE THERE ARE SLANDERERS
... OF THE LAW WILL ALL—EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY—BE
... CONDEMNED TO THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT
... SUFFERING. JUST AS ALL THE VARIOUS WATERS GATHER IN THE
... GREAT OCEAN, SO ALL KINDS OF MISFORTUNE GATHER ABOUT SUCH
... A COUNTRY. THEY WILL ABOUND IN THE WAY THAT GRASS AND
... TREES ABOUND ON A MOUNTAIN.
...
... When the three calamities pile up month after month and
... the seven disasters appear day after day, then hunger and
... thirst will prevail and the country will be changed into a
... realm of hungry spirits. When plague and disease sweep
... over the land, the country will become a realm of hell.
... When warfare breaks out, it will be transformed into a
... realm of asuras. And when parents, brothers, and sisters,
... ignoring the fact that they are kin, begin taking each
... other for a husband or wife, the country will become a
... realm of animals. Under such circumstances, one does not
... have to wait until death to fall into the three evil
... paths. While one is still alive, the country in which one
... lives will be changed into these four evil realms.
...
... SUCH IS THE PRINCIPLE RELATING TO A COUNTRY WHERE
... SLANDERERS LIVE.
...
... The people in such a country will be like those who lived
... in the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Great
... Adornment, or in the defiled age of the Buddha Lion Sound
... King. Or if what the Repaying Debts of Gratitude Sutra
... tells us is true, people will eat the flesh of their own
... deceased parents or brothers or sisters or of any other
... dead person, and they will eat live creatures as well.
...
... JAPAN AT PRESENT IS JUST SUCH A COUNTRY. THE ENTIRE NATION
... IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO EAT HUMAN FLESH SUCH AS THE TEACHERS
... OF THE TRUE WORD SCHOOL, PRIESTS OF THE ZEN SCHOOL, AND
... OBSERVERS OF THE PRECEPTS. AND THIS HAS COME ABOUT WHOLLY
... AS A RESULT OF THE FALSE DOCTRINES OF THE TRUE WORD SCHOOL.
...
... Ryūzō-bō is merely one of the countless eaters of human
... beings whose case has happened to come to light. In a
... spirit similar to his, people procure human flesh and mix
... it with boar or deer meat, or cut it up and blend it with
... fish or fowl, pound it or pickle it, and then sell
... it. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE EATEN
... IT. ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN
... CAST ASIDE BY THE HEAVENLY GODS AND ABANDONED BY THE
... BENEVOLENT DEITIES WHO WATCH OVER AND PROTECT IT. IN THE
... END, THIS COUNTRY WILL BE ATTACKED BY OTHER NATIONS, ITS
... INHABITANTS WILL FALL TO FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES, AND IT
... WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO A VERITABLE HELL OF INCESSANT
... SUFFERING.
...
... BECAUSE I, NICHIREN, HAVE FOR SOME TIME BEEN ABLE TO SEE
... THE GREAT ERROR OF ITS WAYS, BECAUSE I WISH TO AVOID THE
... OFFENSE OF COMPLICITY IN SLANDER, BECAUSE I FEAR THE
... ACCUSATIONS OF THE BUDDHA, AND BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND MY
... OBLIGATIONS AND WISH TO REPAY THE DEBT OF GRATITUDE I OWE
... MY COUNTRY, I HAVE ANNOUNCED AND MADE KNOWN ALL OF THIS TO
... THE RULER OF THE COUNTRY AND TO ALL ITS INHABITANTS.

Even the buddhist gods fear slandering the Law. This is why they flee countries where slander of the Law prevails widely, unabated by refutation and shakubuku. This causes their protection to dwindle for an entire country.

From "Letter to Niike", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/145#para-12
... Now that I am spreading the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha’s
... envoy, however, everyone from the ruler on down to the
... common people has become a slanderer of the correct
... teaching. So far Hachiman has done everything possible to
... prevent hostility toward the Lotus Sutra from developing
... among the people of this country, as reluctant to abandon
... them as parents would be to abandon an only child, even
... if it were unfilial. BUT NOW IN FEAR OF BREAKING THE
... PLEDGE HE MADE AT EAGLE PEAK, HE HAS BURNED DOWN HIS
... SHRINE AND ASCENDED TO HEAVEN. EVEN SO, SHOULD THERE BE A
... VOTARY OF THE LOTUS SUTRA WHO WOULD GIVE HIS BODY AND
... LIFE FOR IT, HACHIMAN WOULD DWELL UPON HIS HEAD. But
... since both the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman
... have gone, how could the other gods remain in their
... shrines? Even if they did not wish to leave, how could
... they stay another day if I reproached them for not
... keeping the promise they made at Eagle Peak? A person may
... be a thief, but as long as no one knows, he can live
... wherever he wishes. But when denounced as a thief by
... someone who knows him, he is forced to leave his dwelling
... against his will. In the same way, because I know of
... their vow, the gods are compelled to abandon their
... shrines. Contrary to popular belief, this country has
... become inhabited by evil demons. How pitiful!

What are the major constituents of slander of the Law in a practical sense? They mostly come down to plagiarizing and appropriating Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra into their corrupted teachings and practices (hence Zen, the martial arts, etc.: what Iain calls my phobias)

The Opening of the Eyes (I)
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-18

... They refuse to acknowledge that even a single person
... possesses the Buddha nature. In spite of this, one will
... sometimes hear members of the Precepts and Establishment
... of Truth schools declaring that there are Buddhas in the
... ten directions, or that all living beings possess the
... Buddha nature. This is because the teachers of these
... schools who appeared after the passing away of the Buddha
... had STOLEN THESE MAHAYANA DOCTRINES AND INCORPORATED THEM
... INTO THE TEACHINGS OF THEIR OWN SCHOOLS.
...
... TO ILLUSTRATE, IN THE PERIOD BEFORE THE APPEARANCE OF
... BUDDHISM, THE PROPONENTS OF THE NON-BUDDHIST TEACHINGS IN
... INDIA WERE NOT SO BOUND UP IN THEIR OWN VIEWS. BUT AFTER
... THE APPEARANCE OF THE BUDDHA, WHEN THEY HAD LISTENED TO
... AND OBSERVED THE BUDDHIST TEACHINGS, THEY BECAME AWARE OF
... THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THEIR OWN DOCTRINES. THEY THEN
... CONCEIVED THE CLEVER IDEA OF APPROPRIATING BUDDHIST
... TEACHINGS AND INCORPORATING THEM INTO THEIR OWN DOCTRINES,
... AND AS A RESULT THEY FELL INTO EVEN DEEPER ERROR THAN
... BEFORE. THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF THE ERRORS KNOWN AS
... “APPROPRIATING BUDDHISM” OR “PLAGIARIZING BUDDHISM.”

After observing the history of plagiarizing and appropriating and distorting and piling slander upon slander for dozens of generations, Nichiren Daishonin came up with what Nikko Shonin called the "Four Dictims". From "Letter to Akimoto", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-15
... BUT I, NICHIREN, ONE MAN ALONE, DECLARE THAT THE
... RECITATION OF THE NAME OF AMIDA BUDDHA IS AN ACTION THAT
... LEADS TO REBIRTH IN THE HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING, THAT
... THE ZEN SCHOOL IS THE INVENTION OF THE HEAVENLY DEVIL,
... THAT THE TRUE WORD SCHOOL IS AN EVIL DOCTRINE THAT WILL
... DESTROY THE COUNTRY, AND THAT THE PRECEPTS SCHOOL AND THE
... OBSERVERS OF THE PRECEPTS ARE TRAITORS TO THE NATION.
...
... Because I do so, from the sovereign on down to the common
... people, all people fear me more than they would an enemy
... of their parents, an enemy from a past existence, a
... plotter of treason, a night raider, or a bandit. They
... rage, they curse, they strike at me. Those who slander me
... are given grants of land, while those who praise me are
... driven from their areas or fined, and the people who
... desire to kill me are singled out for rewards. And on top
... of all this, I have twice incurred the wrath of the
... authorities.

However, as it was in the case of T'ien-T'ai and Miao-lo, some new slanders have emerged since Nichiren Daishonin's lifetime. They also must be refuted. From "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/88#para-79
... In the T’ien-t’ai 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, because he was extremely wise and had a clear
... understanding of the teachings of T’ien-t’ai, he perceived
... that the meaning of T’ien-t’ai’s commentaries was that the
... Lotus Sutra is superior to the Profound Secrets Sutra and
... the Dharma Characteristics school, which were both
... introduced to China after T’ien-t’ai’s time, and to the
... Flower Garland school and the True Word school with its
... Mahāvairochana Sutra, both of which were first established
... in China.
...
... Up until then, either because T’ien-t’ai’s followers
... lacked the wisdom to see what was wrong, or because they
... feared others or were in awe of the ruler’s power, no one
... had spoken out. It was clear that a correct understanding
... of the teachings of T’ien-t’ai was about to be lost, and
... that the erroneous doctrines that were rife surpassed even
... those that had prevailed in northern and southern China in
... the period before the Ch’en and Sui dynasties. THEREFORE,
... MIAO-LO WROTE COMMENTARIES ON T’IEN-T’AI’S WORKS IN THIRTY
... VOLUMES, THE WRITINGS KNOWN AS THE ANNOTATIONS ON “GREAT
... CONCENTRATION AND INSIGHT,” THE ANNOTATIONS ON “THE
... PROFOUND MEANING OF THE LOTUS SUTRA,” AND THE ANNOTATIONS
... ON “THE WORDS AND PHRASES OF THE LOTUS SUTRA.” NOT ONLY
... DID THESE THIRTY VOLUMES OF COMMENTARY SERVE TO ELIMINATE
... PASSAGES OF REPETITION IN T’IEN-T’AI’S WORKS AND TO
... ELUCIDATE POINTS THAT WERE UNCLEAR, BUT AT THE SAME
... TIME, IN ONE STROKE, THEY REFUTED THE DHARMA
... CHARACTERISTICS, FLOWER GARLAND, AND TRUE WORD SCHOOLS,
... WHICH HAD ESCAPED T’IEN-T’AI’S CENSURES BECAUSE THEY DID
... NOT EXIST IN CHINA DURING HIS LIFETIME.

Sadly, it is quite difficult to call out the latter day followers so far removed from the initial crime of plagiarizing and appropriating the Lotus Sutra into their corrupted teachings. A good example of this is Dogen, who fancied the Lotus Sutra so much that he incorporated pieces into his writings. He is the father of Soto Zen (seated meditation), which is what most Zen believers practice, and he died not long after the Daimoku was first chanted on April 28, 1253.

Nichiren says that in spite of the extreme difficulty of calling out the profoundly ignorant followers of evil, that you must do so anyway. From "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/88#para-31

... Question: Do you really proclaim that Ch’eng-kuan of the
... Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises
... school, Tz’u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school, and
... Shan-wu-wei and the others of the True Word school on down
... to Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō are the enemies of the Buddha?
...
... Answer: This is a very important question, a matter of the
... gravest concern to the Buddha’s teachings. Yet, on
... examining the text of the sutra, I find that, if someone
... should declare that there is a sutra superior to the Lotus
... Sutra, then regardless of who that person may be, he or
... she cannot escape the charge of slandering the Law.
... Therefore, if we go by what the sutra says, then persons
... such as this must be regarded as enemies of the Buddha.
... And if, out of fear, I fail to point out this fact, then
... the distinctions of relative merit made among the various
... sutras will all have been made in vain.
...
... IF, OUT OF AWE OF THESE GREAT TEACHERS OF THE PAST, I
... SHOULD SIMPLY POINT AT THEIR LATTER-DAY FOLLOWERS AND CALL
... THEM ENEMIES OF THE BUDDHA, THEN THESE LATTER-DAY
... FOLLOWERS OF THE VARIOUS SCHOOLS WOULD SAY: “THE ASSERTION
... THAT THE MAHĀVAIROCHANA SUTRA IS SUPERIOR TO THE LOTUS
... SUTRA IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE OURSELVES INVENTED ON OUR
... OWN. IT IS THE DOCTRINE TAUGHT BY THE PATRIARCHS OF OUR
... SCHOOL. THOUGH WE MAY BE NO MATCH FOR THEM IN OBSERVING
... THE PRECEPTS, IN WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, OR IN STATUS,
... WHEN IT COMES TO THE DOCTRINES THAT THEY TAUGHT, WE NEVER
... DIVERGE FROM THEM IN THE SLIGHTEST.” AND IN THAT CASE, ONE
... WOULD HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THEY ARE GUILTY OF NO FAULT.
...
... NEVERTHELESS, IF I KNOW THAT THIS ASSERTION IS FALSE AND
... YET, OUT OF FEAR OF OTHERS, I FAIL TO SAY SO, THEN I WILL
... BE IGNORING THE STERN WARNING OF THE BUDDHA, WHO SAID,
... “[IT IS LIKE A ROYAL ENVOY WHO] WOULD RATHER, EVEN THOUGH
... IT COSTS HIM HIS LIFE, IN THE END CONCEAL NONE OF THE
... WORDS OF HIS RULER.”

What constitutes slander is in contrast, that which glorifies the Lotus Sutra even more: the ability of the Lotus Sutra to save ALL the people. From "Rebuking Slander of the Law", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/48#para-42
... ALL THE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT JAPAN HAVE BEEN LED ASTRAY BY
... THE WILD ASSERTIONS OF HŌNEN, WHO TELLS THEM TO “DISCARD,
... CLOSE, IGNORE, AND ABANDON” [THE LOTUS SUTRA], OR OF THE
... ZEN SCHOOL, WHICH DECLARES ITS TEACHING TO BE “A SEPARATE
... TRANSMISSION OUTSIDE THE SUTRAS,” SO THAT THERE IS NOT A
... SINGLE ONE WHO IS NOT DESTINED TO FALL INTO THE GREAT
... CITADEL OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING. So believing,
... over the past more than twenty years I have never ceased
... to cry out in a loud voice against these errors, fearing
... neither the ruler of the nation nor the common people. I
... am in no way inferior to the outspoken ministers Kuan
... Lung-feng and Pi Kan of old. I am like the thousand-armed
... Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, the bodhisattva of great
... compassion, who strives to rescue at once all the beings
... confined to the hell of incessant suffering.
...
... WHEN SEVERAL CHILDREN ARE CAUGHT IN A FIRE, THOUGH THE
... PARENTS WISH TO SAVE THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME, HAVING
... ONLY TWO ARMS, THEY MUST DECIDE WHICH CHILD TO SAVE FIRST
... AND WHICH TO LEAVE UNTIL AFTER. THE LOTUS SUTRA IS A
... PARENT WITH A THOUSAND ARMS, TEN THOUSAND ARMS, OR A
... MILLION ARMS. THE SUTRAS PREACHED BEFORE THE LOTUS SUTRA
... HAVE ONLY ONE OR TWO ARMS, AS IT WERE. BUT THE LOTUS
... SUTRA, THROUGH WHICH THE BUDDHA HAS “CONVERTED ALL LIVING
... BEINGS AND CAUSED THEM ALL TO ENTER THE BUDDHA WAY,” IS
... A BODHISATTVA WITH INNUMERABLE ARMS.

Challenging Iain's depictions of these "phobias", Nichiren Daishonin warns his followers to be truly fearful of slander of the Law, outlining the punishments that go on and on ...

From "Reply to Hoshina Gōrō Tarō", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/15#para-14
... The Great Teacher Miao-lo states, “I call upon those with
... eyes to examine this thoroughly.” Is one not without
... eyes who regards the Lotus Sutra as inferior to the
... Flower Garland Sutra? The Nirvana Sutra reads, “If there
... are persons who slander the correct teaching of the
... Buddha, their tongues should be cut off.” Ah, how pitiful
... that those slandering tongues will utter no words in
... world after world, and that the eyes clouded by false
... views will fall out in lifetime after lifetime, seeing
... nothing! Moreover, the Lotus Sutra says: “If a person
... fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra . . .
... When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avīchi
... hell.” IF THIS STATEMENT IS VALID, KŌBŌ WILL SURELY FALL
... INTO THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING
... WHERE HE WILL UNDERGO AGONY FOR IMMEASURABLE MILLIONS OF
... KALPAS. YOU SHOULD ALSO RECOGNIZE THE FATE OF SHAN-TAO
... AND HŌNEN THROUGH HIS EXAMPLE. WHO AMONG THOSE ENDOWED
... WITH WISDOM WILL DIP INTO THE STREAM OF SUCH SLANDEROUS
... TEACHINGS AND BE CONSUMED TOGETHER WITH THESE MEN IN THE
... FLAMES OF THE AVĪCHI HELL? TRULY, THE PRACTITIONERS OF
... BUDDHISM SHOULD FEAR THIS. THESE ARE ALL PERSONS OF
... PROFOUNDLY DISTORTED VIEWS. IN THIS CONNECTION, WE FIND,
... AMONG THE TRUE AND GOLDEN WORDS OF THE THUS COME ONE:
... “[THIS DEVIL KING PĀPĪYAS WILL IN TIME TRY] TO DESTROY
... THE CORRECT TEACHING OF MINE. HE WILL BE LIKE A HUNTER
... WHO WRAPS HIS BODY IN A PRIESTLY ROBE. HE WILL CHANGE HIS
... FORM INTO THAT OF A STREAM-WINNER, A ONCE-RETURNER, A
... NON-RETURNER, AN ARHAT, A PRATYEKABUDDHA, OR A BUDDHA,
... AND WILL TRY TO DESTROY THE CORRECT TEACHING OF MINE.”

And those punishments apply to those slandering the Law and also those attacking the Sangha that faithfully propagates the Law correctly. From "Embracing the Lotus Sutra", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/8#para-41

... TO IGNORE THE SUPREMACY OF THE LOTUS SUTRA AND ASSERT THAT
... OTHER SUTRAS STAND ON A PAR WITH IT IS TO COMMIT THE WORST
... POSSIBLE SLANDER OF THE LAW, A MAJOR OFFENSE OF THE UTMOST
... GRAVITY. NO ANALOGY COULD SUFFICE TO ILLUSTRATE IT. THE
... BUDDHAS, FOR ALL THEIR POWERS OF MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION,
... COULD NEVER FINISH DESCRIBING ITS CONSEQUENCES, AND THE
... BODHISATTVAS, WITH ALL THE WISDOM AT THEIR COMMAND, COULD
... NOT FATHOM ITS IMMENSITY. THUS, THE “SIMILE AND PARABLE”
... CHAPTER OF THE LOTUS SUTRA SAYS, “IF I WERE TO DESCRIBE
... THE PUNISHMENTS [THAT FALL ON PERSONS WHO SLANDER THIS
... SUTRA], I COULD EXHAUST A KALPA AND NEVER COME TO THE
... END.” THIS PASSAGE MEANS THAT NOT EVEN A WHOLE KALPA WOULD
... BE TIME ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN THE FULL GRAVITY OF THE OFFENSE
... OF A PERSON WHO ACTS EVEN ONCE AGAINST THE LOTUS SUTRA.
...
... For this reason, a person who commits this offense will
... never be able to hear the preaching of the Buddhas of the
... three existences, and will be cut off from the doctrines
... of the Thus Come Ones, who are as numerous as the sands of
... the Ganges. Such a person will move from darkness into
... greater darkness. How could he escape the pains and
... sufferings of the great citadel of the Avīchi hell? Could
... a thoughtful person fail to dread the prospect of lengthy
... kalpas of misery?
...
... THUS THE SUTRA STATES, “IF THIS PERSON . . . ON SEEING
... THOSE WHO READ, RECITE, COPY, AND UPHOLD THIS SUTRA,
... SHOULD DESPISE, HATE, ENVY, OR BEAR GRUDGES AGAINST THEM .
... . . WHEN HIS LIFE COMES TO AN END HE WILL ENTER THE AVĪCHI
... HELL.” THIS PASSAGE MEANS THAT A PERSON WHO DESPISES,
... LOOKS DOWN ON, HATES, ENVIES, OR HOLDS A GRUDGE AGAINST
... THOSE WHO READ AND EMBRACE THE LOTUS SUTRA WILL FALL INTO
... THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE AVĪCHI HELL AFTER HE DIES. WHO
... COULD HELP BUT FEAR THESE GOLDEN WORDS OF THE GREAT SAGE?
... AND WHO COULD DOUBT THE CLEAR-CUT PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE
... BUDDHA WHEN HE SAID, “HONESTLY DISCARDING EXPEDIENT MEANS,
... [I WILL PREACH ONLY THE UNSURPASSED WAY]”?

In "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land", WND I, Nichiren Daishonin, speaking as the host, strictly explains the matter of punishment to the guest, who is questioning why the punishments are so severe. You should listen to the hosts words, Iain, as if he were speaking directly to you. He declares his only hatred is for the act of slandering the Law.

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/2#para-101

... If we stop to consider, we must realize that, regardless
... of whether one is good or bad, right or wrong, if he is a
... priest, then he deserves to have alms and nourishment
... extended to him. For how could one beat and insult the son
... and still not cause grief and sorrow to the father? The
... Brahmans of the Bamboo Staff school who killed the
... Venerable Maudgalyāyana have for a long time been sunk in
... the depths of the hell of incessant suffering. Because
... Devadatta murdered the nun Utpalavarnā, he has for a long
... time gasped in the flames of the Avīchi hell. Examples
... from earlier ages make the matter perfectly clear, and
... later ages fear this offense most of all. You speak of
... punishing those who slander the Law, but to do so would
... violate the Buddha’s prohibitions. I can hardly believe
... that such a course would be right. How can you justify that?
...
... The host said: You have clearly seen the sutra passages
... that I have cited, and yet you can ask a question like
... that! Are they beyond the power of your mind to
... comprehend? Or do you fail to understand the reasoning
... behind them? I certainly have no intention of censuring
... the sons of the Buddha. MY ONLY HATRED IS FOR THE ACT OF
... SLANDERING THE LAW. According to the Buddhist teachings,
... prior to Shakyamuni slanderous monks would have incurred
... the death penalty. But since the time of Shakyamuni, the
... One Who Can Endure, the giving of alms to slanderous monks
... is forbidden in the sutra teachings. Now if all the four
... kinds of Buddhists within the four seas and the ten
... thousand lands would only cease giving alms to wicked
... priests and instead all come over to the side of the good,
... then how could any more troubles rise to plague us, or
... disasters come to confront us?

Written 27 years after first chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nichiren Daishonin writes about four kinds of punishment: general and individual, conspicuous and inconspicuous. He indicates that responding to the challenges posed by those facing these kinds of punishments takes the courage of the Lion King. From "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/138#para-5
... In the past, and in the present Latter Day of the Law, the
... rulers, high ministers, and people who despise the
... votaries of the Lotus Sutra seem to be free from
... punishment at first, but eventually they are all doomed to
... fall. The same is true in the case of Nichiren. There
... seemed at first to be no signs of protection for me. The
... gods who vowed to protect the Lotus Sutra, however—Brahmā,
... Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four
... heavenly kings—by now have realized in terror that if they
... leave their oath to the Buddha unfulfilled, as they have
... done for these twenty-seven years, they will fall into the
... great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering.
... Consequently each of them is now striving to carry out his
... vow. The deaths of Ōta Chikamasa, Nagasaki Jirō Hyōe-no-jō
... Tokitsuna, and Daishin-bō, who was thrown from his
... horses, can be seen as punishment for their treachery
... against the Lotus Sutra. THERE ARE FOUR KINDS OF
... PUNISHMENT: GENERAL AND INDIVIDUAL, CONSPICUOUS AND
... INCONSPICUOUS. THE EPIDEMICS AND FAMINES THAT HAVE
... ATTACKED JAPAN, AS WELL AS THE STRIFE WITHIN THE RULING
... CLAN AND THE FOREIGN INVASION, ARE GENERAL PUNISHMENT.
... EPIDEMICS ARE A FORM OF INCONSPICUOUS PUNISHMENT. THE
... DEATHS OF ŌTA AND THE OTHERS ARE BOTH CONSPICUOUS AND
... INDIVIDUAL.
...
... EACH OF YOU SHOULD SUMMON UP THE COURAGE OF A LION KING
... AND NEVER SUCCUMB TO THREATS FROM ANYONE. THE LION KING
... FEARS NO OTHER BEAST, NOR DO ITS CUBS. SLANDERERS ARE LIKE
... BARKING FOXES, BUT NICHIREN’S FOLLOWERS ARE LIKE ROARING
... LIONS. The lay priest of Saimyō-ji, now deceased, and the
... present ruler permitted my return from my exiles when
... they found that I was innocent of the accusations against
... me. The present ruler shall no longer take action on any
... charge without confirming its truth. You may rest assured
... that nothing, not even a person possessed by a powerful
... demon, can harm Nichiren, because Brahmā, Shakra, the gods
... of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, the Sun
... Goddess, and Hachiman are safeguarding him. Strengthen
... your faith day by day and month after month. Should you
... slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take
... advantage.
...
... WE COMMON MORTALS ARE SO FOOLISH THAT WE DO NOT FEAR
... EITHER THE WARNINGS IN THE SUTRAS AND TREATISES, OR THOSE
... THINGS THAT SEEM SOMEWHAT REMOVED FROM US. When Hei no
... Saemon and Akitajō-no-suke, in their anger, wreak havoc
... upon us, you must demonstrate a firm resolve. Men are now
... being sent to Tsukushi [to fight the Mongols]; consider
... yourselves in the same position as those who are on their
... way or are already at the fortifications. So far our
... believers have not experienced sorrows of that sort. The
... warriors in Tsukushi, however, now face a dreadful fate,
... and if they are killed in battle, they are doomed to fall
... into hell. Although at present we are encountering the
... severe trials of persecution, in our next life we will
... become Buddhas. OUR PRESENT TRIBULATIONS ARE LIKE
... MOXIBUSTION; AT THE TIME, IT IS PAINFUL, BUT BECAUSE IT
... HAS BENEFICIAL AFTEREFFECTS, THE PAIN IS NOT REALLY PAIN.

In this passage from "Letter from Sado", WND I, Nichiren Daishonin writes about the confusion regarding Buddhism in his time, and in ours there is not less confusion. Then he explains why the heart of the lion is needed to fight for the true teaching, and against the false and corrupt teachings that have powerful and aggressive followers, such as Zen.

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/32#para-4

... Buddhism should be spread by the method of either shōju or
... shakubuku, depending on the age. These are analogous to
... the two worldly ways of the literary and the military. The
... great sages of old practiced the Buddhist teachings as
... befitted the times. The boy Snow Mountains and Prince
... Sattva offered their bodies when urged that by doing so
... they would hear the teaching in return, and that
... giving one’s life constitutes bodhisattva practice. But
... should one sacrifice one’s life at a time when it is not
... required? In an age when there is no paper, one should use
... one’s own skin. In an age when there are no writing
... brushes, one should use one’s own bones. In an age when
... people honor the observers of the precepts and the
... practitioners of the correct teaching while they denounce
... those who break or ignore the precepts, one should
... strictly follow the precepts. In an age when Confucianism
... or Taoism is used to suppress Shakyamuni’s teachings, one
... should risk one’s life to remonstrate with the emperor, as
... did the Dharma teachers Tao-an and Hui-yüan and the
... Tripitaka Master Fa-tao. In an age when people confuse
... Hinayana and Mahayana teachings, provisional and true
... teachings, or exoteric and esoteric doctrines, as though
... unable to distinguish gems from tiles and stones or cow’s
... milk from donkey’s milk, one should strictly
... differentiate between them, following the example of the
... great teachers T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō.
...
... IT IS THE NATURE OF BEASTS TO THREATEN THE WEAK AND FEAR
... THE STRONG. OUR CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARS OF THE VARIOUS
... SCHOOLS ARE JUST LIKE THEM. THEY DESPISE A WISE MAN
... WITHOUT POWER, BUT FEAR EVIL RULERS. THEY ARE NO MORE THAN
... FAWNING RETAINERS. ONLY BY DEFEATING A POWERFUL ENEMY CAN
... ONE PROVE ONE’S REAL STRENGTH. WHEN AN EVIL RULER IN
... CONSORT WITH PRIESTS OF ERRONEOUS TEACHINGS TRIES TO
... DESTROY THE CORRECT TEACHING AND DO AWAY WITH A MAN OF
... WISDOM, THOSE WITH THE HEART OF A LION KING ARE SURE TO
... ATTAIN BUDDHAHOOD. LIKE NICHIREN, FOR EXAMPLE. I SAY THIS
... NOT OUT OF ARROGANCE, BUT BECAUSE I AM DEEPLY COMMITTED TO
... THE CORRECT TEACHING. AN ARROGANT PERSON WILL ALWAYS BE
... OVERCOME WITH FEAR WHEN MEETING A STRONG ENEMY, AS WAS THE
... HAUGHTY ASURA WHO SHRANK IN SIZE AND HID HIMSELF IN A
... LOTUS BLOSSOM IN HEAT-FREE LAKE WHEN REPROACHED BY SHAKRA.
... Even a word or a phrase of the correct teaching will
... enable one to gain the way, if it suits the time and the
... capacity of the people. But though one studies a thousand
... sutras and ten thousand treatises, one will not attain
... Buddhahood if these teachings are unsuitable for the time
... and the people’s capacity.

In the Gosho letter "Wu-lung and I-lung", WND I below, Nichiren Daishonin deals with an example of a situation where slander of the Law is incurred at the death of a father with ceremonies based on teachings other than the Lotus Sutra. The Daishonin explains that the father's eternal life will be based on the meretorious practice of the daughter and the slanderous ceremonies will not have the deleterious effect that they might otherwise have had.

However, Nichiren Daishonin DOES NOT counsel her to join in with those slanderers and practicers of evil. In fact, it is her attitude of concern over the issue of slander of the Law that he praises. Be like her, Iain.

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/162#para-2

... In your letter you mention the anniversary of the passing
... of your compassionate father, the lay priest Matsuno
... Rokurō Saemon. You say, “Since he left many sons behind,
... memorial services for him will be conducted in as many
... different ways. I fear, however, that such ceremonies will
... be slanderous unless strictly based on the Lotus Sutra.”
... Shakyamuni Buddha’s golden teaching states, “The
... World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now
... must reveal the truth.” The Buddha Many Treasures gave
... testimony, declaring, “The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful
... Law . . . all that you [Shakyamuni] have expounded is the
... truth!” And the Buddhas of the ten directions gave
... credence to the sutra’s verity by extending their tongues
... to the Brahmā heaven.
...
... ...
...
... I-lung said, “It was my hand that wrote the titles. How
... could you have been saved? Moreover, I did not write them
... with sincerity. How could it possibly have helped you?”
... His father replied: “HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE! YOUR HAND IS MY
... HAND, AND YOUR BODY IS MY BODY. THE CHARACTERS YOU WRITE
... ARE THE CHARACTERS I WRITE. ALTHOUGH YOU HAD NO FAITH IN
... YOUR HEART, YOU NEVERTHELESS WROTE THE TITLES WITH YOUR
... HAND. THEREFORE, I HAVE ALREADY BEEN SAVED. THINK OF A
... CHILD WHO SETS FIRE TO SOMETHING AND, WITHOUT THE LEAST
... INTENTION OF DOING SO, CAUSES IT TO BE BURNED. THE SAME
... HOLDS TRUE WITH THE LOTUS SUTRA. IF ONE PROFESSES FAITH IN
... IT, ONE WILL SURELY BECOME A BUDDHA, EVEN THOUGH ONE MAY
... NOT EXPECT IT IN THE LEAST. NOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS
... PRINCIPLE, NEVER SLANDER THE LOTUS SUTRA. Since we are
... among the laity, however, we are in a better position to
... repent of our past slanderous words, no matter how grave
... they may have been.”
...
... I-lung reported all this to the ruler. The ruler said, “My
... wish has been answered with splendid results.” From then
... on, I-lung basked increasingly in the royal favor, and the
... entire populace of the country came to revere the Lotus
... Sutra.
...
... The late Gorō and the late lay priest Matsuno were,
... respectively, your son and father. YOU ARE THE LAY
... PRIEST’S DAUGHTER. I BELIEVE, THEREFORE, THAT HE MUST AT
... THIS VERY MOMENT BE IN THE INNER COURT OF THE TUSHITA
... HEAVEN. HŌKI-BŌ WILL READ AND EXPLAIN THIS LETTER TO
... YOU. Since I wrote in haste, it was impossible to furnish
... details.

Iain, you can complain all you want about your relationship with the ruler who has given you the message to deliver (see the below passage.) In the end you will either deliver the full content of Nichiren's unaltered message from the Lotus Sutra, or remain a traitor to the Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra.

What you are preaching now in your brand new Iain school, the practice of effectively "just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and focus on the Lotus Sutra" is not what Nichiren teaches, no matter how you twist his words (and you are one hell of a good twister of words, Iain.)

Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra both teach the way of shakubuku. Shakubuku is NOT the propagation of slander and distortions of the Lotus Sutra, which is what it would be to be propagating the Daimoku and the Lotus Sutra without its protection from corruption, distortion, appropriating and plagiarism of the Lotus Sutra. That protection from slander of the Law is shakubuku and that practice must be propagated along with the Lotus Sutra and its Daimoku, otherwise slander of the Law will invariably result.

From "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude"

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/88#para-33

... If, out of awe of these great teachers of the past, I
... should simply point at their latter-day followers and call
... them enemies of the Buddha, then these latter-day
... followers of the various schools would say: “The assertion
... that the Mahāvairochana Sutra is superior to the Lotus
... Sutra is not something that we ourselves invented on our
... own. It is the doctrine taught by the patriarchs of our
... school. Though we may be no match for them in observing
... the precepts, in wisdom and understanding, or in status,
... when it comes to the doctrines that they taught, we never
... diverge from them in the slightest.” And in that case, one
... would have to admit that they are guilty of no fault.
...
... NEVERTHELESS, IF I KNOW THAT THIS ASSERTION IS FALSE AND
... YET, OUT OF FEAR OF OTHERS, I FAIL TO SAY SO, THEN I WILL
... BE IGNORING THE STERN WARNING OF THE BUDDHA, WHO SAID,
... “[IT IS LIKE A ROYAL ENVOY WHO] WOULD RATHER, EVEN THOUGH
... IT COSTS HIM HIS LIFE, IN THE END CONCEAL NONE OF THE
... WORDS OF HIS RULER.”
...
... WHAT AM I TO DO? IF I SPEAK UP, I FACE FEARFUL OPPOSITION
... FROM THE WORLD AT LARGE. BUT IF I AM SILENT, I CAN HARDLY
... ESCAPE THE CONDEMNATION OF FAILING TO HEED THE BUDDHA’S
... STERN WARNING. FORWARD OR BACKWARD, MY WAY IS BLOCKED.
...
... YET PERHAPS IT IS ONLY TO BE EXPECTED. FOR, AS THE LOTUS
... SUTRA STATES, “SINCE HATRED AND JEALOUSY TOWARD THIS SUTRA
... ABOUND EVEN WHEN THE THUS COME ONE IS IN THE WORLD, HOW
... MUCH MORE WILL THIS BE SO AFTER HIS PASSING?” AGAIN
... ELSEWHERE, “IT WILL FACE MUCH HOSTILITY IN THE WORLD AND
... BE DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE.”

Leaving the Lotus Sutra unprotected by refusing to refute slander of the Law IS slander of the Law. And it is cowardice, as well. To attain supreme perfect enlightenment, you must be a heroic protector of the Lotus Sutra, like Nichiren Daishonin. That means being fearful of slander and then dealing with it, when it presents itself in a challenge to your buddhahood.

From "Condolences on a Deceased Husband", WND II

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/299#para-49
... Unless I had some astute plan in mind, it seemed best to
... remain silent and not to speak out. And yet in the classics
... of non-Buddhist literature it is said that if a worthy man
... knows that the world faces destruction and fails to speak
... out, then he is a mere toady, a sycophant, a person with no
... sense of obligation. Therefore the worthy men Kuan
... Lung-feng and Pi Kan spoke out fearlessly on matters that
... concerned the safety of the nation, even though it meant
... that Kuan Lung-feng’s head was cut off and Pi Kan’s breast
... torn open.
...
... TURNING TO BUDDHIST LITERATURE, WE FIND THAT THE BUDDHA HAS
... WARNED THAT, IF A PERSON SEES AN ENEMY OF THE LOTUS SUTRA
... BUT FAILS TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST HIM BECAUSE OF FEAR OF THE
... WORLD, THEN HE IS A FOE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA. NO MATTER HOW
... WISE OR GOOD HE MAY BE, HE WILL ASSUREDLY FALL INTO THE
... HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING. SUCH A PERSON IS LIKE A SON
... WHO SEES SOMEONE ABOUT TO KILL HIS PARENTS BUT FAILS TO
... WARN THEM, OR A MINISTER WHO SEES SOMEONE BRINGING RUIN ON
... HIS SOVEREIGN BUT, FEARFUL OF THE WORLD, DOES NOT SPEAK OUT
... IN REPRIMAND. SUCH BEHAVIOR THE BUDDHA PROHIBITS.
...
... For this reason, Bodhisattva Āryadeva, who was an envoy of
... the Buddha, was killed by a follower of the non-Buddhist
... teachings; the Venerable Āryasimha had his head cut off by
... King Dammira; the Chinese priest Chu Tao-sheng was driven
... into exile in a mountain in Su-chou; and the priest Fa-tao
... was branded on the face. All these men met with such fates
... because they honored the Buddhist teachings and did not
... quail before the authority of the ruler.

And likewise in "Letter to Akimoto", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-64

... THE BUDDHA HAS CONSTANTLY WARNED US, SAYING THAT, NO
... MATTER HOW GREAT AN OBSERVER OF THE PRECEPTS ONE MAY BE,
... NO MATTER HOW LOFTY IN WISDOM AND WELL VERSED IN THE LOTUS
... SUTRA AND THE OTHER SCRIPTURES, IF ONE SEES AN ENEMY OF
... THE LOTUS SUTRA BUT FAILS TO REBUKE AND DENOUNCE HIM OR
... REPORT HIM TO THE RULER OF THE NATION, INSTEAD KEEPING
... SILENT OUT OF FEAR OF OTHERS, THEN ONE WILL INVARIABLY
... FALL INTO THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT
... SUFFERING. SUPPOSE, BY WAY OF ANALOGY, THAT ONE COMMITS NO
... TREASONABLE ACT ONESELF, BUT KNOWS OF SOMEONE WHO IS
... PLOTTING TREASON. IF ONE FAILS TO INFORM THE RULER, THEN
... ONE IS GUILTY OF THE SAME CRIME AS THE PERSON WHO IS
... PLOTTING TREASON.
...
... THE GREAT TEACHER NAN-YÜEH HAS STATED, “IF ONE SEES A FOE
... OF THE LOTUS SUTRA AND YET FAILS TO CENSURE HIM, ONE
... BECOMES A SLANDERER OF THE LAW AND WILL FALL INTO THE
... HELL OF INCESSANT SUFFERING.” EVEN A MAN OF GREAT
... WISDOM, IF HE SEES SUCH A PERSON AND FAILS TO SPEAK OUT,
... WILL FALL INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE HELL OF INCESSANT
... SUFFERING, AND AS LONG AS THAT HELL SHALL ENDURE, HE WILL
... NEVER ESCAPE.
...
... I, Nichiren, FEARING THESE ADMONITIONS OF THE BUDDHA,
... accordingly accused all those throughout the nation who
... were deserving of it, and more than once I was condemned
... to exile or to death. Believing that my past offenses had
... now been eradicated, and that I was blameless of any
... fault, I left Kamakura to take up residence on this
... mountain, and since then seven years have passed.

Cowards cannot attain the supreme perfect enlightenment of the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. And being a heroic protector of the Lotus Sutra will not likely make you stylish, popular or sexy. From "Letter to Hōren", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/62#para-115

... Question: At what times should one offer one’s body, and
... at what times should one observe the precepts?
...
... Answer: A person of wisdom is one who, understanding the
... time, spreads the teachings of the Lotus Sutra
... accordingly; this is his most important task. If a
... person’s throat is dry, what he needs is water; he has no
... use for bows and arrows, weapons and sticks. If a person
... is naked, he wants a suit of clothes but has no need for
... water. From one or two examples you can guess the
... principle that applies in general.
...
... Suppose there is a great demon who is working to spread
... the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. In such a case one
... should offer one’s own body as alms to the demon; there is
... no need to offer any other food or clothing.
...
... OR SUPPOSE THERE IS AN EVIL RULER WHO IS BENT UPON
... DESTROYING THE TEACHINGS OF THE LOTUS SUTRA. IN SUCH A
... CASE, EVEN AT THE COST OF ONE’S LIFE ONE MUST NOT OBEY
... HIM. AND IF THERE SHOULD BE EMINENT PRIESTS WHO KEEP THE
... PRECEPTS AND PRACTICE RELIGIOUS AUSTERITIES, AND WHO
... APPEAR TO BE SPREADING THE TEACHINGS OF THE LOTUS SUTRA
... BUT ARE, IN FACT, SUBVERTING THEM, YOU SHOULD PERCEIVE THE
... TRUTH OF THE MATTER AND REPRIMAND THEM.
...
... The Lotus Sutra says, “We care nothing for our bodies or
... lives but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way.” And
... the Nirvana Sutra states, “It is like a royal envoy who .
... . . would rather, even though it costs him his life, in
... the end conceal none of the words of his ruler.” The Great
... Teacher Chang-an commented on this: “‘[A royal envoy . . .
... would rather], even though it costs him his life, in the
... end conceal none of the words of his ruler’ means that
... one’s body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. One
... should give one’s life in order to propagate the
... Law.”
...
... JUDGING FROM OUTWARD APPEARANCES, AT PRESENT I, NICHIREN,
... AM THE MOST PERVERSE MAN IN ALL OF JAPAN. AMONG A HUNDRED,
... A THOUSAND, TEN THOUSAND, OR A MILLION PEOPLE OF THE FOUR
... CATEGORIES OF BELIEVERS IN THE SIXTY-SIX PROVINCES AND TWO
... OUTLYING ISLANDS OF OUR COUNTRY, I AM DETESTED BY THE
... ENTIRE POPULACE OF BOTH HIGH AND LOW STATION. IN THE SEVEN
... HUNDRED OR MORE YEARS SINCE THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
... WERE FIRST INTRODUCED TO JAPAN, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN
... ANYONE WHO WAS HATED TO SUCH A DEGREE BECAUSE OF THE LOTUS
... SUTRA. I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT SUCH PERSONS EXISTED IN
... INDIA OR CHINA, NOR DO I BELIEVE THAT THEY COULD HAVE
... EXISTED. THUS, I AM THE MOST PERVERSE MAN IN THE ENTIRE
... LAND OF JAMBUDVĪPA.
...
... Because of this, even my own kindred dare not visit me, to
... say nothing of those who are not related to me. They fear
... the authority of the government officials and regard with
... apprehension the sneers of the populace. Persons who have
... been helped by me, not only in religious matters but in
... secular affairs as well, fearful of the eyes of others and
... hoping thereby to put an end to talk, make a show of
... condemning me, though I do not think they do so in their
... hearts.

As I wrote this, I had a brush with death on Friday going to work at 6:20 AM. I acquired some cosmetic injuries and a couple of broken bones, but thankfully it was no where near what it could have been. I saw this coming from some ways off, but the lessening of karmic retribution from Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is truly the most wonderful thing. I sleep in the palm of the Buddha.

It is so important to keep chanting and fighting until the moment of your death. From "On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/42#para-20
... LIFE FLASHES BY IN BUT A MOMENT. NO MATTER HOW MANY
... TERRIBLE ENEMIES YOU MAY ENCOUNTER, BANISH ALL FEARS AND
... NEVER THINK OF BACKSLIDING. EVEN IF SOMEONE WERE TO CUT
... OFF OUR HEADS WITH A SAW, IMPALE OUR BODIES WITH LANCES,
... OR SHACKLE OUR FEET AND BORE THEM THROUGH WITH A GIMLET,
... AS LONG AS WE ARE ALIVE, WE MUST KEEP CHANTING
... NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. THEN, IF WE
... CHANT UNTIL THE VERY MOMENT OF DEATH, SHAKYAMUNI, MANY
... TREASURES, AND THE BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS WILL COME
... TO US INSTANTLY, EXACTLY AS THEY PROMISED DURING THE
... CEREMONY AT EAGLE PEAK. Taking our hands and bearing us on
... their shoulders, they will carry us to Eagle Peak. The two
... sages, the two heavenly kings, and the ten demon
... daughters will guard us, while all the heavenly gods and
... benevolent deities will raise a canopy over our heads and
... unfurl banners on high. They will escort us under their
... protection to the treasure land of Tranquil Light. How can
... such joy possibly be described!

I trust the Gohonzon absolutely and without limit. I will act in faith with the courage of a lion, no matter what occurs. From "Reply to Kyō’ō", WND I

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/45#para-2
... Since I heard from you about Kyō’ō, I have been praying to
... the gods of the sun and moon for her every moment of the
... day. ALWAYS CHERISH THE GOHONZON THAT I GAVE YOU SOME TIME
... AGO FOR HER PROTECTION. THE GOHONZON WAS NEVER KNOWN, LET
... ALONE INSCRIBED, BY ANYONE IN THE FORMER OR MIDDLE DAY OF
... THE LAW. THE LION KING IS SAID TO ADVANCE THREE STEPS,
... THEN GATHER HIMSELF TO SPRING, UNLEASHING THE SAME POWER
... WHETHER HE TRAPS A TINY ANT OR ATTACKS A FIERCE ANIMAL. IN
... INSCRIBING THIS GOHONZON FOR HER PROTECTION, NICHIREN WAS
... LIKE THE LION KING. THIS IS WHAT THE SUTRA MEANS BY “THE
... POWER [OF THE BUDDHAS] THAT HAS THE LION’S FEROCITY.”
... BELIEVE IN THIS MANDALA WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
... NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO IS LIKE THE ROAR OF A LION. WHAT
... SICKNESS CAN THEREFORE BE AN OBSTACLE?
...
... It is written that those who embrace the daimoku of the
... Lotus Sutra will be protected by the Mother of Demon
... Children and by the ten demon daughters. Such persons will
... enjoy the happiness of the wisdom king Craving-Filled and
... the good fortune of the heavenly king Vaishravana.
... Wherever your daughter may frolic or play, no harm will
... come to her; she will move about without fear like the
... lion king. Among the ten demon daughters, the protection
... of Kuntī is the most profound. BUT YOUR FAITH ALONE WILL
... DETERMINE ALL THESE THINGS. A SWORD IS USELESS IN THE
... HANDS OF A COWARD. THE MIGHTY SWORD OF THE LOTUS SUTRA
... MUST BE WIELDED BY ONE COURAGEOUS IN FAITH. THEN ONE WILL
... BE AS STRONG AS A DEMON ARMED WITH AN IRON STAFF. I,
... NICHIREN, HAVE INSCRIBED MY LIFE IN SUMI INK, SO BELIEVE
... IN THE GOHONZON WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART. THE BUDDHA’S WILL
... IS THE LOTUS SUTRA, BUT THE SOUL OF NICHIREN IS NOTHING
... OTHER THAN NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. MIAO-LO STATES IN HIS
... COMMENTARY THAT THE HEART OF THIS SUTRA IS THE REVELATION
... OF THE BUDDHA’S ORIGINAL ENLIGHTENMENT AND HIS
... IMMEASURABLE LIFE SPAN.

Those fears of Nichiren Daishonin and Shakymuni Buddha, which are shared gratefully by myself and others are real. It is irrational to ignore them. You can disagree if you want, Iain, but you should be real careful of just who you make light of.

-Chas.

[kahlei...@gmail.com]

Starts so wonderfully....

[Katie Higgins]

" the poison has penetrated deeply "

Chas' mind no longer functions as before he began to slander sincere followers of Nichiren😬

~Katie 💃

[Chas.]

Functioning excellently, thank you.
__________________________________________

Iain and Katie learn about the common mortal, the true aspect vs. statues, and mentor and disciple +

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/q5KquzMkPUk/wC0sjQuuBAAJ

On Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 9:40:36 AM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
||| Stick to the point Chas, you have 8 points outstanding
||| that you are avoiding addressing based on Gosho. Your
||| attempts to divert discussion to another irrelevant track
||| are noted.
|||
||| Readers can decide for themselves the extent to which
||| your over generalised assertions about scientists and
||| scholars are correct based on the fact that the airplanes
||| the fly in generally but not always take off, stay in the
||| air and land safely.
|||

Bernoulli's principle which underlies lift is well understood. It has to do with the mean free path of the random walk of particles in a gas which is always largest in the direction of low density (less traffic.)

||| How does that happen, ah yes scholarly and scientific
||| rigor. The computers and the net they use are products of
||| quantum mechanical understandings of the world. How does
||| that happen? Oh yes the same rigor.
|||

However, quantum mechanics is the least understood of all disciplines, even by the best. Feynman would often remark that we know the general rules that Mother Nature operates by, but they are mighty strange and no one understands why she does things the way she does. This is even more true now as we mix quantum mechanics with relativity in small areas. Did you know that an un-accelerated observer looking at a vacuum sees only occasional virtual particles being created and destroyed, but an observer under strong acceleration sees the vacuum filled with particles?

There is even a rocket engine that appears to work that uses these virtual particles as reaction mass. The world is mighty strange indeed, and few would profess to have the kind of deep understanding that would allow anyone to have blind faith in one scholar.

||| The fact that they can now often survive what were once
||| terminal illnesses because of advances in medical
||| science, how does that happen? Oh yes, the same rigor.
|||

The most effective of modern medicines extracted from natural sources are used, but little understood in terms of why they work and others like them don't, an exception to this is CRISPR and other synthetic approaches which we understand quite well, precisely because we made them with a purpose. The purposes and intent of the plants, fungi and animals we get most medicines from are not yet clear to us. We just have found them to be effective in certain cases, under certain regimes.

||| If Jacqueline Stone is such a poor scholar, because she
||| happens to present an argument and information that is
||| inconvenient to your fantasy view of the world, how come
||| she was good enough to help translate the very writings
||| you have relied upon for so many years? Why did SGI
||| employ her?
|||

I don't remember analyzing that scholar or any other. What I am challenging is your blind trust in one academic source in probably what is the softest of sciences: Buddhist historiography. The academy in that discipline is filled with Theravada/Hinayana scholars who cannot be trusted. They regularly ignore physical evidence in favor of their cherished beliefs, which are distortions of the truth.

||| But that's besides the point isn't it? Because you
||| can't quote Gosho to support your case and even the Oral
||| Record doctrine you have quoted undermines it.
|||
||| I'll say again, if we are all "born a buddha", which is
||| your sentence not mine, what need for Shayamuni, Nichiren
||| etc. what need for activities for kosen rufu?
|||

I showed this to you before in part, but you ignored it, which is the main reasons you still have eight points for me: such is my Sisyphean role in this Greek tragedy. I will continue to roll the stone up the hill of your ignorance, however.

This time I will walk you through it, both highlighting and inserting commentary, so that you cannot miss the point. ("Hope springs eternal", said Sisyphus under the watchful eye of Persephone)

From "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND I, p. 383-385:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-3

... NO ONE BUT NICHIREN has ever revealed teachings like these.
... Though T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyō knew about them in
... their hearts, they never put them into words. They went
... about their lives keeping this knowledge to themselves. And
... there was good reason for this. The Buddha had not
... entrusted them with the task, the time had not yet come,
... and they had not been the Buddha’s disciples from the
... distant past. Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices,
... and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among
... the Bodhisattvas of the Earth cannot only appear during the
... first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law and
... spread the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the essence
... of all phenomena, BUT ALSO GIVE CONCRETE FORM TO THE
... CEREMONY OF THE TWO BUDDHAS SEATED SIDE BY SIDE IN THE
... TREASURE TOWER. The reason is that what they are to spread
... and give concrete form to is none other than the teaching
... of the actual three thousand realms in a single moment of
... life in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching.
...

1. "No one but Nichiren" has revealed these teachings, not even Shakyamuni, Lord of Teachings, who is negatively included with all others in the phrase "no one".

It was no one else's mission, but Nichiren Daishonin to reveal the highest truth hidden at the heart of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin explains this in various other places as due to the time, however, it is also due to who Nichiren Daishonin is.

Nichiren Daishonin is the man for that moment, who turns that wheel that makes the new era of the Latter Day of the Law or Mappo, by revealing the truth that no one else can reveal.

This is the man Iain calls a "latter commentator", and who I call Daishonin or True Buddha. Nichiren Daishonin is the revealer, not the commentator, oddly, that role is left to Shakyamuni who predicted Nichiren Daishonin's revelation of the heart of the Lotus Sutra: the heart of the highest teaching.

The heart of the highest teaching that he reveals is not indicated directly in any quote in the Lotus Sutra, such that you can actually logically prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that what Nichiren Daishonin reveals is the truth.

The truth of the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra, as in all far lesser religious truths, is not logically deduced or induced, but is based on faith alone: however, in both the Western and Eastern worlds, Reason includes both Logic AND Faith.

Hence, faith-based logic is reasonable, unless you are without faith, then that logic is not reasonable and makes no sense whatsoever.

Faith in this case implies practice, you have to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to come to believe in it and experience the result to gain faith.

2. However, before you can have faith in the power of the daimoku, you had to have faith in Nichiren Daishonin, who reveals that highest truth, you would have to have faith in the mentor, that he is revealing to you, the disciple, the absolute truth and nothing else. Otherwise, your practice of the Lotus Sutra would be Tendai, and simple recitation of its chapters to your statues.

Not having faith in Nichiren Daishonin, since you had never heard of him, you had to have faith in the mentor that introduced you, or taught you to chant, or led the first district meeting you went to, or ... whoever the bodhisattva was: that person had faith in the daimoku, the Gohonzon and hence, that Nichiren Daishonin was in fact, completely right! The disciple first receives faith in the veracity of Nichiren Daishonin (or an echo of it) from their mentor.

3. "Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth ..." "... also give concrete form to the ceremony of the two Buddhas seated side by side in the treasure tower." That concrete form is the Gohonzon, the highest object of worship.

Shakyamuni not only cannot reveal the highest teaching ... also, he cannot enscribe the Gohonzon.

Why? Because it is not his mission given by the eternal Buddha. That was given to the very first of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Nichiren Daishonin, as the embodiment of Superior Practices, or Jogyo.

This means you either trust what Nichiren Daishonin says and choose the Gohonzon as your highest object of worship to chant the daimoku to, or distrust Nichiren Daishonin and chant the daimoku to your statues. You will however, have to choose which path to take, with hell to pay upon your mistaken choice.

... THEREFORE, THE TWO BUDDHAS, SHAKYAMUNI AND MANY TREASURES,
... ARE BUDDHAS WHO ARE FUNCTIONS [OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO]. IT IS
... MYOHO-RENGE-KYO THAT IS THE TRUE BUDDHA. This is what is
... described in the sutra as “the Thus Come One’s secret and
... his transcendental powers.” THE “THUS COME ONE’S SECRET”
... REFERS TO THE ENTITY OF THE BUDDHA’S THREE BODIES, AND IT
... REFERS TO THE TRUE BUDDHA. “His transcendental powers”
... refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers
... to provisional Buddhas. A COMMON MORTAL IS AN ENTITY OF THE
... THREE BODIES, AND A TRUE BUDDHA. A Buddha is a function of
... the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case,
... though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the
... three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the
... sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. ON THE
... CONTRARY, IT IS COMMON MORTALS WHO ENDOW HIM WITH THE THREE
... VIRTUES.
...

4. "Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is Myoho-renge-kyo that is the true Buddha."

Shakyamuni (and Taho) are functions of the eternal Buddha, Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which we invoke in the daimoku.

Is that crystal clear? If you chant the daimoku, you have to have faith that Nichiren Daishonin is correct, otherwise Myoho-Renge-Kyo would not be the eternal Buddha: and if you accept that, then Shakyamuni would not be a function of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

You cannot have it both ways, you must give up the supremacy of Shakyamuni and stop chanting to images of him, since you cannot chant the highest teaching hidden in the Lotus Sutra that was revealed by Nichiren Daishonin unless you agree with him on this completely central point. Stop chanting to functions, and chant to the Gohonzon.

5. These three phrases (a through c, below) refer to the common mortal, or true Buddha, which Nichiren Daishonin is, and also you and I as well as every common mortal. Common mortals in the Mappo era, after Nichiren Daishonin revealed the truth, are also Bodhisattvas of the Earth, according to Josei Toda.

Here's the proof of Nichiren Daishonin's point.

a. '“Thus Come One’s secret” refers to the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, and it refers to the true Buddha.'

You can grammatically reconstruct that sentence correctly thus: '“Thus Come One’s secret” refers to the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, AND “Thus Come One’s secret” refers to the true Buddha.' This is because the sentence contains two logical declarations conjoined as a logical tautology (true in all circumstances or interpretations - Wittgenstein).

This is where the logical connection is made between the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, and the true Buddha. The AND means that the logical tautology is dependent on both pieces being conjoined in referential identity (otherwise the reference could not be true to both, because they could not be aliased together.)

Hence,
{the true Buddha = entity of the three bodies.}

b. "A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha."

You can grammatically reconstruct that sentence correctly thus: "A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies AND a common mortal is a true Buddha." This is because the sentence contains two logical declarations conjoined and they are jointly logically tautological in nature. The AND means that the logical tautology is dependent on all three pieces being conjoined in the strong identity "is".

Hence,
{a common mortal = the true Buddha = entity of the three bodies.}

c. "On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him [Shakyamuni] with the three virtues."

You can logically insert the connected declaration (from section b.) into that sentence thus: "On the contrary, it is common mortals {a common mortal = the true Buddha = entity of the three bodies} who endow him [Shakyamuni] with the three virtues."

6. These two phrases (d and e) refer to provisional Buddhas like Shakyamuni, who are functions of the three bodies of the true Buddha.

d. '“His transcendental powers” refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers to provisional Buddhas.'

Similarly, this can be reduced to:
{provisional Buddhas(e.g., Shakyamuni) = functions of the three bodies}

e. 'A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so.'

Finally, this can be reduced to:
[provisional Buddhas(e.g., Shakyamuni) = functions of the {three bodies of {the entity = a common mortal = the true Buddha}}]

Q.E.D.

Any decent logician can verify this result. Find one with no skin in the game, like a Jesuit logic professor.

That suggestion follows the same reasoning whereby the Zen practitioner Burton Watson became part of the effort to translate all the SGI documents along with the Gosho translation committee. He had zero skin in the game with the disputing Nichiren sects, the only exception being his reputation as the world's foremost translator of Japanese and Classical Chinese writings by scholars of that era (Buddhist monks) into English.

Go ahead, challenge his veracity on any phrase in any of the texts he was part of. I'd like to see that.

This is why these translations are correct and those of the various Nichiren temples are not. It's because Sensei went to the top outside expert in the field, and paid a price for that.

... The “Thus Come One” is explained clearly in T’ien-t’ai’s
... commentary as follows: “The Thus Come One is a general
... designation for the Buddhas of the ten directions and the
... three existences, for the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas,
... the true Buddha, and provisional Buddhas.” THE “TRUE
... BUDDHA” HERE MEANS COMMON MORTALS, WHEREAS “PROVISIONAL
... BUDDHAS” MEANS BUDDHAS. However, because of the difference
... between ordinary people and Buddhas that stems from the
... disparity between delusion and enlightenment, ordinary
... people are unaware that they are endowed with both the
... entity and the functions of the three bodies.
...

'The “true Buddha” here means common mortals, whereas “provisional Buddhas” means Buddhas.'

That is another direct quote making this very point again. Clear and straightforward and unmistakable.

The common mortal is the true Buddha, whereas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures in all their eternal glory as inscribed on the Gohonzon, are functions of the entity that is any common mortal enveloped in his or her delusion.

That means that if a statue worshiper really wanted to enshrine a more proper image to chant to, it would be the picture of a drunk or a hooker on the street: better that, than just a FUNCTION of that true Buddha, that very human being.

This is why we don't chant to images, since images cannot have the true aspect, only the Gohonzon has the true aspect, which means without having aspect (from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, without which the Lotus Sutra would lack the clear understanding of true aspect, and would therefore be less complete.)

... “All phenomena” in the sutra refers to the Ten Worlds, and
... the “true aspect,” to what they actually are. THE “TRUE
... ASPECT” IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MYOHO-RENGE-KYO; hence all
... phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Hell’s displaying the form
... of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the
... realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of
... hell. A Buddha displays the form of a Buddha, and a common
... mortal, that of a common mortal. The entities of all
... phenomena are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is the
... meaning of “the true aspect of all phenomena.” T’ien-t’ai
... states that the profound principle of the true aspect is
... the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo. This
... interpretation identifies the phrase “true aspect” with the
... theoretical teaching and “the originally inherent
... Myoho-renge-kyo” with the essential teaching. You should
... ponder this interpretation deep in your heart.
...

'The “true aspect” is another name for Myoho-renge-kyo; hence all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo.'

This is the fruit of the clear understanding of that description of true aspect.

If the true aspect was an image of Shakyamuni, then it could not be Myoho-Renge-Kyo, because Myoho-Renge-Kyo is without aspect, you cannot view it from any point and see an aspect.

Also, then all entities and phenomena could not be the true entity of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, without having the aspect of Shakyamuni, were Shakyamuni's image the true aspect.

All phenomena are the true aspect AND Myoho-Renge-Kyo, precisely because the true aspect means without having the aspect of any specific or particular entity.

This also, BTW explains that passage with all of the negations from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/1#para-23

... his body neither existing nor not existing,
... neither caused nor conditioned, neither self nor other,
... neither square nor round, neither short nor long,
... neither appearing nor disappearing, neither born nor extinguished,
... neither created nor arising, neither acted nor made,
... neither sitting nor lying down, neither walking nor standing,
... neither moving nor turning, neither idle nor still,
... neither advancing nor retreating, neither in safety nor danger,
... neither right nor wrong, neither gaining nor losing,
... neither that nor this, neither departing nor coming,
... neither blue nor yellow, neither red nor white,
... neither crimson nor purple nor any other sort of color

This is all straightforward and clear from the reading of the supreme teaching and the Gosho.

... Although not worthy of the honor, I, Nichiren, was
... nevertheless the first to spread the Mystic Law entrusted
... to Bodhisattva Superior Practices for propagation in the
... Latter Day of the Law. I was also the first, though only
... Bodhisattva Superior Practices is so empowered, to inscribe
... [the object of devotion as] the embodiment of Shakyamuni
... Buddha from the remote past as revealed in the “Life Span”
... chapter of the essential teaching, of Many Treasures Buddha
... who appeared when the “Treasure Tower” chapter of the
... theoretical teaching was preached, and of the Bodhisattvas
... of the Earth who arrived with the “Emerging from the Earth”
... chapter. Though people may hate me, they cannot possibly
... alter the fact of my enlightenment.
...

Nichiren Daishonin enscribed all of those onto the Gohonzon. Not onto an image of Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni could not reveal the daimoku at the heart of the Lotus Sutra, not inscribe the Gohonzon, according to Nichiren Daishonin, who did both.

... Therefore, to have exiled me, Nichiren, to this remote
... island is, I believe, an offense that can never be
... expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas. A
... passage from the “Simile and Parable” chapter reads, “If I
... were to describe the punishments [that fall on persons who
... slander this sutra], I could exhaust a kalpa and never come
... to the end.” On the other hand, not even the wisdom of the
... Buddha can fathom the blessings that one will obtain by
... giving alms to Nichiren and by becoming his disciple and
... lay supporter. The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains
... thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could
... never finish calculating their extent.”
...

Hence, slanderers, who deny the very intent of this sutra, which is its heart, commit"

"an offense that can never be expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas."

However, there is hope even for them, because:

'The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could never finish calculating their extent.”'

... Nichiren alone took the lead in carrying out the task of
... the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He may even be one of them.
... If Nichiren is to be counted among the Bodhisattvas of the
... Earth, then so must his disciples and lay supporters. The
... sutra states: “If one [of these good men or good women in
... the time after I have passed into extinction] is able to
... secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one
... phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the
... envoy of the Thus Come One. He has been dispatched by the
... Thus Come One and carries out the Thus Come One’s work.”
... Who else but us can this possibly refer to?

Who else but Sensei, the SGI, and my unworthy self?

||| Of course, to get out of that one and make a case for
||| mentor-disciple transmission, you'll have to fess up that
||| the argument you are attempting to make is about inherant
||| functions of life, not defacto manifestation of those
||| qualities. For that one needs faith and Daimoku.
|||

Let's deal with Iain's false complaint upon his secret departure from the SGI, that Sensei and the SGI only recently veered away from Buddhism into the mentor and disciple principle. This is an ignorant proposition due to the evidence of mentor and disciple in the Lotus Sutra that I have presented now many times, and also a baseless complaint on your faux 'surprise' at the discovery of the veering.

Here is an example of two speeches, one from 1991 and one from 2007, both of which are focused on the mentor and disciple principle that was present from the beginning in the very first volume of the Human Revolution written by Sensei, and in fact the first volume of the Human Revolution written by Josei Toda.

From SGI President Ikeda’s speech at a youth training meeting held at Soka University of America, Calabasas, Calif., October 1st, (1991),

... Yesterday, at the conference for leaders of the United
... States and Canada, I talked briefly about the reasons for
... Nikko Shonin’s departure from Mount Minobu.
...
... The fundamental cause for his departure lay with the
... decadent priest Mimbu Niko [one of the five senior
... priests], who tolerated and even encouraged slanderous
... actions on the part of Hakiri Sanenaga, the steward of the
... area. This caused the area of Minobu [where Nichiren
... Daishonin spent the latter years of his life] to become
... defiled.
...
... Among Niko’s perverse views were his accusations that Nikko
... Shonin indulged in non- Buddhist literature. [Non-Buddhist
... literature here indicates Brahman writings of India, the
... Confucian and Taoist works of China, and general, secular
... and literary works. In some cases, the term is used to
... indicate scholarly writings and the Chinese classics, which
... at the time were considered the basic foundation of all
... learning, much as the liberal arts are today.]
...
... Nikko Shonin strictly upheld the spirit of Nichiren
... Daishonin as revealed in “On Establishing the Correct
... Teaching for the Peace of the Land.” Based on this spirit,
... he instructed Hakiri that for him to make pilgrimages to
... Shinto shrines was [against the Daishonin’s teaching and
... therefore] impermissible.
...
... Hakiri thereupon sought the counsel of Niko. Niko told
... Hakiri: “Being a person who indulges in non-Buddhist
... literature, Nikko reads ‘On Establishing the Correct
... Teaching for the Peace of the Land’ from that perspective,
... and so he fails to grasp its more profound meaning.” He
... thus undermined Hakiri’s trust in Nikko Shonin.
...
... Nikko Shonin cites Niko’s words in the letter, “Reply to
... Lord Hara,” saying: “[Mimbu Ajari Niko answered Hakiri’s
... queries, saying:] ‘That the tutelary benevolent deities
... have abandoned this country is written in “On Establishing
... the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.” However,
... Byakuren Ajari [Nikko Shonin], basing himself on
... non-Buddhist scriptures, reads it in a biased manner and so
... is incapable of understanding its true intention’”
... (Hennentai Gosho, p. 1731).
...
... Niko contradicted the Daishonin’s teaching in telling
... Hakiri that it was therefore all right to visit Shinto
... shrines. Furthermore, he told him to visit shrines as often
... as he wished on the grounds that the Buddhist gods would
... gather at a shrine if a person who embraced the Lotus Sutra
... went there to pray.
...
... Hakiri placed his complete trust in this false teaching,
... which allowed him to do as he wished. “Niko is a priest who
... can be reasoned with,” Hakiri probably thought with
... delight. Almost invariably, a lay person’s deviation from
... the Daishonin’s teaching can be traced to the influence of
... a decadent priest skilled at accommodating the demands of
... lay people [regardless of what is correct from the
... standpoint of Buddhism].
...
... To Hakiri—who had lost his faith—the admonitions of Nikko
... Shonin, who strictly protected the Daishonin’s teaching by
... staunchly refuting slander, had already become little more
... than a source of irritation.
...
... Nikko Shonin declared Niko’s tolerance of slander to be
... “the workings of the devil king,” “a betrayal of the late
... mentor” and “[an offense equal in gravity to committing]
... the seven cardinal sins.” If someone who is charged with
... responsibility for protecting and spreading the Daishonin’s
... teaching willfully distorts and arbitrarily alters the
... teaching, then the actions of such a person certainly
... represent the workings of the devil. They are the actions
... of a priest of the greatest evil, who is guilty of
... betraying the mentor and committing the seven cardinal
... sins. This is what Nikko Shonin taught.
...
... These historical facts contain an important lesson.
...
... First of all, those who betrayed the mentor [Nichiren
... Daishonin] after his death all sought to justify themselves
... by making reference to some “more profound meaning”
... contained in his teaching, despite all documentary proof to
... the contrary.
...
... In Buddhism, the offense of betraying the mentor is
... extremely grave. It amounts to destroying the very life of
... Buddhism. People who do so try to win acceptance for their
... false views by saying, “You should listen to what I say,
... irrespective of what my mentor wrote.” And if someone
... presents them with written proof that shows their words or
... actions to be wrong, they try to gloss over the
... contradiction by saying: “That is a superficial level of
... interpretation. The true meaning is found elsewhere.”
...
... In exactly this manner, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood is
... contradicting the Gosho and the guidance given by the
... successive high priests, desecrating them and attempting to
... consign them to oblivion. [A contemporary example of this
... is found in the priesthood’s abrupt denial of high priest
... Nittatsu’s view on the significance of the Grand Main
... Temple. This view had served as a fundamental guideline for
... both priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu for more
... than twenty years. Yet now the priesthood claims claim that
... “the former high priest’s true intention is not contained
... in his official statements but is found elsewhere.”]
...
... ‘Although the mentor has died, his writings remain.’
...
... Nikko Shonin came to learn that Hakiri, in a quandary over
... whether it was permissible for him to make pilgrimages to
... Shinto shrines, had been making such remarks as: “The
... priests in the Kamakura area (followers of the five senior
... priests) say it is all right for me to go, but Nikko Shonin
... of Minobu has told me that I must not. Who should I listen
... to now that the Daishonin has died?”
...
... Thereupon, Nikko Shonin strictly instructed him: “Although
... the mentor has died, his writings remain. This is in ‘On
... Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the
... Land’” (Hennentai Gosho, p. 1731). When the Daishonin is no
... longer in the world, it is his writings that we should make
... our mentor. So long as we continue practicing in accordance
... with the Gosho, what possible cause for confusion can there
... be? Here Nikko Shonin teaches the fundamental attitude for
... the Daishonin’s followers.
...
... What a remarkable contrast between the attitude of Nikko
... Shonin, who made the Gosho his foundation, and that of
... Niko, who based himself on his own personal views and
... neglected the Gosho!
...
... We in the SGI are advancing in perfect accord with the
... teaching of Nikko Shonin, who represents the treasure of
... the Priest, as we make the Gosho our foundation. At the
... same time, we are now witnessing the appearance of the
... followers of Niko within Nichiren Shoshu.

Ikeda, D. (2001, April 6). Mystic Law Gives New Life to All Knowledge. World Tribune, pp. 1-2.

Note, how sixteen years later, nothing has changed in the view of President Ikeda, in regards to mentor and disciple. From President Ikeda's "The Great Vow of Kosen-Rufu and the Path of Mentor and Disciple" (2007),

... Nichiren then emphasizes the profound karmic bonds of
... mentor and disciple that link him and Sairen-bo, to whom
... this writing is addressed and who had weathered persecution
... on account of upholding Nichiren's teaching. To cherish the
... same great desire and to fight with the same spirit of
... selfless commitment as the mentor, even in the face of
... arduous difficulties, is the path of the oneness of mentor
... and disciple in the struggle for kosen-rufu in the Latter
... Day of the Law.
...
... It is the mentors and disciples of the Soka Gakkai who have
... revived the great path of Nichiren Buddhism in the present
... age, widening and expanding it further so that today it
... connects people throughout the world.
...
... The mentor of the "kosen-rufu of the entity of the Law (the
... Gohonzon)" is Nichiren Daishonin -- the Buddha of the
... Latter Day who revealed the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for
... the enlightenment of all humanity into the eternal future
... and set forth the method for its propagation.
...
... The Soka Gakkai is an organization carrying out the
... Buddha's will and decree. It is a harmonious gathering of
... believers directly connected to Nichiren and has spread
... Nichiren Buddhism throughout the world while overcoming
... countless hardships and obstacles.
...
... Kosen-rufu is a struggle to help all people transcend the
... suffering of death and actualize lives of genuine
... happiness, thus establishing a world in which genuine peace
... prevails. This is the true purpose of Nichiren's propagation.
...
... The Soka Gakkai's founding president, Tsunesaburo
... Makiguchi, fully inherited this spirit and set an example
... of selfless dedication to Buddhism by giving his life for
... his beliefs. The second president, Josei Toda, carried on
... Mr. Makiguchi's struggle with the same unwavering
... commitment. He established the ideals and practice of the
... Soka Gakkai and laid the framework for the harmonious
... community of believers founded on the spirit of "many in
... body, one in mind."
...
... Earnestly following this great path of mentor and disciple,
... upholding the principles of humanism and pacifism that are
... the essence of Nichiren Buddhism, I have spread its
... essential message across the globe through the pursuit of
... dialogue. When this path followed by the first, second and
... third presidents of the Soka Gakkai flows vibrantly as the
... lifeblood transmitting the philosophy and practice of
... Nichiren Buddhism throughout the world, the foundation of
... kosen-rufu in the present age will have been completed. The
... crucial five-year period for completing this process has
... now begun.

Ikeda, D. (2007). The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life. 2007 Buddhist Learning Review, pp. 75-76.

Your complaining about your "surprise" that Sensei only recently focuses closely on mentor and disciple as a prime requirement for achieving itai doshin, the unity of true believers (which is a prime requirement for achieving Kosen Rufu: if one truly cares about that,) is specious and unfounded: it was always there and you probably followed it until you started looking around for a good reason to make your deceptively secret departure, and then replace Sensei, steal his followers and start your own Sangha.

Once again, I express my condolences to the suffering friends and leaders of Iain in the SGI that had to go through the selfish and pointless finger-pointing theatrics of your departing Olympian death-scene.

||| You are ignoring one very key part of the Sutra in
||| trying to argue your case. You are also ignoring, as did
||| Mr Ikeda, one very key part of the Gosho he purports to
||| lecture on. I've been saving that, letting you tie
||| yourself in knots first.
|||

Spill it and your confused misinterpretation with it, or hold it back with your Tenji-ma gloating: that's your choice.

||| I suggest you do your homework and go read Heritage in
||| it's entirety, see if you can spot the extremely explicit
||| paragraph about transmission that directly refutes all
||| your objections and attempts to narrow the debate onto
||| what you foolishly thought was safe ground.
|||

Have read it. Ditto "Spill it and your confused misinterpretation with it, or hold it back with your Tenji-ma gloating: that's your choice."

||| Consider that me giving you a head start to prepare
||| your defense. Don't worry, I'll easily catch you up and
||| overtake you. It's not hard when SGI and Mr Ikeda's 2009
||| teaching is so variant with Nichiren's.
|||

The 2009 principle of mentor and disciple, and the 1991 principle, and Mr. Toda's, and Mr. Makiguchi's, and Nikko Shonin's (the finest disciple of the finest mentor, ever!) Nikko Shonin is invariant with respect to Nichiren Daishonin.

[snip the final perfidy of putting words in my mouth, again. That is not unlike lying, if I have never said those words, yes?]

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 11:40:58 AM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/110#para-4

||| "The meaning of this passage is that one should not
||| rely upon the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers, but
||| should heed what was established by the Buddha."
|||
||| Presumably bodhisattvas and teachers are common mortals.
|||
||| So here's the substitution:
|||
||| "The meaning of this passage is that one should not
||| rely upon the words of the common mortals and common
||| mortals, but should heed what was established by common
||| mortal".
|||

Wrong and out of context.

I was substituting in the same set of statements describing who is the true Buddha (common mortal) and who is a provisional Buddha (Shakyamuni). In context in the same logical flow of the same paragraph, not from another Gosho letter written in another year.

Oh, well, you cannot get it, your eyes are blinded to the truth of what Nichiren Daishonin is saying.

But at least I tried.

My point is proven, and you are wrong.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 9:47:28 AM UTC-7, ilovedr...@gmail.com wrote:
||| Chas, you forgot to take note:
|||
||| Let's look into "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon", and
||| see what Nichiren teaches us.
|||
||| "This mandala is in no way my invention. It is the
||| object of devotion that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the
||| World Honored One, seated in the treasure tower of Many
||| treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni's
||| emanations as perfectly as a print matches its print
||| block."
|||

Your argument is a non sequitor and is sign of your fallacious reasoning and mental corruption. I never claimed that Nichiren Daishonin invented the Gohonzon, which is a depiction of the ceremony in the air at the moment that the Law is passed from the mentor (Shakyamuni) to the disciples (Bodhisattvas of the Earth, chiefly Jogyo Superior Practices, who is Nichiren Daishonin).

Nichiren Daishonin is the common mortal, who is the true Buddha, as are you and myself. Shakyamuni is a function of our true Buddhahood, this is what Nichiren Daishonin says. Take it or leave it. If you leave it, you cannot believe in the daimoku, which Nichiren Daishonin revealed and that you have to take on faith. He sadi it, I didn't, why do you want to thwart what he says so clearly with all this flak? Just accept it.

According to the Ongi Kuden and thus Nichiren Daishonin, the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings: the Lotus Sutra in the Parable of the Phantom City chapter identifies the eternal Buddha (the Buddha of Limitless Joy, AKA the Buddha of Beginningless Time) as the grandfather of Shakyamuni, who as one of the sixteen princes, was the son of Great Universal Wisdom Excellence Thus Come One, son of "the grandfather".

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/7#para-15

... The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: In
... this passage we learn about the Buddha of the original
... state [that is, the Buddha of limitless joy]. “Grandfather”
... is another name for the Dharma-realm. The first three of
... the ten factors listed in the “Expedient Means” chapter,
... the factors of appearance, nature, and entity, are referred
... to as “grandfather.” Outside of these three factors, there
... is no wheel-turning sage king.
...
... The word “wheel-turning” refers to the phases of birth,
... abiding, change, and extinction. The words “sage king”
... refer to the element of the mind. These three factors,
... appearance, nature, and entity, are the father and mother
... of all the Buddhas of the three existences of past,
... present, and future.
...
... Now, when Nichiren and his followers chant
... Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they are acting as father and mother
... of the Buddhas of the three existences, as their
... grandfather, the wheel-turning sage king.

That passage refers to this one, the one and only reference to "the grandfather", where his son who is the father of Shakyamuni, Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, attains enlightenment when "the Law of the buddhas finally appeared before him" :

The Parable of the Phantom City, LS-7, pp 156-157:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-35

... “Now, monks, the buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence
... passed ten small kalpas before the Law of the buddhas
... finally appeared before him and he attained supreme perfect
... p.157enlightenment. Before this buddha left the
... householder’s life, he had sixteen sons, the first of whom
... was named Wisdom Accumulated. These sons each had various
... kinds of rare objects and toys of one kind or another, but
... when they heard that their father had attained supreme
... perfect enlightenment, they all threw aside their rare
... objects and went to where the buddha was. Their mothers,
... weeping, followed after them.
...
... “Their grandfather, who was a wheel-turning sage king,
... along with a hundred chief ministers, as well as a hundred,
... thousand, ten thousand, million of his subjects, all
... together surrounded the sons and followed them to the place
... of enlightenment, all wishing to draw close to the thus
... come one Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, to offer alms,
... pay honor, venerate, and praise him. When they arrived,
... they bowed before his feet, touching their heads to the
... ground.

Aside from that, who knows, I don't. As far as I can tell, the eternal Buddha has no person otherwise identified in the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni attained enlightenment after his father.

At any rate, who was first hardly matters, unless you want to worship a statue of the first enlightened one.

I am satisfied that the Buddha leading our regiment of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is Nichiren Daishonin, AKA Jogyo Superior Practices. He is the mentor whose Gosho I have made my mentor. I practice as he says and only that way. I worship no person and images of no person.

I worship the Gohonzon of the True Aspect of all Phenomena, which, BTW is a topic none of you have touched on, although I have elucidated it fully for your edification.

||| "It is also stated that the profound principle of the
||| true aspect is the originally inherent
||| Myoho-renge-kyo.[Lotus sutra Chap.2] The Great Teacher
||| Dengyo said, "A single moment of life comprising the three
||| thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless joy. this
||| Buddha has forsaken august appearances." [The Treatise on
||| the Secret and Sacred Teachings]
|||
|||

Are you listening to yourself? The Buddha of Limitless Joy is without aspect, just as I quoted.

Not a statue of Shakyamuni. Get it?

||| Do you need page#'s-- not sure which text you have.
|||
||| IF Nichiren were the Original Buddha, teacher of
||| Shakyamuni, WHY wouldn't he claim credit for the SOURCE of
||| the Gohonzon as "his own invention"?
|||
||| OR REVEAL the identity you claim is is TRUE identity?
|||

Here is the text reference and also 450 or so lines above this line:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/1#para-23

Didn't claim that. Putting words in my mouth is lying. Don't do that.

All common mortals are the true Buddha, led by Nichiren Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin is the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, AKA Jogyo.

||| With your own presumptions,You, Chas are identifying
||| Nichiren as a cunning, duplicitous teacher-- when it is
||| your Sensei who has earned that title a million times
||| over!!
|||

This is a pile of crap and weird supposition, avoid it Katie.

||| And that is the crux of the matter. You lost your true
||| mind before you posted your first comment on this
||| site---such is the fate of those who "follow evil
||| teachers".
|||
[snip the rest.]

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

[Chas.]

Katie Higgin's Errors +

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/xJD6LNGes-E/T7xhQ2DbAAAJ

On Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 5:07:50 PM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:

[snip]

||| How do I display my own adoring reverence for Shakyamuni ?
||| I have a small statue of Shakyamuni on the altar table
||| beneath my Gohonzon. I bow in reverence to it and chant
||| daimoku three times.
|||

[snip]

Instead of focusing on your fuzzy distortions of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, let's focus on these clear and indisputable mistakes.

1. In spite of the fact that one might have the "supreme object of devotion throughout Jambudvipa", the Gohonzon of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism enshrined in one's altar, one has decided (horribly) to augment that with the lesser acretion of a statue of Shakyamuni, who is a provisional Buddha and a function of the true and eternal Buddha.

This fact itself is demonstrated on the Gohonzon, and in the ceremony in the air in the one chapter and two halves of the Lotus Sutra.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/O/16

Shakyamuni is on the left and Many Treasures (Taho) on the right seated in the Treasure Tower, whereas in the assembly centrally located and predominant over all is the devoted name of the eternal Buddha: NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. The name of the eternal Buddha who presides over the domain of Jambudvipa (our reality) is in fact Myoho-Renge and not Shakyamuni: and that is true in three ways (santai), across all nonsubstantiality, temporary existence and the middle way. This could not have been made more clear by the inscription of the Gohonzon.

Shakyamuni and Many Treasures occupy the same seat in the Treasure Tower that arises when Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is invoked and the ceremony in the air is recapitulated. That is manifesting Buddhahood, which is eternally inherent in all Buddhas (in all common mortals, in all living beings.) Shakyamuni and Many Treasures are provisional Buddhas and functions of the eternal Buddha, which is yourself and myself and all other selves across the ten directions and the three existences.

Otherwise one would be chanting Shakyamuni's name and not Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. And then one's practice could not possibly work to make their life happier, even if it is true that one completely undermines the effects of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo with their abundant slanders, which you do and that is why you appear to be an extremely unhappy person, Katie. You merely have to empirically examine your "rhetoric", filled with ad hominem fallacious reasoning to adduce that, it's not rocket science.

"Ad hominem" meaning slurs directed at others, who are common mortals and the true Buddha, as opposed to the erroneous thoughts, words and deeds that they outflow.

2. Because of the logic of number 1 above, one should have discarded all other objects of devotion, which are lesser. This is because one's true nature actually DOES NOTICE that one is worshiping a lesser object of devotion than the supreme object of devotion, the Gohonzon: and then one has undermined their life condition, which WILL ABSOLUTELY DISALLOW ONE FROM MANIFESTING THEIR BUDDHAHOOD.

3. Then there is the practice of ignoring the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin that contradict one's slanderous practice: this creates one's own private version of the Gosho Zenshu (missing the contravening Gosho letters and the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, which are hated by you all.) Creating this "personal and private" version of Nichiren Daishonin's writings is an example of what Nichiren Daishonin calls "appropriating" and "plagiarizing."
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-18

One hates these offending Gosho passages and those Gosho SO MUCH, that one cannot even open the book to those pages, and then one fabricates stories and reasons to discredit those hated Gosho passages and Goshos, and finally to complete this act of treason, one drops them from their appropriated and plagiarized version of the Gosho (if one is Nichiren Shu.)

4. Numbers 1 and 2 above are the reason why we don't chant to images, since images cannot have the true aspect, only the Gohonzon has the true aspect, which means without having aspect (from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, without which the Lotus Sutra would lack the clear understanding of true aspect, and would therefore be less complete.)

From the Gosho you hate, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, WND I, p. 384:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-6

... “All phenomena” in the sutra refers to the Ten Worlds, and
... the “true aspect,” to what they actually are. THE “TRUE
... ASPECT” IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MYOHO-RENGE-KYO; hence all
... phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Hell’s displaying the form
... of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the
... realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of
... hell. A Buddha displays the form of a Buddha, and a common
... mortal, that of a common mortal. The entities of all
... phenomena are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is the
... meaning of “the true aspect of all phenomena.” T’ien-t’ai
... states that the profound principle of the true aspect is
... the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo. This
... interpretation identifies the phrase “true aspect” with the
... theoretical teaching and “the originally inherent
... Myoho-renge-kyo” with the essential teaching. You should
... ponder this interpretation deep in your heart.
...

'The “true aspect” is another name for Myoho-renge-kyo; hence all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo.'

This is the fruit of the clear understanding of that description of true aspect.

If the true aspect was an image of Shakyamuni, then it could not be Myoho-Renge-Kyo, because Myoho-Renge-Kyo is without aspect, you cannot view it from any point and see an aspect.

Also, then all entities and phenomena could not be the true entity of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, without having the aspect of Shakyamuni, were Shakyamuni's image the true aspect.

All phenomena are the true aspect AND Myoho-Renge-Kyo, precisely because the true aspect means: without having the aspect of any specific or particular entity.

This also, BTW, explains that passage with all of the negations from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/1#para-23

... his body neither existing nor not existing,
... neither caused nor conditioned, neither self nor other,
... neither square nor round, neither short nor long,
... neither appearing nor disappearing, neither born nor extinguished,
... neither created nor arising, neither acted nor made,
... neither sitting nor lying down, neither walking nor standing,
... neither moving nor turning, neither idle nor still,
... neither advancing nor retreating, neither in safety nor danger,
... neither right nor wrong, neither gaining nor losing,
... neither that nor this, neither departing nor coming,
... neither blue nor yellow, neither red nor white,
... neither crimson nor purple nor any other sort of color

This is all straightforward and clear from the reading of the supreme teaching and the Gosho.

A second time, from the Gosho you hate, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, WND I, p. 384:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-7

... Although not worthy of the honor, I, Nichiren, was
... nevertheless the first to spread the Mystic Law entrusted
... to Bodhisattva Superior Practices for propagation in the
... Latter Day of the Law. I was also the first, though only
... Bodhisattva Superior Practices is so empowered, to inscribe
... [the object of devotion as] the embodiment of Shakyamuni
... Buddha from the remote past as revealed in the “Life Span”
... chapter of the essential teaching, of Many Treasures Buddha
... who appeared when the “Treasure Tower” chapter of the
... theoretical teaching was preached, and of the Bodhisattvas
... of the Earth who arrived with the “Emerging from the Earth”
... chapter. Though people may hate me, they cannot possibly
... alter the fact of my enlightenment.
...

Nichiren Daishonin enscribed all of those onto the Gohonzon. Not onto an image of Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni could not reveal the daimoku at the heart of the Lotus Sutra, not inscribe the Gohonzon, according to Nichiren Daishonin, who did both.

A third time, from the Gosho you hate, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, WND I, p. 384:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-7

... Therefore, to have exiled me, Nichiren, to this remote
... island is, I believe, an offense that can never be
... expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas. A
... passage from the “Simile and Parable” chapter reads, “If I
... were to describe the punishments [that fall on persons who
... slander this sutra], I could exhaust a kalpa and never come
... to the end.” On the other hand, not even the wisdom of the
... Buddha can fathom the blessings that one will obtain by
... giving alms to Nichiren and by becoming his disciple and
... lay supporter. The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains
... thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could
... never finish calculating their extent.”
...

Hence, slanderers, who deny the very intent of this sutra, which is its heart, commit "an offense that can never be expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas."

However, there is hope even for them, because:

'The sutra reads, “[The benefits he gains thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could never finish calculating their extent.”'

Finally, a fourth time, from the Gosho you hate, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, WND I, p. 385:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-9

... Nichiren alone took the lead in carrying out the task of
... the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He may even be one of them.
... If Nichiren is to be counted among the Bodhisattvas of the
... Earth, then so must his disciples and lay supporters. The
... sutra states: “If one [of these good men or good women in
... the time after I have passed into extinction] is able to
... secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one
... phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the
... envoy of the Thus Come One. He has been dispatched by the
... Thus Come One and carries out the Thus Come One’s work.”
... Who else but us can this possibly refer to?

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

One more time I will offer up the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra passage explaining the true aspect, which is why Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the daimoku and why the Gohonzon is the supreme object of worship and not pictures or statues of dogs, cats, elephants, people, Shakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin, or any Hindu combinations thereof.

Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, Chapter 2, "Preaching the Law", Lotus Sutra pp.12-13:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Prologue/2#para-5

... The Buddha said: “Good men, this single doctrine is called
... the doctrine of immeasurable meanings. If bodhisattvas wish
... to practice and study these immeasurable meanings, then
... they should observe and perceive how ALL PHENOMENA, FROM
... THE BEGINNING DOWN TO THE PRESENT, ARE IN NATURE AND ASPECT
... EMPTY AND TRANQUIL, WITHOUT BIGNESS OR LITTLENESS, WITHOUT
... BIRTH OR EXTINCTION, NOT ABIDING, NOT MOVING, NEITHER
... ADVANCING NOR RETREATING, BUT LIKE VACANT SPACE, WITHOUT
... ANY DUALISM.
...
... “But living beings in their VAIN DELUSIONS MAKE WILD
... CALCULATIONS, SAYING, THIS IS ONE THING, THAT IS ANOTHER,
... THIS BRINGS GAIN, THAT BRINGS LOSS, AND GIVE RISE TO
... THOUGHTS THAT ARE NOT GOOD, CARRYING OUT EVIL ACTS,
... transmigrating through the six paths of existence and
... undergoing sufferings and bitterness for immeasurable
... millions of kalpas without ever being able to escape.
...
... “Bodhisattvas mahasattva, clearly perceiving that this is
... so, are moved to pity in their minds, and inspired by great
... compassion, wish to rescue these beings from their plight.
... THEY SHOULD THEN ONCE MORE ENTER DEEPLY INTO THE STUDY OF
... ALL PHENOMENA. IF THE ASPECTS OF PHENOMENA ARE SUCH, THEN
... SUCH-AND-SUCH PHENOMENA WILL BE BORN. IF THE ASPECTS OF
... PHENOMENA ARE SUCH, THEN SUCH-AND-SUCH PHENOMENA WILL
... ABIDE. IF THE ASPECTS OF PHENOMENA ARE SUCH, THEN
... SUCH-AND-SUCH PHENOMENA WILL CHANGE. IF THE ASPECTS OF
... PHENOMENA ARE SUCH, THEN SUCH-AND-SUCH PHENOMENA WILL
... UNDERGO EXTINCTION. IF THE ASPECTS OF PHENOMENA ARE SUCH,
... THIS CAN LEAD TO THE BIRTH OF BAD PHENOMENA. IF THE ASPECTS
... OF PHENOMENA ARE SUCH, THIS CAN LEAD TO THE BIRTH OF GOOD
... PHENOMENA. AND THE SAME APPLIES IN THE CASE OF THE ABIDING,
... CHANGING, AND EXTINCTION OF PHENOMENA.
...
... “When bodhisattvas have in this manner OBSERVED THE
... BEGINNING AND END OF THESE FOUR ASPECTS AND HAVE UNDERSTOOD
... THEM IN THEIR ENTIRETY, THEN THEY WILL CLEARLY PERCEIVE
... THAT ALL PHENOMENA, NEVER ABIDING FROM ONE INSTANT TO
... THE NEXT, ARE CONSTANTLY BEING BORN ANEW AND PASSING INTO
... EXTINCTION, AND THEN THEY WILL IMMEDIATELY PERCEIVE THE
... TRUE ASPECT OF BIRTH, ABIDING, CHANGE, AND EXTINCTION.
...
... “Once they have gained this perception, then they must turn
... to the capacities, natures, and desires of living beings.
... Because such natures and desires are immeasurable in
... variety, the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable;
... and because the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable,
... its meanings are likewise immeasurable. THESE IMMEASURABLE
... MEANINGS ARE BORN FROM A SINGLE LAW, AND THIS LAW IS
... WITHOUT ASPECT. WHAT IS WITHOUT ASPECT IS DEVOID OF ASPECT
... AND DOES NOT TAKE ON ASPECT. NOT TAKING ON ASPECT, BEING
... WITHOUT ASPECT, IT IS CALLED THE TRUE ASPECT.
...
... “When bodhisattvas mahasattva rest and abide in this
... understanding of the true aspect of all phenomena, then the
... pity and compassion that they put forth will be based on
... clear understanding and not groundless, and they will be
... truly capable of rescuing living beings from the sufferings
... that they undergo. And once they have rescued them from
... suffering, they will preach the Law for them and enable
... living beings to enjoy ease and delight.

So, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo really does not sound like anything else and the Gohonzon really does look like anything else, not like a picture or a statue of Shakyamuni.

It reflects the inner glory of a common mortal, who is the true Buddha.

-Chas.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Seems Chas isn't answering any of the questions on Daisaku and he's still got i points outstanding that he hasn't answered on mentor-disciple after claiming he'd answered them all.

Readers, please use the index to enjoy these exchanges in context rather than copied out and processed tgrough the SGI media teams discreditation sausage machine.

I do love the careful structuring of them though. They pay lots of professionals money to work tgose up into a misleading narrative. I especially like the headlining. It's great and notice how they're different from genuine individual posters work and how consistent they are with each across posts for this posting format. And going back 20 odd years! Remarkable corporate discipline a true SGI house style.

Templates, so easy to spot.

Keep up the good work boys (and girls)

Be well :)

[Katie Higgins]

Right on, iainx! I am still waiting for the Boy Band to outright attack Nichiren, Shigo Kingo, --et al --followers who showed reverence for Shakyamuni by consecrating a statue of the Buddha per Nichiren's instructions! ( and all had received Gohonzon from Nichiren himself--)

I am still waiting to see the forthright accusation that Nichiren *worshiped Skakyamuni Buddha*-- in the context of how Nichiren's reverence for the True Buddha led him to embrace his teaching the Lotus Sutra.
Adding insult to injury---

Here they are railing against those of us who believe and follow Nichiren for holding the same beliefs Nichiren did !! And somehow -- through the use of smoke and mirrors style deflection, the Boy Band claims to be practicing Nichiren Buddhism-- as the ONLY ones who got it right !!!

Yes, templates are easy to spot--- but outright disparagement for the teacher of the Law in the Latter Day is equally obvious-- and should be of paramount interest to those who are seeking Nichiren Buddhism.

~Katie

[Katie Higgins]

On Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 1:41:21 PM UTC-4, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:

[Chas.]

Iain's questions regarding 'who is the eternal Buddha', answered here +

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 10:46:59 PM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
||| ... "Here's a question for you, Katie Higgins. Is the
||| ... Lotus Sutra also faked?
||| ...
||| ... If Shakyamuni is the eternal Buddha, then how can
||| ... he be the sixteenth son of the father Great
||| ... Universal Wisdom Excellence from who he became
||| ... enlightened, who became enlightened from the
||| ... nameless grandfather (who is the eternal Buddha we
||| ... call Myoho-Renge of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.)"
|||
||| 1) "who is the eternal Buddha we call Myoho-Renge of
||| Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo"
|||
||| A) For readers convenience can you cite and reference the
||| Gosho quotes where Nichiren defines Myoho Renge as the
||| Eternal Buddha.
|||

Under the presumption that on your slide down into the Nichiren Shu statue worshiping, that you have not yet declared the Gosho, "The Entity of the Mystic Law" to be a fake, then for WND I, p. 417-418:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/47

... Question: What is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo?
...
... Answer: All beings and their environments in any of the Ten
... Worlds are themselves entities of Myoho-renge-kyo.
...
... Question: If so, then is it possible to say that all living
... beings, such as ourselves, are entities of the Mystic Law
... in its entirety?
...
... Answer: Of course. The sutra says, “This reality [the true
... aspect of all phenomena] consists of the appearance, nature
... ... and their consistency from beginning to end.”
...
... The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows: “The
... true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all
... phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten
... factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten
... Worlds invariably manifest in life and its environment.”
...
... T’ien-t’ai commented, “All phenomena consisting of the ten
... factors, Ten Worlds, and three thousand realms are entities
... of the Lotus Sutra.”
...
... The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, “Question: What does
... Myoho-renge-kyo represent? Answer: Myō indicates that all
... living beings are myō, or mystic. Hō indicates that all
... living beings are hō, or the Law.” T’ien-t’ai also says,
... “The Law of all living beings is mystic.”
...
... Question: If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic
... Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their
... results that are associated with the nine worlds, from the
... world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in effect
... entities of the Mystic Law?
...
... Answer: The mystic principle that is the essential nature
... of phenomena possesses two aspects, the defiled aspect and
... the pure aspect. If the defiled aspect is operative, this
... is called delusion. If the pure aspect is operative, this
... is called enlightenment. Enlightenment constitutes the
... realm of Buddhahood. Delusion constitutes the realms of
... ordinary mortals.
...
... These two aspects, the deluded and the enlightened, are
... indeed two different phenomena, and yet both are workings
... of the one principle, that is, the essential nature of
... phenomena, or the true aspect of reality. It is like a
... piece of crystal. If the crystal is placed in the sun’s
... rays, it will attract them and produce fire. But if it is
... placed in the moon’s rays, it will produce water. The
... crystal is a single entity, but the effects it produces
... differ according to the circumstances.
...
... The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is like
... this. The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is
... one, but if it encounters evil influences, it will manifest
... delusion, while if it encounters good influences, it
... will manifest enlightenment. Enlightenment means
... enlightenment to the essential nature of phenomena, and
... delusion, ignorance of it.
...
... It is like the case of a person who in a dream sees himself
... performing various good and evil actions. After he wakes up
... and considers the matter, he realizes that it was all a
... dream produced by his own mind. This mind of his
... corresponds to the single principle of the essential nature
... of phenomena, the true aspect of reality, while the good
... and evil that appeared in the dream correspond to
... enlightenment and delusion. When one becomes aware of this,
... it is clear that one should discard the ignorance
... associated with evil and delusion, and take as one’s basis
... the awakening that is characterized by goodness and
... enlightenment.

Myoho is the Mystic Law part, Renge the Entity part and the Sutra is the teaching about their interwoven two, but not two, fusion. Anytime Nichiren Daishonin says in English "Entity(ies) of the Mystic Law", that is Myoho-Renge in Japanese/Chinese.

"... all living beings, such as ourselves, are entities of the Mystic Law in its entirety? Answer: Of course."

That states it from Nichiren Daishonin, then from Miao-lo, then from T'ien-t’ai.

Then Nan-yüeh says it and T'ien-t’ai again: '“Question: What does Myoho-renge-kyo represent? Answer: Myō indicates that all living beings are myō, or mystic. Hō indicates that all living beings are hō, or the Law.” T’ien-t’ai also says, “The Law of all living beings is mystic.”'

The Buddhas in the ten directions are the world of living beings.

Here Nichiren Daishonin directly names Myoho-Renge as the Entity of the Mystic Law, who is the true Buddha and a common mortal:

From "The Entity of the Mystic Law", WND I, p. 423:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/47#para-46

... Question: If so, then what passage contains a full
... elucidation of the entity?
...
... Answer: The passage in the “Expedient Means” chapter that
... deals with the true aspect of all phenomena.
...
... Question: How do we know that this passage deals with the
... lotus that is the entity?
...
... Answer: Because T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo quote this passage
... when they explain the essence of the Lotus Sutra. And the
... Great Teacher Dengyō in his commentary also writes,
... “QUESTION: WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE LOTUS SUTRA? ANSWER:
... ITS ESSENCE IS THE TRUE ASPECT OF ALL PHENOMENA.” THIS
... PASSAGE OF COMMENTARY CLARIFIES THE MATTER. (SCHOLARS OF
... THE TIME KEPT THIS COMMENTARY SECRET AND DID NOT REVEAL THE
... NAME OF THE ENTITY, BUT THE PASSAGE IS CLEARLY REFERRING TO
... MYOHO-RENGE.)
...
... Furthermore, actual evidence of the entity is to be found
... in the examples of the three kinds of Buddhas described in
... the “Treasure Tower” chapter, the bodhisattvas who appeared
... from the earth, and the dragon king’s daughter who attained
... Buddhahood in her present form. The Bodhisattvas of the
... Earth offer actual evidence because, as a passage of the
... Lotus Sutra says, “[They are unsoiled by worldly things]
... like the lotus flower in the water.” Thus we learn of the
... true entity of these bodhisattvas. And the dragon king’s
... daughter offers actual evidence because she made her
... appearance at the gathering at Eagle Peak, “seated on a
... thousand-petaled lotus blossom big as a carriage wheel.”
...
... Moreover, the thirty-four manifestations of Bodhisattva
... Wonderful Sound and the thirty-three manifestations of
... Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds constitute
... further evidence. For, as the commentary says, “If he had
... not gained the mysterious power of perfect freedom of
... action through the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra,
... then how could he manifest these thirty-three different
... forms?”
...
... In addition, there is the sutra passage that states, “...
... the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding.”
... All these passages are documentary proofs cited by the
... scholars of our time. Personally, however, I prefer to cite
... the passage in the “Expedient Means” chapter on the true
... aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the
... “Supernatural Powers” chapter that refers to “all the
... doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One.” This last
... passage is also cited by the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai in
... his commentary explaining the five major principles of the
... Lotus Sutra. Therefore, I feel that this passage in
... particular can be cited as certain proof of the entity of
... the Mystic Law.

Of course this is confirmed in the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings as well.

||| B) And provide the Gosho quotes where Nichiren defines the
||| Eternal Buddha of the 16th Chapter as anyone other than Shakyamuni.
|||

Gosho Zenshu - Ongi Kuden quote I already showed you, "Parable of the Phantom City", Point Four:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/7#para-15

... The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: In
... this passage we learn about the Buddha of the original
... state [that is, the Buddha of limitless joy]. “Grandfather”
... is another name for the Dharma-realm. The first three of
... the ten factors listed in the “Expedient Means” chapter,
... the factors of appearance, nature, and entity, are referred
... to as “grandfather.” Outside of these three factors, there
... is no wheel-turning sage king.

||| C) Nichiren disparaged and refuted schools that taught believers to
||| follow other buddha's as a means for salvation, stating
||| that Shakayamuni alone had actual connection with this world.
|||
||| Please cite the Goshos where Nichiren teaches otherwise.
|||

From the "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND I, p. 384:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40#para-4

... Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures,
... are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is
... Myoho-renge-kyo that is the true Buddha. This is what is

... described in the sutra as “the Thus Come One’s secret and

... his transcendental powers.” The “Thus Come One’s secret”
... refers to the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, and it
... refers to the true Buddha. “His transcendental powers”

... refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers

... to provisional Buddhas. A common mortal is an entity of the
... three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of

... the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case,
... though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the
... three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the

... sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the
... contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three
... virtues.

The common mortal is the true Buddha, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures are provisional Buddhas and functions of the true Buddha, such as yourself, Katie Higgins and Mark Rogow, who deny your inheritance of the three bodies of the Buddha from your dear parents, bless their unfortunate hearts for being bound to your collective perfidious thoughts, words and deeds.

||| 2)
|||
||| To conflate the temporal with the timeless is a mistake but hey ho. Here are the quotes for you in return, "is the Sutra also faked?"
|||
||| (Question 3 is at the end of this post)
|||
||| http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/16
|||
||| "Life Span of the Thus Come One
|||
||| CHAPTER 16
|||
||| At that time the Buddha spoke to the bodhisattvas and all
||| the great assembly: “Good men, you must believe and
||| understand the truthful words of the thus come one.” And
||| again he said to the great assembly: “You must believe and
||| understand the truthful words of the thus come one.” And
||| once more he said to the great assembly: “You must believe
||| and understand the truthful words of thethus come one.”
|||
||| Note the statement:
|||
||| "You must believe and understand the truthful words of
||| the thus come one.”
|||
||| The Sutra continues:
|||
||| (Ibid)
|||
||| "At that time the bodhisattvas and the great assembly,
||| with Maitreya as their leader, pressed their palms together
||| and addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, we
||| beg you to explain. We will believe and accept the Buddha’s
||| words.”
|||
||| So the Sutra is clear who is speaking, no? It continues:
|||

Ah, finally, a question.

Maitreya is asking the provisional Buddha Shakyamuni, who is a function of the true Buddha, for an explanation.

Shakyamuni has the function here of preaching the Lotus Sutra, or as Nichiren Daishonin refers to him: the Lord of Teachings.

||| (Ibid)
|||
||| "At that time the world-honored one, seeing that the
||| bodhisattvas repeated their request three times and more,
||| spoke to them, saying: “You must listen carefully and hear
||| of the thus come one’s secret and his transcendental
||| powers. In all the worlds the heavenly and human beings and
||| asuras all believe that the present Shakyamuni Buddha,
||| after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, seated himself in
||| the place of enlightenment not far from the city of Gaya
||| and there attained supreme perfect enlightenment. But good
||| men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds,
||| thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas
||| since I in fact attained buddhahood."
|||
||| Shakyamuni then goes on to say (you chant this verse
||| section Chas at least twice a day uf you are doing Gongyo
||| regularly! How could you not understand it?)
|||

The translation into English is at the back of the Gosho book.

Understanding of the true meaning that translation is purchased at the price of faith in the Lotus Sutra itself.

Get some of that, Iain.

||| (Ibid)
|||
||| "In order to save living beings,
||| as an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana
||| but in truth I do not pass into extinction.
||| I am always here, preaching the Law.
||| I am always here,
||| but through my transcendental powers
||| I make it so that living beings in their befuddlement
||| do not see me even when close by.
||| When the multitude sees that I have passed into extinction,
||| far and wide they offer alms to my relics.
||| All harbor thoughts of yearning
||| and in their minds thirst to gaze at me.
||| When living beings have become truly faithful,
||| honest and upright, gentle in intent,
||| single-mindedly desiring to see theBuddha,
||| not hesitating even if it costs them their lives,
||| then I and the assembly of monks
||| appear together on Holy Eagle Peak."
|||
||| 3) Are you refuting the 16th Chapter by asserting that
||| Shakyamuni, who preached it is a liar?
|||

I repeat those words daily.

I am also not a liar.

However, the eternal Buddha's name is Myoho-Renge, not Chas. and not Shakyamuni.

The name Myoho-Renge is free of all aspect of impermanent Chas. or impermanent Shakyamuni, it possesses the true aspect manifesting non-substantiality, impermanence and the middle way simultaneously: the three truths (Santai) of the Lotus Sutra.

Shakyamuni is a provisional Buddha and a function of the true Buddha, so the words remain eternal truth as they exit his mouth.

I am a "common mortal is the true Buddha" (from the True Aspect of All Phenomena), so the words remain eternal truth as they exit my mouth.

-Chas.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Well given Chas you've admitted that you have no faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo by saying that a 150 day challenge where faith and Daimoku is the sole focus will "sink you", I find your statements above very odd.

Let me remind you that when I first came here, I challenged you on Daimoku and faith and that you fundementally got it wrong. To your credit, at that time you apologised. But soon you were wriggling out of your apology. I can repost the exchange if you want.

Let me also remind you that you accuse me of worshipping the Law divorced from the Buddha. Which of course cannot be true. And for your information Nichiren himself makes clear who the Buddha is. Your understanding is theoretical, which is why you cannot reconcile the different view points from which Nichiren explains this. Itcs also why you consistently muddle your frames of reference.

Yet the Sutra tells you that the mind you are applying cannot understand tge matter, it can only be understood between a "buddha and a buddha". That my friend is a profound phrase with practical meaning often misunderstood.

Entry is through faith alone. That's all you need to know. Apply that and you can understand. The buddha and the buddha are brought together. Between the they understand. It is a unity.

You typically try to play both sides of the fence, here claiming superior understanding yet demonstraring anything but.

All in the service of corporate profit.

What are you, concerned about your pension? The money will taint you. It will bring no joy. But you already know that. You already see that but rin from it. Push it away, hope it goes away. But it won't Chas. You're stuck with it for as long as you are attached to it. And it's weight will take you to the bottom. Let go and swim up to the light and the air. It's sunny and fine up here. We've got blue skies and good company.

Be well :)

[Chas.]

On Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 12:03:09 PM UTC-7, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Well given Chas you've admitted that you have no faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo by saying that a 150 day challenge where faith and Daimoku is the sole focus will "sink you", I find your statements above very odd.
>

[snip]

Once again, twisting and lying. I have the same faith in Namu as I do in Nam, because WE believe that there is no pronounceable difference between the two ANGLICIZED VERSIONS OF THE CHINESE AND JAPANESE CHARACTERS.

That was all explained a few posts back by the new guy in this post and the series after it:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/stHP9WGrYBg/7QMtBZI3BAAJ

Seems to make some sense and y'all (Mark Rogow, Katie Higgins and runt of the litter, Iain Dewar) cowered before his rhetoric and went silent like little scared puppies.

I thought that would be the end of the Namu argument, but here it is again.

Why didn't y'all leap up and confront the lyal...@gmail.com scary, scary guy ... at the moment he tromped all over your paper-thin arguments?

Stand up to that big scary guy, like little Hillary did.
_____________________________________

Katie Higgins' offences against the true aspect of all phenomena +

Katie, you make yourself an enemy of the Lotus Sutra by slandering the true aspect via your worship of statues. The true aspect is clearly referring to Myoho-Renge, not statues or images of Shakyamuni, as is stated in the bolded part below.

As I made clear earlier from this passage of the "Immeasurable Meanings Sutra", pp. 12-13, which is preached during the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra and is concurrent with it and not previous to the Lotus Sutra, and which is in no way provisional or to be discarded in any way. In fact the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho reference the true aspect, and without this definition, THEY WOULD BE INCOMPLETE!

Here's the quote that destroys all your statue worshiping, I have highlighted the key phrase so that you cannot miss it (although I fear your mind cannot read it):

"Immeasurable Meanings Sutra", pp. 12-13,

. “When bodhisattvas have in this manner observed the
. beginning and end of these four aspects and have understood
. them in their entirety, then they will clearly perceive
. that all phenomena, never abiding from one instant to
. the next, are constantly being born anew and passing into
. extinction, and then they will immediately perceive the
. true aspect of birth, abiding, change, and extinction.
.

. “Once they have gained this perception, then they must turn

. to the capacities, natures, and desires of living beings.

. Because such natures and desires are immeasurable in

. variety, the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable;

. and because the ways of preaching the Law are immeasurable,

. its meanings are likewise immeasurable. THESE IMMEASURABLE

. MEANINGS ARE BORN FROM A SINGLE LAW, AND THIS LAW IS

. WITHOUT ASPECT. WHAT IS WITHOUT ASPECT IS DEVOID OF ASPECT

. AND DOES NOT TAKE ON ASPECT. NOT TAKING ON ASPECT, BEING

. WITHOUT ASPECT, IT IS CALLED THE TRUE ASPECT.
.

. “When bodhisattvas mahasattva rest and abide in this

. understanding of the true aspect of all phenomena, then the

. pity and compassion that they put forth will be based on

. clear understanding and not groundless, and they will be

. truly capable of rescuing living beings from the sufferings

. that they undergo. And once they have rescued them from

. suffering, they will preach the Law for them and enable

. living beings to enjoy ease and delight.

Santai or the Three Truths can only be found in the Lotus Sutra, this is one of the glories of the Lotus Sutra. "The truth of non-substantiality, the truth of temporary existence, and the truth of the Middle Way." from the SGI Dictionary:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/T/183

The images of human beings are the images of their Temporary Existence alone, their impermanence.

I am impermanent and will vanish from the world, this is my destiny from birth: to be born is to die, that is the guarantee of the four sufferings. Birth, aging, sickness and death.

And yet, like an electron that has a particle and a wave function, I am also Non-Substantial and that was true before my birth, during my aging, sickness and after my death. In fact I am dying now, cells that were crucial to my function ar born and then die all the time. I am also like a wave.

In all those phases of my life I am in the Middle Way, the unification of the Three Truths.

Images of living beings are images of impermanence alone, and like "the Tripitaka teaching and the connecting teaching do not reveal the truth of the Middle Way and therefore lack the three truths," (from the definition of Santai) ... they do not possess the "true aspect."

The highest object of worship, the Gohonzon possesses the "true aspect" in the fact that it is an arrangement of characters and does not look like you or me or anyone you know. This is how it can reflect ALL THE LIVING BEINGS, not just here, but everywhere that life has or will develop in the ten directions and the three existences of past, present and future.

All living being possess the true aspect and they are all Buddhas, like the characters of an enormous version of the Lotus Sutra. However, not even the images of the Lord of Teachings, Shakyamuni or the Lord of Practice, Nichiren Daishonin reflect anything other than impermanence.

Only the Gohonzon reflects the true aspect. It is the highest object of worship and all others are pitiful in their aspect, by comparison: why would anyone chant the daimoku, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to any other object of worship?

How dishonorable!

-Chas.

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Moving this back up to the top.

[Katie Higgins]

Where did the SGI Buddhas come from??

Nichiren apparently didn't know about them-- and he certainly did not predict an organization calling to self, "Buddha"-- but Nichiren did teach us some very significant history lessons-- The following passages about out *roots* and Nichiren's, too are taken from "The Four Debts of Gratitude":


"Since all the lands in the ten directions, with the exception of this sahā world, are pure lands, their people, being gentlehearted, neither abuse nor hate the worthies and sages. In contrast, this world is inhabited by people who were rejected from the pure lands in the ten directions. They have committed the ten evil acts or the five cardinal sins, slandered the worthies and sages, and have been unfilial to their fathers and mothers or disrespectful to the monks. For these offenses they fell into the three evil paths, and only after dwelling there for countless kalpas were they reborn in this world. Yet the residue of the evil karma formed in their previous existences has not yet been eradicated, and they still tend to perpetrate the ten evil acts or the five cardinal sins, to revile the worthies and sages, and to be undutiful to their fathers and mothers or irreverent toward the monks."

"During the course of countless kalpas, while transmigrating through the six paths and the four forms of birth, I may at times have risen in revolt, committed theft, or broken into others’ homes at night and, on account of these offenses, been convicted by the ruler and condemned toexile or death. This time, however, it is because I am so firmly resolved topropagate the Lotus Sutra that people with evil karma have brought false charges against me; hence my exile. Surely this will work in my favor in future lifetimes. In this latter age, there cannot be anyone else who upholds the Lotus Sutra twenty-four hours of the day and night without making a deliberate effort to do so."

"There is one other thing for which I am most grateful. While transmigrating in the six paths for the duration of countless kalpas, I may have encountered a number of sovereigns and become their favorite minister or regent. If so, I must have been granted fiefs and accorded treasures and stipends. Never once, however, did I encounter a sovereign in whose country the Lotus Sutra had spread, so that I could hear its name, practice it and, on that very account, be slandered by other people and have the ruler send me into exile. The Lotus Sutra states, “As for this Lotus Sutra, throughout immeasurable numbers of lands one cannot even hear its name, much less be able to see it, accept and embrace, read and recite it.”6 Thus those people who slandered me and the ruler [who had me banished] are the very persons to whom I owe the most profound debt of gratitude."

Notice the diversion creation by "SGI Buddha"? A whole NEW religion -- needed for application for SGI's own 502 1 (3) (c) tax exempt status--

~Katie

[Tim Tam]

Years ago I was lead to believe that to practise Nichiren’s Buddhism correctly, one had to attend meetings and belong to an organisation. Nowadays I’ve come to understand that anyone, regardless of whether they become a ‘member’ of a group or not, can benefit from their own personal practice.
The reason for this is that the Law Itself represents the identity of what some now refer to as the ‘unified field of all consciousnesses’. In other words, it’s the essence behind all existence and non-existence, the ultimate creative force behind planets, stars, nebulae, people, animals, trees, fish, birds and all phenomena, manifest or latent. All matter and intelligence is simply waves or ripples manifesting to and from this core source.
Consciousness (enlightenment) is itself the true creator of everything that is, ever was and ever will be, right down to the minutest particles of dust, each being an individual ripple or wave.
The big difference between chanting ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ and most conventional prayers is that instead of depending on a middle man to connect us to our state of enlightenment, we’re able to do it ourselves by tapping directly into it by way of self-produced sound vibration.
On the subject of ‘what or who is God?’, when we compare the concept of ‘God’, as a separate entity that is forever watching down on us, to Nichiren’s teachings, the true omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of what most people call ‘God’ is our enlightenment, which exists nowhere else but within us. When the disciples asked Jesus where the Kingdom of God is, didn’t he tell them that it was within them?
Some say that ‘God’ is an entity that can never be seen. I think that the vast amount of information that is constantly being conveyed via electromagnetic waves gives us proof of how an invisible state of what many call ‘God’ could actually exist.
It’s widely known that certain data being relayed by way of electromagnetic waves has the potential to help bring about extraordinary and powerful effects, including instant global awareness of something or mass emotional reaction. As well as many other things, it’s also common knowledge that these waves can be used to detonate a bomb or to even enable NASA to control the movements of a robot as far away as the Moon or Mars. However, none of this is possible without a receiver to decode the information that is being transmitted. Without the receiver, the information would remain impotent.
In a similar way, it’s very important for us to have our receiver switched on, so that we can activate a clear and precise understanding of our life, all other life and who we and all else that exists truly is. Chanting ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ helps us to achieve this, because it allows us to reach into the core of our enlightenment and switch it on. That’s because, as I mentioned before, the sound vibration of ‘myoho-renge-kyo’ represents the combination of the three major laws that underlie all existence.
‘Myoho’ represents the Law of latency and manifestation (Nature), and consists of two alternating states. One state of ‘myo’ is where everything in life that’s not obvious to us exists. This includes our stored memories when we’re not thinking about them, our hidden potential and inner emotions whenever they’re not being expressed, our desires, our fears, our wisdom, happiness, karma, and more importantly, our enlightenment. The other state, ‘ho’, is where everything in Life exists whenever it becomes obvious to us, such as when a thought pops up from our memory, whenever we experience or express our emotions, or whenever a good or bad effect comes forth from our karma. When anything becomes apparent, it simply means that it has come out of the state of ‘myo’ (dormancy/latency) and into a state of ‘ho’ (manifestation). It’s the difference between consciousness and unconsciousness, being awake or asleep, or knowing and not knowing something.
The second law, ‘renge’, governs and controls the functions of ‘myoho’ – ‘ren’ meaning cause and ‘ge’ meaning effect. These two laws, ‘myoho’ and ‘renge’, work together simultaneously and underlie all spiritual and physical existence.
The final and third part of the tri-combination, ‘kyo’, is what allows the law ‘myoho’ to integrate with the law ‘renge’. It’s the great, invisible thread of energy that fuses and connects together all Life and matter, as well as the past, present and future. It is often termed the Universal Law of Communication. Perhaps it could even be compared to the ‘string theory’ that some scientists now suspect exists.
Just as our body cells, thoughts, feelings and all else are constantly fluctuating within us, everything in the world around us and beyond is also in a constant state of flux, in accordance with these three laws. In fact, more things are going back and forth between the two states of ‘myo’ and ‘ho’ in a single moment than it would ever be possible for us to calculate or describe. And it doesn't matter how big, small, important or trivial anything may appear to be, everything that’s ever existed in the past, exists now, or will exist in the future, exists only because of the workings of 'myoho-renge-kyo'. These three laws are also the basis of the four fundamental forces and if they didn't function, neither we nor anything else could go on existing. Simply put, all forms of existence, including the seasons, day and night, birth, death and so on, are moving forward in an ongoing flow of continuation, rhythmically reverting back and forth between the two states of ‘myo’ and ‘ho’ in accordance with ‘renge’ and by way of ‘kyo’. Even stars are dying and being reborn again in accordance with the workings of ‘myoho-renge-kyo’.
‘Nam’ is like a password or key; it allows us to reach deep within our life and fuse with or become one with ‘myoho-renge-kyo’. On a more personal basis, nothing ever happens by chance or coincidence, it’s the causes that we’ve made in our past, or are presently making, that determine how these laws function uniquely in each of our lives from moment to moment, as well as our environment.
By facing east, in harmony with the direction that the Earth turns and rhythmically chanting ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ repeatedly for a minimum of ten minutes daily, any of us can gain actual proof of its effects in our life. By building up a force from within, it allows us to pierce through even the thickest layers of our karma and reach directly into the ultimate wisdom of our and all other life. Unlike the fantasy of a magic wand to make our problems vanish, chanting ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ awakens our innate wisdom and brings to the surface our hidden potential, a much clearer realisation and understanding of our good and bad karma, and positive ways that we can both cope with and change our negative circumstances into positive ones. It also allows us to see and understand things outside of ourselves more clearly and, by way of the electromagnetic forces of which we are all a part, helps us to connect with, or draw towards us, any external circumstances or help that we need. Proof of this effect soon becomes obvious to anyone who chants ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ on a regular basis. Of course, the more sincerely we chant, the more powerful and faster its effect will be. (Tom Bird)

[Chas.]

____ The Total Abolition of Slander of the Law, v3.0 ________

I state categorically --

1. That those followers of Nichiren Daishonin, who ignore his admonitions to avoid the slander of mixing extraneous practices (Martial Arts, Reiki, Yoga, Shinto statue idolatry, etc.) with Nichiren's practice of the Lotus Sutra are treating the Entity of the Mystic Law as their chattel slave. They bow to the Gohonzon and practice Buddhism devoutly to receive the benefits of that practice deeply in their lives, but after the butsudan doors are closed, they heap abuse, and profound torment on their Entity of the Mystic Law, who has steadfastly stuck with that slandering follower, providing every service through thick and thin: the Gohonzon was always there.
___________________________________________________________

From Theodore Dwight Weld's 1839 work, "American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses", p. 52-54

"TESTIMONY OF ANGELINA GRIMKÉ WELD."

"Mrs. Weld is the youngest daughter of the late Judge Grimké, of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, and a sister of the late Hon. Thomas S. Grimké, of Charleston."

"FORT LEE, Bergen Co., New Jersey, Fourth month 6th, 1839."

...

"I will first introduce the reader to a woman of the highest respectability--one who was foremost in every benevolent enterprise, and stood for many years, I may say, at the head of the fashionable elite of the city of Charleston, and afterwards at the head of the moral and religious female society there. It was after she had made a profession of religion, and retired from the fashionable world, that I knew her; therefore I will present her in her religious character. This lady used to keep cowhides, or small paddles, (called 'pancake sticks,') in four different apartments in her house; so that when she wished to punish, or to have punished, any of her slaves, she might not have the trouble of sending for an instrument of torture. For many years, one or other, and often more of her slaves, were flogged every day; particularly the young slaves about the house, whose faces were slapped, or their hands beat with the 'pancake stick,' for every trifling offence--and often for no fault at all. But the floggings were not all; the scoldings and abuse daily heaped upon them all, were worse: 'fools' and 'liars,' 'sluts' and 'husseys,' 'hypocrites' and 'good for- nothing creatures,' were the common epithets with which her mouth was filled, when addressing her slaves, adults as well as children. Very often she would take a position at her window, in an upper story, and scold at her slaves while working in the garden, at some distance from the house, (a large yard intervening,) and occasionally order a flogging. I have known her thus on the watch, scolding for more than an hour at a time, in so loud a voice that the whole neighborhood could hear her; and this without the least apparent feeling of shame. Indeed, it was no disgrace among slaveholders, and did not in the least injure her standing, either as a lady or a Christian, in the aristocratic circle in which she moved. After the 'revival' in Charleston, in 1825, she opened her house to social prayer-meetings. The room in which they were held in the evening, and where the voice of prayer was heard around the family altar, and where she herself retired for private devotion thrice each day, was the very place in which, when her slaves were to be whipped with the cowhide, they were taken to receive the infliction; and the wail of the sufferer would be heard, where, perhaps only a few hours previous, rose the voices of prayer and praise. This mistress would occasionally send her slaves, male and female, to the Charleston work-house to be punished. One poor girl, whom she sent there to be flogged, and who was accordingly stripped naked and whipped, showed me the deep gashes on her back--I might have laid my whole finger in them--large pieces of flesh had actually been cut out by the torturing lash. She sent another female slave there, to be imprisoned and worked on the tread-mill. This girl was confined several days, and forced to work the mill while in a state of suffering from another cause. For ten days or two weeks after her return, she was lame, from the violent exertion necessary to enable her to keep the step on the machine. She spoke to me with intense feeling of this outrage upon her, as a woman. Her men servants were sometimes flogged there; and so exceedingly offensive has been the putrid flesh of their lacerated backs, for days after the infliction, that they would be kept out of the house--the smell arising from their wounds being too horrible to be endured. They were always stiff and sore for some days, and not in a condition to be seen by visitors."

"This professedly Christian woman was a most awful illustration of the ruinous influence of arbitrary power upon the temper--her bursts of passion upon the heads of her victims were dreaded even by her own children, and very often, all the pleasure of social intercourse around the domestic board, was destroyed by her ordering the cook into her presence, and storming at him, when the dinner or breakfast was not prepared to her taste, and in the presence of all her children, commanding the waiter to slap his face. Fault-finding, was with her the constant accompaniment of every meal, and banished that peace which should hover around the social board, and smile on every face. It was common for her to order brothers to whip their own sisters, and sisters their own brothers, and yet no woman visited among the poor more than she did, or gave more liberally to relieve their wants. This may seem perfectly unaccountable to a northerner, but these seeming contradictions vanish when we consider that over them she possessed no arbitrary power, they were always presented to her mind as unfortunate sufferers, towards whom her sympathies most freely flowed; she was ever ready to wipe the tears from their eyes, and open wide her purse for their relief, but the others were her vassals, thrust down by public opinion beneath her feet, to be at her beck and call, ever ready to serve in all humility, her, whom God in his providence had set over them--it was their duty to abide in abject submission, and hers to compel them to do so--it was thus that she reasoned. Except at family prayers, none were permitted to sit in her presence, but the seamstresses and waiting maids, and they, however delicate might be their circumstances, were forced to sit upon low stools, without backs, that they might be constantly reminded of their inferiority. A slave who waited in the house, was guilty on a particular occasion of going to visit his wife, and kept dinner waiting a little, (his wife was the slave of a lady who lived at a little distance.) When the family sat down to the table, the mistress began to scold the waiter for the offence--he attempted to excuse himself--she ordered him to hold his tongue--he ventured another apology; her son then rose from the table in a rage, and beat the face and ears of the waiter so dreadfully that the blood gushed from his mouth, and nose, and ears. This mistress was a professor of religion; her daughter who related the circumstance, was a fellow member of the Presbyterian church with the poor outraged slave--instead of feeling indignation at this outrageous abuse of her brother in the church, she justified the deed, and said "he got just what he deserved." I solemnly believe this to be a true picture of slave-holding religion."

...

"The following circumstance occurred in Charleston, in 1828: A slaveholder, after flogging a little girl about thirteen years old, set her on a table with her feet fastened in a pair of stocks. He then locked the door and took out the key. When the door was opened she was found dead, having fallen from the table. When I asked a prominent lawyer, who belonged to one of the first families in the State, whether the murderer of this helpless child could not be indicted, he coolly replied, that the slave was Mr.----'s property, and if he chose to suffer the loss, no one else had any thing to do with it. The loss of human life, the distress of the parents and other relatives of the little girl, seemed utterly out of his thoughts: it was the loss of property only that presented itself to his mind."

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 68:

From the Mobile Examiner, August 1, 1837.

"POLICE REPORT--MAYOR'S OFFICE."

"Saturday morning, August 12, 1837."

"His Honor the Mayor presiding."

"Mr. MILLER, of the foundry, brought to the office this morning a small negro girl aged about eight or ten years, whom he had taken into his house some time during the previous night. She had crawled under the window of his bed room to screen herself from the night air, and to find a warmer shelter than the open canopy of heaven afforded. Of all objects of pity that have lately come to our view, this poor little girl most needs the protection of authority, and the sympathies of the charitable. From the cruelty of her master and mistress, she has been whipped, worked and starved, until she is now a breathing skeleton, hardly able to stand upon her feet."

"The back of the poor little sufferer, (which we ourselves saw,) was actually cut into strings, and so perfectly was the flesh worn from her limbs, by the wretched treatment she had received, that every joint showed distinctly its crevices and protuberances through the skin. Her little lips clung closely over her teeth--her cheeks were sunken and her head narrowed, and when her eyes were closed, the lids resembled film more than flesh or skin."

"We would desire of our northern friends such as choose to publish to the world their own version of the case we have related, not to forget to add, in conclusion, that the owner of this little girl is a foreigner, speaks against slavery as an institution, and reads his Bible to his wife, with the view of finding proofs for his opinions."

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 74:

"JOHN M. NELSON, Esq., a native of Virginia, now a highly respected citizen of Highland county, Ohio, and member of the Presbyterian Church in Hillsborough, in a recent letter states the following:--"

"In Staunton, Va., at the house of Mr. Robert M`Dowell, a merchant of that place, I once saw a colored woman, of intelligent and dignified appearance, who appeared to be attending to the business of the house, with an iron collar around her neck, with horns or prongs extending out on either side, and up, until they met at something like a foot above her head, at which point there was a bell attached. This yoke, as they called it, I understood was to prevent her from running away, or to punish her for having done so. I had frequently seen men with iron collars, but this was the first instance that I recollect to have seen a female thus degraded."

...

"Rev. JOHN DUDLEY, Mount Morris, Michigan, resided as a teacher at the missionary station, among the Choctaws, in Mississippi, during the years 1830 and 31. In a letter just received Mr. Dudley says:-- During the time I was on missionary ground, which was in 1830 and 31, I was frequently at the residence of the agent, who was a slaveholder.--I never knew of his treating his own slaves with cruelty; but the poor fellows who were escaping, and lodged with him when detected, found no clemency. I once saw there a fetter for 'the d--d runaways,' the weight of which can be judged by its size. It was at least three inches wide, half an inch thick, and something over a foot long. At this time I saw a poor fellow compelled to work in the field, at 'logging,' with such a galling fetter on his ankles. To prevent it from wearing his ankles, a string was tied to the centre, by which the victim suspended it when he walked, with one hand, and with the other carried his burden. Whenever he lifted, the fetter rested on his bare ankles. If he lost his balance and made a misstep, which must very often occur in lifting and rolling logs, the torture of his fetter was severe. Thus he was doomed to work while wearing the torturing iron, day after day, and at night he was confined in the runaways' jail. Some time after this, I saw the same dejected, heart-broken creature obliged to wait on the other hands, who were husking corn. The privilege of sitting with the others was too much for him to enjoy; he was made to hobble from house to barn and barn to house, to carry food and drink for the rest. He passed round the end of the house where I was sitting with the agent: he seemed to take no notice of me, but fixed his eyes on his tormentor till he passed quite by us."

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 75:

"Mr. CURTIS, a journeyman cabinet-maker, of Marietta, relates the following, of which he was an eye witness. Mr. Curtis is every way worthy of credit."

"In September, 1837, at 'Milligan's Bend,' in the Mississippi river, I saw a negro with an iron band around his head, locked behind with a padlock. In the front, where it passed the mouth, there was a projection inward of an inch and a half, which entered the mouth. "The overseer told me, he was so addicted to running away, it did not do any good to whip him for it. He said he kept this gag constantly on him, and intended to do so as long as he was on the plantation: so that, if he ran away, he could not eat, and would starve to death. The slave asked for drink in my presence; and the overseer made him lie down on his back, and turned water on his face two or three feet high, in order to torment him, as he could not swallow a drop.--The slave then asked permission to go to the river; which being granted, he thrust his face and head entirely under the water, that being the only way he could drink with his gag on. The gag was taken off when he took his food, and then replaced afterwards."

...

"EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM MR. JONATHAN F. BALDWIN, of Lorain county, Ohio. Mr. B. was formerly a merchant in Massillon, Ohio, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church there."

"DEAR BROTHER,--In conversation with Judge Lyman, of Litchfield county, Connecticut, last June, he stated to me, that several years since he was in Columbia, South Carolina, and observing a colored man lying on the floor of a blacksmith's shop, as he was passing it, his curiosity led him in. He learned the man was a slave and rather unmanageable. Several men were attempting to detach from his ankle an iron which had been bent around it. "The iron was a piece of a flat bar of the ordinary size from the forge hammer, and bent around the ancle, the ends meeting, and forming a hoop of about the diameter of the leg. There was one or more strings attached to the iron and extending up around his neck, evidently so to suspend it as to prevent its galling by its weight when at work, yet it had galled or griped till the leg had swollen out beyond the iron and inflamed and supurated, so that the leg for a considerable distance above and below the iron, was a mass of putrefaction, the most loathsome of any wound he had ever witnessed on any living creature. The slave lay on his back on the floor, with his leg on an anvil which sat also on the floor, one man had a chisel used for splitting iron, and another struck it with a sledge, to drive it between the ends of the hoop and separate it so that it might be taken off. Mr. Lyman said that the man swung the sledge over his shoulders as if splitting iron, and struck many blows before he succeeded in parting the ends of the iron at all, the bar was so large and stubborn--at length they spread it as far as they could without driving the chisel so low as to ruin the leg. The slave, a man of twenty-five years, perhaps, whose countenance was the index of a mind ill adapted to the degradations of slavery, never uttered a word or a groan in all the process, but the copious flow of sweat from every pore, the dreadful contractions and distortions of every muscle in his body, showed clearly the great amount of his sufferings; and all this while, such was the diseased state of the limb, that at every blow, the bloody, corrupted matter gushed out in all directions several feet, in such profusion as literally to cover a large area around the anvil. After various other fruitless attempts to spread the iron, they concluded it was necessary to weaken by filing before it could be got off, which he left them attempting to do."
___________________________________________________________

I state categorically --

2. That the abiding system supporting the mixing of extraneous practices (**) with the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra within the Sangha, constitutes a system of chattel slavery of the Sangha held in bondage to those leaders supporting that mixing or tolerating it, and that must be a system of horrible cruelty, where each and every entity is tormented by slander of the Law, juxtaposed to that follower's Nichiren Buddhist practice of the Law. That condition of the perpetual treatment of the Entity of the Mystic Law as a slave en masse cannot possibly persist and is the true cause of the evil effects we see perpetrated upon the Sangha and their environment in the world.
[** Zen Tantric martial arts, Yakushi Kyo Reiki "healing", Yogic seated meditation or dhyana, worship or respect for Shinto or Shen Dao gods or the Shinto crane or Buddha statues, or other practices of the provisional sutras or distortions of Buddhism, many of which have become part of daily life and embedded into the culture within Japan and other "Buddhist" nations]
___________________________________________________________

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 69-70:

"Mr. SAMUEL HALL, a teacher in Marietta College, Ohio, and formerly secretary of the Colonization society in that village, has recently communicated the facts which follow. We quote from his letter..."

"The following statement is made by a young man from Western Virginia. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a student in Marietta College. All that prevents the introduction of his name, is the peril to his life, which would probably be the consequence, on his return to Virginia. His character for integrity and veracity is above suspicion."

'On the night of the great meteoric shower, in Nov. 1833. I was at Remley's tavern, 12 miles west of Lewisburg, Greenbrier Co., Virginia. A drove of 50 or 60 negroes stopped at the same place that night. They usually 'camp out,' but as it was excessively muddy, they were permitted to come into the house. So far as my knowledge extends, 'droves,' on their way to the south, eat but twice a day, early in the morning and at night. Their supper was a compound of 'potatoes and meal,' and was, without exception, the dirtiest, blackest looking mess I ever saw. I remarked at the time that the food was not as clean, in appearance, as that which was given to a drove of hogs, at the same place the night previous. Such as it was, however, a black woman brought it on her head, in a tray or trough two and a half feet long, where the men and women were promiscuously herded. The slaves rushed up and seized it from the trough in handfulls, before the woman could take it off her head. They jumped at it as if half-famished.'

'They slept on the floor of the room which they were permitted to occupy, lying in every form imaginable, males and females, promiscuously. They were so thick on the floor, that in passing through the room it was necessary to step over them.'

'There were three drivers, one of whom staid in the room to watch the drove, and the other two slept in an adjoining room. Each of the latter took a female from the drove to lodge with him, as is the common practice of the drivers generally. There is no doubt about this particular instance, for they were seen together. The mud was so thick on the floor where this drove slept, that it was necessary to take a shovel, the next morning, and clear it out. Six or eight in this drove were chained; all were for the south.'

'In the autumn of the same year I saw a drove of upwards of a hundred, between 40 and 50 of them were fastened to one chain, the links being made of iron rods, as thick in diameter as a man's little finger. This drove was bound west-ward to the Ohio river, to be shipped to the south. I have seen many droves, and more or less in each, almost without exception, were chained. I never saw but one drove, that went on their way making merry. In that one they were blowing horns, singing, &c., and appeared as if they had been drinking whisky.'

'They generally appear extremely dejected. I have seen in the course of five years, on the road near where I reside, 12 or 15 droves at least, passing to the south. They would average 40 in each drove. Near the first of January, 1834, I started about sunrise to go to Lewisburg. It was a bitter cold morning. I met a drove of negroes, 30 or 40 in number, remarkably ragged and destitute of clothing. One little boy particularly excited my sympathy. He was some distance behind the others, not being able to keep up with the rest. Although he was shivering with cold and crying, the driver was pushing him up in a trot to overtake the main gang. All of them looked as if they were half-frozen. There was one remarkable instance of tyranny, exhibited by a boy, not more than eight years old, that came under my observation, in a family by the name of D--n, six miles from Lewisburg. This youngster would swear at the slaves, and exert all the strength he possessed, to flog or beat them, with whatever instrument or weapon he could lay hands on, provided they did not obey him instanter. He was encouraged in this by his father, the master of the slaves. The slaves often fled from this young tyrant in terror.' "

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 89:

'Hon. JAMES K. PAULDING, the Secretary of the Navy of the U. States, in his "Letters from the South" published in 1817, relates the following:

"At one of the taverns along the road we were set down in the same room with an elderly man and a youth who seemed to be well acquainted with him, for they conversed familiarly and with true republican independence--for they did not mind who heard them. From the tenor of his conversation I was induced to look particularly at the elder. He was telling the youth something like the following detested tale. He was going, it seems, to Richmond, to inquire about a draft for seven thousand dollars, which he had sent by mail, but which, not having been acknowledged by his correspondent, he was afraid had been stolen, and the money received by the thief. 'I should not like to lose it,' said he, 'for I worked hard for it, and sold many a poor d--l of a black to Carolina and Georgia, to scrape it together.--He then went on to tell many a perfidious tale. All along the road it seems he made it his business to inquire where lived a man who might be tempted to become a party in this accursed traffic, and when he had got some half dozen of these poor creatures, he tied their hands behind their backs, and drove them three or four hundred miles or more, bareheaded and half naked through the burning southern sun. Fearful that even southern humanity would revolt at such an exhibition of human misery and human barbarity, he gave out that they were runaway slaves he was carrying home to their masters. On one occasion a poor black woman exposed this fallacy, and told the story of her being kidnapped, and when he got her into a wood out of hearing, he beat her, to use his own expression, 'till her back was white.' It seems he married all the men and women he bought, himself, because they would sell better for being man and wife! But, said the youth, were you not afraid, in traveling through the wild country and sleeping in lone houses, these slaves would rise and kill you? 'To be sure I was,' said the other, 'but I always fastened my door, put a chair on a table before it, so that it might wake me in falling, and slept with a loaded pistol in each hand. It was a bad life, and I left it off as soon as I could live without it; for many is the time I have separated wives from husbands, and husbands from wives, and parents from children, but then I made them amends by marrying them again as soon as I had a chance, that is to say, I made them call each other man and wife, and sleep together, which is quite enough for negroes. I made one bad purchase though,' continued he. 'I bought a young mulatto girl, a lively creature, a great bargain. She had been the favorite of her master, who had lately married. The difficulty was to get her to go, for the poor creature loved her master. However, I swore most bitterly I was only going to take her to her mother's at--and she went with me, though she seemed to doubt me very much. But when she discovered, at last, that we were out of the state, I thought she would go mad, and in fact, the next night she drowned herself in the river close by. I lost a good five hundred dollars by this foolish trick.' " Vol. I. p. 121.'
___________________________________________________________

I state categorically --

3. That slave system permitting the mixing of extraneous practices with the Buddhism of Lotus Sutra within that Sangha thwarts Kosen Rufu and will sustain a deadlock that must be surpassed, and can only be surpassed by a profound determination for the total abolition of slander of the Law, starting with the leadership of the Sangha. Slander of the Law IS chattel slavery for the Entity of the Mystic Law and slavery LEADS INVARIABLY to genocide. For the Sangha and the leaders of the Sangha to commit the great sin of ignoring Nichiren Daishonin and slandering the Law by mixing extraneous practices with Nichiren's practice of the Lotus Sutra is a profound kind of sin against Buddhism: ending that great sin can only be done through committing ourselves to the total abolition of slander of the Law throughout the leadership, then somehow through the Sangha, and finally somehow through society. The eternal Buddha deserves justice.
___________________________________________________________

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 25-26:

TESTIMONY OF THE LATE REV. JOHN GRAHAM,
...
EXTRACTS.
...
Darlington, Court House. S. C. March, 28th, 1838.
...

Under date of July, 1832, Mr. G. writes, "I wish you could have been at the breakfast table with me this morning to have seen and heard what I saw and heard, not that I wish your ear and heart and soul pained as mine is, 'with every day's' observation 'of wrong and outrage' with which this place is filled, but that you might have auricular and ocular evidence of the cruelty of slavery, of cruelties that mortal language can never describe--that you might see the tender mercies of a hardened slaveholder, one who bears the name of being one of the mildest and most merciful masters of which this island can boast. Oh, my friend, another is screaming under the lash, in the shed-room, but for what I know not. The scene this morning was truly distressing to me. It was this:--After the blessing was asked at the breakfast table, one of the servants, a woman grown, in giving one of the children some molasses, happened to pour out a little more than usual, though not more than the child usually eats. Her master was angry at the petty and indifferent mistake, or slip of the hand. He rose from the table, took both of her hands in one of his, and with the other began to beat her, first on one side of her head and then on the other, and repeating this, till, as he said on sitting down at table, it hurt his hand too much to continue it longer. He then took off his shoe, and with the heel began in the same manner as with his hand, till the poor creature could no longer endure it without screeches and raising her elbow as it is natural to ward off the blows. He then called a great overgrown negro to hold her hands behind her while he should wreak his vengeance upon the poor servant. In this position he began again to beat the poor suffering wretch. It now became intolerable to bear; she fell, screaming to me for help. After she fell, he beat her until I thought she would have died in his hands. She got up, however, went out and washed off the blood and came in before we rose from table, one of the most pitiable objects I ever saw till I came to the South. Her ears were almost as thick as my hand, her eyes awfully blood-shotten, her lips, nose, cheeks, chin, and whole head swollen so that no one would have known it was Etta--and for all this, she had to turn round as she was going out and thank her master! Now, all this was done while I was sitting at breakfast with the rest of the family. Think you not I wished myself sitting with the peaceful and happy circle around your table? Think of my feelings, but pity the poor negro slave, who not only fans his cruel master when he eats and sleeps, but bears the stripes his caprice may inflict. Think of this, and let heaven hear your prayers."

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 88:

Extract of a letter from Rev. C. S. RENSHAW, pastor of the Congregational Church, Quincy, Illinois. "Judge Menzies of Boone county, Kentucky, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a slaveholder, told me that he knew some overseers in the tobacco growing region of Virginia, who, to make their slaves careful in picking the tobacco, that is taking the worms off, (you know what a loathsome thing the tobacco worm is) would make them eat some of the worms, and others who made them eat every worm they missed in picking."

From Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 109-118, and writing for himself:

We here rest the case for the present, so far as respects the presentation of facts showing the condition of the slaves, and proceed to consider the main objections which are usually employed to weaken such testimony, or wholly to set it aside. But before we enter upon the examination of specific objections, and introductory to them, we remark,--

1. That the system of slavery must be a system of horrible cruelty, follows of necessity, from the fact that two millions seven hundred thousand human beings are held by force, and used as articles of property. Nothing but a heavy yoke, and an iron one, could possibly keep so many necks in the dust. That must be a constant and mighty pressure which holds so still such a vast army; nothing could do it but the daily experience of severities, and th ceaseless dread and certainty of the most terrible inflictions if they should dare to toss in their chains.

2. Were there nothing else to prove it a system of monstrous cruelty, the fact that FEAR is the only motive with which the slave is plied during his whole existence, would be sufficient to brand it with execration as the grand tormentor of man. The slave's susceptibility of pain is the sole fulcrum on which slavery works the lever that moves him. In this it plants all its stings; here it sinks its hot irons; cuts its deep gashes; flings its burning embers, and dashes its boiling brine and liquid fire: into this it strikes its cold flesh hooks, grapgling irons, and instruments of nameless torture; and by it drags him shrieking to the end of his pilgrimage. The fact that the master inflicts pain upon the slave not merely as an end to gratify passion, but constantly as a means of extorting labor, is enough of itself to show that the system of slavery is unmixed cruelty.

3. That the slaves must suffer frequent and terrible inflictions, follows inevitably from the character of those who direct their labor. Whatever may be the character of the slaveholders themselves, all agree that the overseers are, as a class, most abandoned, brutal, and desperate men. This is so well known and believed that any testimony to prove it seems needless. The testimony of Mr. WIRT, late Attorney General of the United States, a Virginian and a slaveholder, is as follows. In his life of Patrick Henry, p. 36, speaking of the different classes of society in Virginia, he says,--"Last and lowest a feculum, of beings called 'overseers'--the most object, degraded, unprincipled race, always cap in hand to the dons who employ them, and furnishing materials for the exercise of their pride, insolence, and spirit of domination."

Rev. PHINEAS SMITH, of Centreville, New-York, who has resided some years at the south, says of overseers--

"It need hardly be added that overseers are in general ignorant, unprincipled and cruel, and in such low repute that they are not permitted to come to the tables of their employers; yet they have the constant control of all the human cattle that belong to the master.

"These men are continually advancing from their low station to the higher one of masters. These changes bring into the possession of power a class of men of whose mental and moral qualities I have already spoken."

Rev. HORACE MOULTON, of Marlboro', Massachusetts, who lived in Georgia several years, says of them,--

"The overseers are generally loose in their morals; it is the object of masters to employ those whom they think will get the most work out of their hands,--hence those who whip and torment the slaves the most are in many instances called the best overseers. The masters think those whom the slaves fear the most are the best. Quite a portion of the masters employ their own slaves as overseers, or rather they are called drivers; these are more subject to the will of the masters than the white overseers are; some of them are as lordly as an Austrian prince, and sometimes more cruel even than the whites."

That the overseers are, as a body, sensual, brutal, and violent men is proverbial. The tender mercies of such men must be cruel.

4. The ownership of human beings necessarily presupposes an utter disregard of their happiness He who assumes it monopolizes their whole capital, leaves them no stock on which to trade, and out of which to make happiness. Whatever is the master's gain is the slave's loss, a loss wrested from him by the master, for the express purpose of making it his own gain; this is the master's constant employment--forcing the slave to toil--violently wringing from him all he has and all he gets, and using it as his own;--like the vile bird that never builds its nest from materials of its own gathering, but either drives other birds from theirs and takes possession of them, or tears them in pieces to get the means of constructing their own. This daily practice of forcibly robbing others, and habitually living on the plunder, cannot but beget in the mind the habit of regarding the interests and happiness of those whom it robs, as of no sort of consequence in comparison with its own; consequently whenever those interests and this happiness are in the way of its own gratification, they will be sacrificed without scruple. He who cannot see this would be unable to feel it, if it were seen.

...

That slaveholders do not practically regard slaves as human beings is abundantly shown by their own voluntary testimony. In a recent work entitled, "The South vindicated from the Treason and Fanaticism of Northern Abolitionists," which was written, we are informed, by Colonel Dayton, late member of Congress from South Carolina; the writer, speaking of the awe with which the slaves regard the whites, says,--

"The northerner looks upon a band of negroes as upon so many men, but the planter or southerner views them in a very different light."

Extract from the speech of Mr. SUMMERS, of Virginia, in the legislature of that state, Jan. 26, 1832. See the Richmond Whig.

"When, in the sublime lessons of Christianity, he (the slaveholder) is taught to 'do unto others as he would have others do unto him,' HE NEVER DREAMS THAT THE DEGRADED NEGRO IS WITHIN THE PALE OF THAT HOLY CANON."

PRESIDENT JEFFERSON, in his letter to GOVERNOR COLES, of Illinois, dated Aug. 25, 1814, asserts, that slaveholders regard their slaves as brutes, in the following remarkable language.

"Nursed and educated in the daily habit of seeing the degraded condition, both bodily and mental, of these unfortunate beings [the slaves], FEW MINDS HAVE YET DOUBTED BUT THAT THEY WERE AS LEGITIMATE SUBJECTS OF PROPERTY AS THEIR HORSES OR CATTLE."

...

That American slaveholders possess a power over their slaves which is virtually absolute, none will deny.*

* The following extracts from the laws of slave-states are proofs sufficient.

"The slave is ENTIRELY subject to the WILL of his master."--Louisiana Civil Code, Art. 273.

"Slaves shall be deemed, sold, taken, reputed, and adjudged in law to be chattels personal, in the hands of their owners and possessors, and their executors, administrators and assigns, TO ALL INTENTS, CONSTRUCTIONS, AND PURPOSES, WHATSOEVER."--Laws of South Carolina, 2 Brev. Dig. 229; Prince's Digest, 446, &c.

That they desire this absolute power, is shown from the fact of their holding and exercising it, and making laws to confirm and enlarge it. That the desire to possess this power, every tittle of it, is intense, is proved by the fact, that slaveholders cling to it with such obstinate tenacity, as well as by all their doings and sayings, their threats, cursings and gnashings against all who denounce the exercise of such power as usurpation and outrage, and counsel its immediate abrogation.

...

To deny that cruelty is the spontaneous and uniform product of arbitrary power, and that the natural and controlling tendency of such power is to make its possessor cruel, oppressive, and revengeful towards those who are subjected to his control, is, we repeat, to set at nought the combined experience of the human race, to invalidate its testimony, and to reverse its decisions from time immemorial.

A volume might be filled with the testimony of American slaveholders alone, to the truth of the preceding position. We subjoin a few illustrations, and first, the memorable declaration of President Jefferson, who lived and died a slaveholder. It has been published a thousand times, and will live forever. In his "Notes on Virginia," sixth Philadelphia edition, p. 251, he says,--

"The WHOLE COMMERCE between master and slave, is a PERPETUAL EXERCISE of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting DESPOTISM on the one part, and degrading submission on the other...... The parent storms, the child looks on, catches the lineaments of wrath, puts on the same airs in the circle of smaller slaves, GIVES LOOSE TO THE WORST OF PASSIONS; and thus nursed, educated, and daily exercised in tyranny, cannot but be stamped by it with odious peculiarities."

Hon. LEWIS SUMMERS, Judge of the General Court of Virginia, and a slaveholder, said in a speech before the Virginia legislature in 1832; (see Richmond Whig of Jan. 26, 1832,)

"A slave population exercises the most pernicious influence upon the manners, habits an character, of those among whom it exists. Lisping infancy learns the vocabulary of abusive epithets, and struts the embryo tyrant of its little domain. The consciousness of superior destiny takes possession of his mind at its earliest dawning, and love of power and rule, 'grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.' Unless enabled to rise above the operation of those powerful causes, he enters the world with miserable notions of self-importance, and under the government of an unbridled temper."

The late JUDGE TUCKER of Virginia, a slaveholder, and Professor of Law in the University of William and Mary, in his "Letter to a Member of the Virginia Legislature," 1801, says,--

"I say nothing of the baneful effects of slavery on our moral character, because I know you have been long sensible of this point."

The Presbyterian Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, consisting of all the clergy of that denomination in those states, with a lay representation from the churches, most, if not all of whom are slaveholders, published a report on slavery in 1834, from which the following is an extract.

"Those only who have the management of servants, know what the hardening effect of it is upon their own feelings towards them. There is no necessity to dwell on this point, as all owners and managers fully understand it. He who commences to manage them with tenderness and with a willingness to favor them in every way, must be watchful, otherwise he will settle down in indifference, if not severity."

GENERAL WILLIAM H. HARRISON, now of Ohio, son of the late Governor Harrison of Virginia, a slaveholder, while minister from the United States to the Republic of Colombia, wrote a letter to General Simon Bolivar, then President of that Republic, just as he was about assuming despotic power. The letter is dated Bogota, Sept. 22, 1826. The following is an extract.

"From a knowledge of your own disposition and present feelings, your excellency will not be willing to believe that you could ever be brought to an act of tyranny, or even to execute justice with unnecessary rigor. But trust me, sir, there is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature than the exercise of unlimited power. The man, who in the beginning of such a career, might shudder at the idea of taking away the life of a fellow-being, might soon have his conscience so seared by the repetition of crime, that the agonies of his murdered victims might become music to his soul, and the drippings of the scaffold afford blood to swim in. History is full of such excesses."

WILLIAM H. FITZHUGH, Esq. of Virginia, a slaveholder, says,--"Slavery, in its mildest form, is cruel and unnatural; its injurious effects on our morals and habits are mutually felt."

Hon. SAMUEL S. NICHOLAS, late Judge of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, and a slaveholder, in a speech before the legislature of that state, Jan. 1837, says,--

"The deliberate convictions of the most matured consideration I can give the subject, are, that the institution of slavery is a most serious injury to the habits, manners and morals of our white population--that it leads to sloth, indolence, dissipation, and vice."

Dr. THOMAS COOPER, late President of the College of South Carolina, in a note to his edition of the "Institutes of Justinian," page 413, says,--

"All absolute power has a direct tendency, not only to detract from the happiness of the persons who are subject to it, but to DEPRAVE THE GOOD QUALITIES of those who possess it. . . . . the whole history of human nature, in the present and every former age, will justify me in saying that such is the tendency of power on the one hand and slavery on the other."

A South Carolina slaveholder, whose name is with the executive committee of the Am. A. S. Society, says, in a letter, dated April 4, 1838:--

"I think it (slavery) ruinous to the temper and to our spiritual life; it is a thorn in the flesh, for ever and for ever goading us on to say and to do what the Eternal God cannot but be displeased with. I speak from experience, and oh! my desire is to be delivered from it."

Monsieur C. C. ROBIN, who was a resident of Louisiana from 1802 to 1806, published a work on that country; in which, speaking of the effect of slaveholding on masters and their children, he says:--

"The young creoles make the negroes who surround them the play-things of their whims: they flog, for pastime, those of their own age, just as their fathers flog the others at their will. These young creoles, arrived at the ago in which the passions are impetuous, do not know how to bear contradiction; they will have every thing done which they command, possible or not; and in default of this, they avenge their offended pride by multiplied punishments."

Dr. GEORGE BUCHANAN, of Baltimore, Maryland, member of the American Philosophical Society, in an oration at Baltimore, July 4, 1791, said:--

"For such are the effects of subjecting man to slavery, that it destroys every humane principle, vitiates the mind, instils ideas of unlawful cruelties, and eventually subverts the springs of government."--Buchanan's Oration, p. 12.

President EDWARDS the younger, in a sermon before the Connecticut Abolition Society, in 1791, page 8, says:--

"Slavery has a most direct tendency to haughtiness, and a domineering spirit and conduct in the proprietors of the slaves, in their children, and in all who have the control of them. A man who has been bred up in domineering over negroes, can scarcely avoid contracting such a habit of haughtiness and domination as will express itself in his general treatment of mankind, whether in his private capacity, or in any office, civil or military, with which he may be invested."

The celebrated MONTESQUIEU, in his "Spirit of the Laws," thus describes the effect of slaveholding upon the master:--

"The master contracts all sorts of bad habits; and becomes haughty, passionate, obdurate, vindictive, voluptuous, and cruel."

WILBERFORCE, in his speech at the anniversary of the London Anti-Slavery Society, in March, 1828, said:--

"It is utterly impossible that they who live in the administration of the petty despotism of a slave community, whose minds have been warped and polluted by that contamination, should not lose that respect for their fellow creatures over whom they tyrannize, which is essential in the nature and moral being of man, to rescue them from the abuse of power over their prostrate fellow creatures."

In the great debate, in the British Parliament, on the African slave-trade, Mr. WHITBREAD said:

"Arbitrary power would spoil the hearts of the best."
___________________________________________________________

I state categorically --

4. The eternal leader of the movement for the total abolition of slander of the Law (and slavery and genocide) is none other than Nichiren Daishonin. Through the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (Gosho:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/toc/) and the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi Kuden:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/toc/), Nichiren is valiantly leading the way to a better world for the human race: his unknowing abolitionist followers included Louis X, king of France (abolished French national slavery in 1315), Bartolome de las Casas (his book led to the temporary abolition of slavery through the Spanish empire from 1542-1545), James Edward Oglethorpe (temporary abolition of slavery in the Georgian Colony from 1734-1743), Maximilien Robespierre (abolished slavery throughout French empire only to be re-established by Napoleon), William Wilberforce, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Theodore Dwight Weld, Jose Gregorio Monagas, and Abraham Lincoln. One way or another, we will follow Nichiren Daishonin to that better world.

5. That path will become far less grim once the leaders of the Sangha commit themselves to ending the abiding system supporting the mixing of extraneous practices (**) with the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra within the Sangha, that constitutes a system of chattel slavery of the Sangha held in bondage to those leaders supporting that mixing or tolerating it in any way. Silently continuing or abiding with the status quo of this great evil is to court genocide, war and devastation. The reason we have war and the horrors like it in a world filled with Buddhas, can only be because they believe some things are worse than war and the horrors like it, and they will find a way to resolve this intolerable deadlock if we cannot bring ourselves to resolve it in the Sangha.
___________________________________________________________

All practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism who slander the Law mercilessly will argue with great passion that they treat the Entity of the Mystic Law with respect. However, they, like the slaveholders of the early 19th century, are blinded to their error and are in a profound state of denial.

Here is another illuminating passage from Theodore Dwight Weld, p. 122-124.

'Was there ever a more ridiculous doctrine, than that a man's opinion of his own actions is the true standard for measuring them, and the certificate of their real qualities! -- that his own estimate of his treatment of others is to be taken as the true one, and such treatment be set down as good treatment upon the strength of his judgment. He who argues the good treatment of the slave, from the slaveholder's good opinion of such treatment, not only argues against human nature and all history, his own common sense, and even the testimony of his senses, but refutes his own arguments by his daily practice. Everybody acts on the presumption that men's feelings will vary with their practices; that the light in which they view individuals and classes, and their feelings towards them, will modify their opinions of the treatment which they receive. In any case of treatment that affects himself, his church, or his political party, no man so stultifies himself as to argue that such treatment must be good, because the author of it thinks so.'

... 'The declarations of slaveholders, that they treat their slaves well, will put no man in a quandary, who keeps in mind this simple principle, that the state of mind towards others, which leads one to inflict cruelties on them, blinds the inflicter to the real nature of his own acts. To him, they do not seem to be cruelties; consequently, when speaking of such treatment toward such persons, he will protest that it is not cruelty; though, if inflicted upon himself or his friends, he would indignantly stigmatize it as atrocious barbarity. The objector equally overlooks another every-day fact of human nature, which is this, that cruelties invariably cease to seem cruelties when the habit is formed, though previously the mind regarded them as such, and shrunk from them with horror.'

'The following fact, related by the late lamented THOMAS PRINGLE, whose Life and Poems have recently been published in England, is an appropriate illustration. Mr. Pringle states it on the authority of Captain W. F. Owen, of the Royal Navy.'

"When his Majesty's ships, the Leven and the Barracouta, employed in surveying the coast of Africa, were at Mozambique, in 1823, the officers were introduced to the family of Senor Manuel Pedro d'Almeydra, a native of Portugal, who was a considerable merchant settled on that coast; and it was an opinion agreed in by all, that Donna Sophia d'Almeydra was the most superior woman they had seen since they left England. Captain Owen, the leader of the expedition, expressing to Senor d'Almeydra his detestation of slavery, the Senor replied, 'You will not be long here before you change your sentiments. Look at my Sophia there. Before she would marry me, she made me promise that I should give up the slave trade. When we first settled at Mozambique, she was continually interceding for the slaves, and she constantly wept when I punished them; and now she is among the slaves from morning to night; she regulates the whole of my slave establishment; she inquires into every offence committed by them, pronounces sentence upon the offender, and stands by and sees them punished.' "

'To this, Mr. Pringle, who was himself for six years a resident of the English settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, adds:'

"The writer of this article has seen, in the course of five or six years, as great a change upon English ladies and gentlemen of respectability, as that described to have taken place in Donna Sophia d'Almeydra; and one of the individuals whom he has in his Theodore eye, while he writes this passage, lately confessed to him this melancholy change, remarking at the same time, 'how altered I am in my feelings with regard to slavery. I do not appear to myself the same person I was on my arrival in this colony, and if I would give the world for the feelings I then had, I could not recall them.' "

'Slaveholders know full well that familiarity with slavery produces indifference to its cruelties and reconciles the mind to them. The late Judge Tucker, a Virginia slaveholder and professor of law in the University of William and Mary, in the appendix to his edition of Blackstone's Commentaries, part 2, pp. 56, 57, commenting on the law of Virginia previous to 1792, which outlawed fugitive slaves, says:'

"Such are the cruelties to which slavery gives rise, such the horrors to which the mind becomes reconciled by its adoption."

'The following facts from the pen of CHARLES STUART, happily illustrate the same principle:'

"A young lady, the daughter of a Jamaica planter, was sent at an early age to school in England, and after completing her education, returned to her native country."

"She is now settled with her husband and family in England. I visited her near Bath, early last spring, (1834.) Conversing on the above subject, the paralyzing effects of slaveholding on the heart, she said:"

" 'While at school in England, I often thought with peculiar tenderness of the kindness of a slave who had nursed and carried me about. Upon returning to my father's, one of my first inquiries was about him. I was deeply afflicted to find that he was on the point of undergoing a "law flogging for having run away." I threw myself at my father's feet and implored with tears, his pardon; but my father steadily replied, that it would ruin the discipline of the plantation, and that the punishment must take place. I wept in vain, and retired so grieved and disgusted, that for some days after, I could scarcely bear with patience, the sight of my own father. But many months had not elapsed ere I was as ready as any body to seize the domestic whip, and flog my slaves without hesitation.' "

"This lady is one of the most Christian and noble minds of my acquaintance. She and her husband distinguished themselves several years ago, in Jamaica, by immediately emancipating their slaves."

"A lady, now in the West Indies, was sent in her infancy, to her friends, near Belfast, in Ireland, for education. She remained under their charge from five to fifteen years of age, and grew up every thing which her friends could wish. At fifteen, she returned to the West Indies -- was married -- and after some years paid her friends near Belfast, a second visit. Towards white people, she was the same elegant, and interesting woman as before; apparently full of every virtuous and tender feeling; but towards the colored people she was like a tigress. If Wilberforce's name was mentioned, she would say, 'Oh, I wish we had the wretch in the West Indies, I would be one of the first to help to tear his heart out!' -- and then she would tell of the manner in which the West Indian ladies used to treat their slaves. 'I have often,' she said, 'when my women have displeased me, snatched their baby from their bosom, and running with it to a well, have tied my shawl round its shoulders and pretended to be drowning it: oh, it was so funny to hear the mother's screams! !' -- and then she laughed almost convulsively at the recollection."

'Mr. JOHN M. NELSON, a native of Virginia, whose testimony is on a preceding page [of Hillsborough. Mr. Nelson removed from Virginia to Highland county, Ohio, many years since, where he is extensively known and respected.], furnishes a striking illustration of the principle in his own case. He says:'

"When I was quite a child, I recollect it grieved me very much to see one tied up to be whipped, and I used to intercede with tears in their behalf, and mingle my cries with theirs, and feel almost willing to take part of the punishment. Yet such is the hardening nature of such scenes, that from this kind of commiseration for the suffering slave, I became so blunted that I could not only witness their stripes with composure, but myself inflict them, and that without remorse. When I was perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age, I undertook to correct a young fellow named Ned, for some supposed offence, I think it was leaving a bridle out of its proper place; he being larger and stronger than myself took hold of my arms and held me, in order to prevent my striking him; this I considered the height of insolence, and cried for help, when my father and mother both came running to my rescue. My father stripped and tied him, and took him into the orchard, where switches were plenty, and directed me to whip him; when one switch wore out he supplied me with others. After I had whipped him a while, he fell on his knees to implore forgiveness, and I kicked him in the face; my father said, 'don't kick him but whip him,' this I did until his back was literally covered with welts."

'W. C. GILDERSLEEVE, Esq., a native of Georgia, now elder of the Presbyterian church, Wilkesbarre, Penn. after describing the flogging of a slave, in which his hands were tied together, and the slave hoisted by a rope, so that his feet could not touch the ground; in which condition one hundred lashes were inflicted, says:'

"I stood by and witnessed the whole without feeling the least compassion; so hardening is the influence of slavery that it very much destroys feeling for the slave."

'[The wife of DAVID L. CHILD, Esq., of Northampton, Massachusetts, Secretary of the United States' minister at the Court of Lisbon during the administration of President Monroe] Mrs. CHILD, in her admirable 'Appeal,' has the following remarks:'

"The ladies who remove from the free States into the slaveholding ones almost invariably write that the sight of slavery was at first exceedingly painful; but that they soon become habituated to it; and after a while, they are very apt to vindicate the system, upon the ground that it is extremely convenient to have such submissive servants. This reason was actually given by a lady of my acquaintance, who is considered an unusually fervent Christian. Yet Christianity expressly teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This shows how dangerous it is, for even the best of us, to become accustomed to what is wrong."

"A judicious and benevolent friend lately told me the story of one of her relatives, who married a slave owner, and removed to his plantation. The lady in question was considered very amiable, and had a serene, affectionate expression of countenance. After several years residence among her slaves, she visited New England. 'Her history was written in her face,' said my friend; 'its expression had changed into that of a fiend. She brought but few slaves with her; and those few were of course compelled to perform additional labor. One faithful negro woman nursed the twins of her mistress, and did all the washing, ironing, and scouring. If, after a sleepless night with the restless babes, (driven from the bosom of their mother,) she performed her toilsome avocations with diminished activity, her mistress, with her own lady-like hands, applied the cowskin, and the neighborhood resounded with the cries of her victim. The instrument of punishment was actually kept hanging in the entry, to the no small disgust of her New England visitors. For my part,' continued my friend, 'I did not try to be polite to her; for I was not hypocrite enough to conceal my indignation.' "
https://archive.org/details/americanslaverya1839weld2

As in chattel slavery (which I consider to be entirely the same thing as slander of the Law: essentially the torture of the Entity of the Mystic Law) it is the constant exposure to slander that destroys the compassion for protecting the Law and the Entity of the Mystic Law, and eventually one becomes blinded to the evils of slander and those evils gradually move to the forefront of one's life to be on display to the Sangha and the Gohonzon during practice. This is the highest desire of the demons of slander of the Law: to manifest themselves inside the Sangha.

I find that last letter from Mrs. Child to be especially enlightening.

How "extremely convenient to have such submissive servants", because the Entity does not directly complain?

How she would punish a slave immediately after serving her family, like slandering immediately after the butsudan doors were closed?

How she kept the whip hanging in the entry hall, like a prized Shinto statue at the back of the room, or a Buddhist antique statue head in the front hall, or the nunchaku hanging on the wall, or the reiki treatments happening at the back of the room during the daimoku toso, or the yoga seated lotus position during district meeting gongyo, or the exchange of Qigong herbs after a shakubuku meeting, ... I could go on? Slander, once hidden, becomes prominent and finally central to one's life inside the Sangha.

Or in the previous letter by Charles Stuart, where the lady from the West Indies wanted to get the famous abolitionist in her clutches and "tear his heart out", for rebuking her slave-holding society?

We can recall the prolonged beating with a stout cane that Senator Charles Sumner took on the Senate floor by a Southern Congressman that almost killed him, for generally characterizing any slaveholder's attachment to the institution of chattel slavery in a famous speech as sexually depraved. After more than a year, he recovered and returned to the Senate and later was the person who introduced the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, which later passage in the House was dramatized in the Spielberg movie, "Lincoln". Years later he was a principal in shaping the 14th (Civil Rights) and 15th (Voting Rights) Amendments as well, but the kind of reactionary vengeance the prompted his infamous beating does not end with death: in 1960, David Donald of Goodman, Mississippi (in the center of the most deadly cotton plantation state of the deep South at the heart of Jim Crow, Ku Klux Klan, and lynching activity and only 50 miles from where the Klan murdered the 3 civil rights volunteers) actually received a Pulitzer Prize for his profound trashing of Charles Sumner in a biography. This specific kind of demonic hatred is deathless and is, in fact, an eternal tribute.
http://history.furman.edu/~benson/docs/sumnerksh2.htm (the Crime Against Kansas speech)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Charles_Sumner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner

Certainly, the demon of slander itself possessing slanderers, and eventually those slanderers themselves, cannot bear to hear Nichiren Daishonin's rebuking of slander of the Law and will demonstrate a profound hatred for those who quote Nichiren's words, like the lady from Mrs Child's letter whose face "had changed into that of a fiend".
___________________________________________________________

This raises some interesting questions for research.

Is there a depraved sexual component to slandering the Law and torturing the Entity of the Mystic Law, a rapturous pleasure derived from refusing to heed the Daishonin's pleas to avoid slandering Buddhism at all costs?

Does the devilish function provide a payment for slanderous practices that addicts those who follow him instead of Nichiren Daishonin and makes the attachment to evil a set of biochemical reactions enhanced by repetition, basically an addiction?

Is that what causes their responses to anyone rebuking their slander to be so extreme?

From the Wikipedia article on Addiction:

"Addiction is a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. It can be thought of as a disease or biological process leading to such behaviors. The two properties that characterize all addictive stimuli are that they are (positively) reinforcing (i.e., they increase the likelihood that a person will seek repeated exposure to them) and intrinsically rewarding (i.e., they activate the brain's "reward pathways", and are therefore perceived as being something positive or desirable)."

... "Physical dependence occurs when the body has adjusted by incorporating the substance into its "normal" functioning – i.e., attains homeostasis – and therefore physical withdrawal symptoms occur upon cessation of use. Tolerance is the process by which the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger amounts to achieve the original effects. Withdrawal refers to physical and psychological symptoms experienced when reducing or discontinuing a substance that the body has become dependent on. Symptoms of withdrawal generally include but are not limited to anxiety, irritability, intense cravings for the substance, nausea, hallucinations, headaches, cold sweats, and tremors."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

Chronic high-dose exposure to psychostimulants like amphetamine, methylphenidate, phenethylamine, and cocaine all induce signaling events in the brain's reward centers through the increased concentration of synaptic dopamine:

"Following presynaptic dopamine and glutamate co-release by such psychostimulants, postsynaptic receptors for these neurotransmitters trigger internal signaling events through a cAMP pathway and calcium-dependent pathway that ultimately result in increased CREB phosphorylation. Phosphorylated CREB increases levels of delta-FosB, which in turn represses the c-fos gene with the help of corepressors. A highly stable (phosphorylated) form of delta-FosB, one that persists in neurons for one or two months, slowly accumulates following repeated exposure to stimulants through this process. delta-FosB functions as 'one of the master control proteins' that produces addiction-related structural changes in the brain, and upon sufficient accumulation, with the help of its downstream targets (e.g., nuclear factor kappa B), it induces an addictive state."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction#Biomolecular_mechanisms

Could such a process be responsible for people's demonic attachment to external psychostimulant processes like chattel slavery, genocidal activities and their parents: slander of the Law and torture of the Entity of the Mystic Law?

It is possible that slandering the Law and keeping the Entity of the Mystic Law in the torment of perpetual chattel slavery through mixing slanderous practices with the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra is simply a rapturous psychosexual addiction complete with a dopamine reaction.

If so, then that could explain why rebuking slander of the Law is such a wholly dangerous pursuit, like blocking the path between an addict and their drugs.

Then it should be possible to clinically measure increased dopamine levels and the presence of activities in the neural pathways (delta-FosB increases last for months) after exposure to slanderous objects and practices.

Of course, the objective scientific observation of those processes only augments the subjective observations by the true victim of slanderous practices, who is well aware of them now, and always has been.
___________________________________________________________

Let me put this in another way.

A follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law, enjoying a Judo or Karate match sees something very different from that which the Entity of the Mystic Law, who does not forget the source of that practice, sees. The Entity does not forget that Judo arose from Jujitsu at the Eisho-ji Jodo Pure Land Temple, and Karate from the Fist Law (Guan Fa in Chinese, pronounced Kempo in Japanese) of Shorinji Kempo, and that all the Asian martial arts ultimately derive from the Kung Fu of the Zen Shaolin Temple (Shorinji = Shaolin) where Bodhidharma first invented Zen, Qigong and Tai chi through plagiarizing and then discarding the sutras and the attempted murder of the Buddha and theft of his mantle as founder of Buddhism (which Devadatta attempted during the Buddha's life.) Certainly the victims who are beaten or subjugated by these practices of distortions of Buddhism do not forget, either, because the Buddha did not make his appearance in this world to preach about the art of killing.

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might enjoy the silent tranquility of the tea ceremony, the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that the tea ceremony arose from the Zen rituals of Eichu and Sen no Rikyu (Rikyu was of Hideyoshi's court, he was forced to commit seppuku over some slight) or that "Tea is Zen and Zen is Tea," and also that Nichiren stated unequivocally that "Zen is the invention of the Heavenly Devil." ("Letter to Akimoto", WND I, pp. 1016,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-14 )

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might enjoy giving or receiving Acupuncture or following other Qigong practices like Tai Chi, the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that the source of these practices was none other than Bodhidharma (also known as Da Mo, Ta Mo or Daruma) a Devadatta of the Shaolin Temple and also that Nichiren stated clearly that "Contamination at the source of a river will pollute its entire length." ("On Curing Karmic Disease", WND I, pp. 634,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/76#para-11 )

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law, who is a huge fan of Kendo, might enjoy the action as combatants practice their Samurai arts while whirling their wooden swords, the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that during the 14th century after the deaths of Nichiren Daishonin and his Samurai Shijo Kingo, that the new Ashikaga shogunate moved from Kamakura to Kyoto, and the bakufu (military government) subsequently fell under the heavy influence of Gozan Rinzai Zen (Gozan refers to the "five mountains", which were the five huge militarized Rinzai Zen temples in Kyoto.) It was there and then that the Samurai way and its martial arts became completely infused and mixed inseparably with Rinzai Zen, and the bakufu itself became populated with Zen scribes to create the bakufu's river of laws over the next half-millennium, regulating everything from the tea ceremony to which temple must be attended to retain one's head. Certainly the victims of the fine Samurai art of beheading who were bound and helpless captives in front of crowds of soldiers with their snapping cameras, under the watchful eyes of their Zen chaplains during the Rape of Nanking did not appreciate D.T. Suzuki's Zen distortion that "the hand holding the sword is the Buddha's hand," either. ("The rape of Nanking: an undeniable history in photographs" James Yin, Young Shi, pp. 140, Innovative Publishing Group, 1996)

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might enjoy giving or receiving Reiki "healing", the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that a Reiki or Medicine Master is merely a Tantric practitioner of the mudras of the Medicine Master Sutra, or Yakushi Kyo, which is the sutra about the Buddha of the Eastern Region, and whose practices are clearly identified as extraneous and a slander of a provisional teaching by Nichiren himself, "Then, what great physician or what efficacious medicine can cure the illnesses of all people in the Latter Day of the Law? They cannot be cured by the mudras and mantras of the Thus Come One Mahavairochana, the forty-eight vows of the Thus Come One Amida, or the twelve great vows of the Thus Come One Medicine Master, not even his pledge to 'heal all ills.' Not only do such medicines fail to cure these illnesses; they aggravate them all the more." ("Offering Prayers to the Mandala", WND I, pp. 415,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/46#para-4 ) So, certainly Nichiren neither forgets nor appreciates the Reiki practice of slander, either.

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might give three "Banzai!" cheers in good spirit, the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that it is short for the Shinto yell "Tenno Heika Banzai!" or "Long live the Emperor!", which is shortened for the shock effect in a suicide attack as an act of Zen seppuku or hara-kiri. Certainly the corralled and bound victims of mock "Banzai!" bayonet charges, which were captured in photos from the Rape of Nanking did not forget or appreciate that, either. (ibid., Yin, pp. 60)

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might enjoy revering or worshiping statues of gods (or god-emperors), or enshrining the Shinto talisman, or the Nichiren Shoshu Shinto crane in their altar, butsudan, or butsugu, the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that Shinto is a syncretic faith that was evolved from Tantric Buddhism and distortions of the Lotus Sutra mixed with Confucianism and Daoism. Shinto originated in China as Shen Dao, the Kingly Way, or Way of the Gods and it's purpose was to confuse kings and gods and place them both above the Buddhas: later in Japan for the ends of the Emperors in Kyoto and finally Nobunaga, the Shogun Hideyoshi and at the very summit of distortion for the Shoguns Tokugawa, through the ancient wickedness of a Tendai monk called Tenkai and an army of bakufu Zen scribes. Tenkai, a notoriously traitorous follower of Dengyo, was employed by the Tokugawa Iemitsu and rewarded his mentor Dengyo by placing words in his mouth to the effect that not only were the gods above the Buddhas, but also that the greatest of the gods was the object of worship of the Sanno Ichijitsu (One Truth) Shinto Cult: the ashes of the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Ieyasu (Iemitsu's grandfather), as the one true god over all of creation (presumeably inspired by his Jesuit associates, whom Tenkai later betrayed as well.) The ashes of Ieyasu the God were the focal point of a weary Sankin Kotai, which was really a tozan pilgrimage from all points through Edo (Tokyo), stopping to pay homage to Iemitsu and his heirs, but ending finally to worship at the enormous Sanno Ichijitsu shrine bearing Ieyasu's ashes at Mt. Nikko, just north of Edo. The followers of the Sanno Ichijitsu cult were a select elite: the royal family (emperor, princes), the nobility (daimyo lords) and the high priests of all Buddhist sects in Japan, including Nissei, the 17th High Priest of the Fuji School, all bowing in defeat to Ieyasu (and by reflected glory, to his heirs.) All of the Buddhist sects were placed by Tenkai under the umbrella of the temple hierarchy (Honmatsu-ji), with Sanno Ichijitsu Shinto on top, Mt. Minobu of the traitorous Nichiren Shu in the middle and the Fuji school of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin on the bottom. Self-identification of Sankin Kotai pilgrims in heavily armed groups (which could be quite large as they moved through the Kanto heartland of the Tokugawa) was accomplished by round emblems (called mon) denoting the royals and daimyo clans (kamon) or Buddhist sects (shinmon), which were heavily regulated in size and carefully recorded in books for use by the Tokugawa spy networks on the roads, who were always fearing invasion. The Honmatsu-ji-Shinto-regulated and Minobu-conferred shinmon for the Fuji school was the Shinto crane, now the emblem of Nichiren Shoshu, and still residing on many SGI altar butsugu, butsudans, and even the backing paper of Gohonzon received before the (blessed) excommunication by Nichiren Shoshu in 1991. The verminous Nissei the 17th and his next six successive High Priests of the Fuji School (all of whom were statue worshippers from the slanderous Yobo-ji Temple) were adoring Shinto Tozan pilgrims in their worship of Ieyasu's ashes at Mt. Nikko: those evil priests did not forget what their crane emblem (tsuru shinmon) signified: the Shinto crane meant the total defeat and denigration of the Fuji School. (Ooms, H. (1985). "Tokugawa Ideology: Early Constructs, 1570-1680" (pp. 178-181 specifically, generally the whole work). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.), (SGI-USA Study Department. (2000). The Untold History of the Fuji School (1st ed., pp. 61). Santa Monica, CA: World Tribune Press.) and ("Shinto Tsuru Shinmon - A Toynbee Analysis of the Fuji School", pp. 91-97,
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1xmnHkI0Z-dYjM0ZDg5NTMtZDNkNy00MDIxLWE1MjMtNTBiZDIwODBhNzIw&hl=en )

Although a follower of Nichiren Daishonin steeped in a culture of slander of the Law might gain flexibility and tranquility in his practice of the Yoga and the Tantra of Hinduism (referred to by Nichiren as the Non-Buddhist Schools of India in the Opening of the Eyes Gosho), the Entity of the Mystic Law does not forget that the Yoga asanas (the classical positions) are not only physical prayers from the Vedas and Upanishads, but they are nothing more or less than the mudras of Tantric Buddhism, or Shingon. Nichiren talks about Tripitaka Master Hsuan-tsang and his attempts to prove the superiority of the Mahavairochana Sutras of Shingon (True Word School) over the Lotus Sutra, based partly on Hsuan-tsang's distorted view of Bodhisattva Maitreya's Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice. Hsuan-tsang argued that the Lotus Sutra was lesser, because it does not include all the variety of the mudras, mantras and mandalas relating to all the Buddhas of the Mahavairochana teachings: ("The Lotus Sutra and True Word Teachings", WND II, pp. 277-278,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/189#para-30 and "The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings", WND I, pp. 1130,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/171#para-18 ). In fact, the practice of the Lotus Sutra is infinitely superior PRECISELY BECAUSE it has only one mudra (Gassho: palms held together in prayer), only one mantra (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo) and only one mandala (Gohonzon) and only prays to one Buddha (Myoho-Renge, the Buddha that rules throughout Jambudvipa, our reality, and the dharma realm from beginning to end.) Nichiren describes how Bodhisattva Maitreya expounded the "Stages of Yoga Practice" in spreading the provisional teachings ("On the Five Guides for Propagation", WND II, pp. 557,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/247#para-119 ) before the Lotus Sutra was preached and categorizes the "Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice" as a connecting teaching ("Rooster Diagram of the Five Periods", WND II, pp. 1036,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/367#para-2 ) If we might tend to forgive Yoga and other practices of the provisional teachings and become confused, Nichiren reminds us that "In this age, the provisional teachings have turned into enemies of the true teaching. When the time is right to propagate the teaching of the one vehicle, the provisional teachings become enemies. When they are a source of confusion, they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the two types of practice, this is shakubuku, the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With good reason T'ient'ai stated, 'The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.'" ("On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings", WND I, pp. 394,
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/42#para-14 )

I also do not forget, and if other followers of Nichiren Daishonin tend to become confused and forget all of this, then they can simply read my arguments again, and remember.
___________________________________________________________

Let me put this in yet another way.

Who has more arbitrary power than an ordinary human being practicing Nichiren's Buddhism with the power to slander the Law at will and exercise that power over a completely defenseless Entity of the Mystic Law, with the arrogance of a Roman Emperor over slaves, who invisibly serve him and are suffering outside of his knowledge.

Who has more arbitrary power than an ordinary human being practicing Nichiren's Buddhism with the power to slander the Law at will and exercise that power over the completely defenseless Entity of the Mystic Law, like an arrogant dictator who can afterwards lie about it to himself and construct an errant history of self-reinforcing rationalization and explanatory illogic to explain his evil acts to himself and cast himself as the hero of his personal narrative, while casting Nichiren as the over-strict, too-rigid-about-slander-of-the-Law, villain of the story:

"That was seven hundred years ago, what Nichiren said about Zen does not apply to Zen now: it's a different Zen,"

or "Reiki isn't Tantric Buddhism, it's just a healing art,"

or "Nichiren himself had a golden statue of Shakyamuni and showed veneration towards it, I should be able to show appreciation to the Buddha, too."

or "It's just Yoga stretches, why are you complaining about that?"

or "Shijo Kingo was a Samurai, and offered to do seppuku (hara kiri) by Nichiren's side, and even though seppuku is a Zen practice, it must be OK,"

or "The crane emblem was Nichiren's family crest,"

or "I've always gone to my Tantric healer, give me a break,"

or "Acupuncture fixed my back problems, we've always used it,"

or "I do Tai Chi with my mother's group, it's just exercise,"

or "Mr. Toda did Judo, the police train with Judo, there's nothing wrong with it,"

or "They're statues of Buddhist gods and deities, I'm just showing respect to the Buddhist gods, what harm can it do?"

These all translate to hatred of Nichiren Daishonin and despising of his message: that at the root of all human misery is precisely this slander of the Law. Mr. Toda urged us to "abolish human misery", and that is my intent.
___________________________________________________________

Here are a small selection of Nichiren's responses to any excuses his followers might make to defend their mixing of extraneous practices of provisional teachings, distortions of Buddhism and other slanders of the Law, with Nichiren's practice of the Lotus Sutra:

"But a vessel is susceptible to four faults. The first is being upset or covered, which means that the vessel can be overturned or covered with a lid. The second is leaking, which means that the water leaks out. The third is being defiled, which means that the contents can be contaminated. Though the water itself may be pure, if filth is dumped into it, then the water in the vessel ceases to be of any use. The fourth is being mixed. If rice is mixed with filth or pebbles or sand or dirt, then it is no longer fit for human consumption," from "Letter to Akimoto", WND I, p. 1014.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-3

'Or we may be the kind of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra whose mouths are reciting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo one moment, but Namu Amida Butsu the next. This is like mixing filth with one’s rice, or putting sand or pebbles in it. This is what the Lotus Sutra is warning against when it says, "Desiring only to accept and embrace the sutra of the great vehicle and not accepting a single verse of the other sutras." [Note: Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.]
The learned authorities in the world today suppose that there is no harm in mixing extraneous practices with the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and I, Nichiren, was once of that opinion myself. But the passage from the sutra [that I have just quoted] does not permit such a view,' from "Letter to Akimoto", WND I, p. 1014.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/144#para-6

'Bodhisattva Nagarjuna in his Commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra states, "Do not rely on treatises that distort the sutras; rely on those that are faithful to the sutras." The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai says, "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." The Great Teacher Dengyo says, "Depend upon the preachings of the Buddha, and do not put faith in traditions handed down orally." Enchin, also known as the Great Teacher Chisho, says, "In transmitting the teachings, rely on the written words [of scriptures]," ' from "The Opening of the Eyes", WND I, p. 264.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-238

' "Not relying upon persons" means that when persons of the first, second, third, and fourth ranks preach, even though they are bodhisattvas such as Universal Worthy and Manjushri who have attained the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, if they do not preach with the sutra in hand, then they are not to be accepted, ' from "The Opening of the Eyes", WND I, p. 263.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/30#para-237

"The meaning of this passage is that, if one turns one's back on even one verse or one phrase of this sutra, one is guilty of a crime equal to that of killing all the Buddhas of the ten directions in the three existences of past, present, and future," from "Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man", WND I, p. 108.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/13#para-65

"If we merely rely upon the commentaries of various teachers and do not follow the statements of the Buddha himself, then how can we call our beliefs Buddhism?" from "Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra", WND I, p. 56.

'In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, "Rely on the Law and not upon persons." Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.' from "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude", WND I, p. 692.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/88#para-12

"A sutra says: 'Rely on the Law and not upon persons. Rely on the meaning of the teaching and not on the words. Rely on wisdom and not on discriminative thinking. Rely on sutras that are complete and final and not on those that are not complete and final.' [Note: Nirvana Sutra. These injunctions are termed the 'four reliances,' but they are also known as the 'four standards.'] The meaning of this passage is that one should not rely upon the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers, but should heed what was established by the Buddha. It further means that one should not rely upon the teachings of the True Word, Zen, and Nembutsu schools, which are based upon the sutras of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, [Note: Collectively, the provisional teachings preached prior to the Lotus Sutra, according to T’ien-t’ai’s classification of sutras.] but should uphold the sutras that are complete and final. And by relying upon 'sutras that are complete and final,' it means upholding the Lotus Sutra," WND I, p. 872.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/110#para-4

'Each school declares its own sutra to be superior, all other sutras being dismissed as inferior, and on this basis labels itself the correct school. But their arguments are based merely upon the words of the teachers and not upon the Buddha’s teaching. Only the Lotus Sutra was proclaimed superior by the Buddha himself when he expounded the simile of the five flavors, likening them to the teachings of the five periods. He also declared that of all the various sutras that he "has preached, now preaches, and will preach," in terms of the path of attaining Buddhahood, none could rival the Lotus Sutra. These statements are in truth the Buddha’s own golden words,' WND I, p. 874.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/110#para-16

Some people respond to hearing Nichiren's quotes on the topic of the abomination that is slander of the Law, by accusing those rebuking slander as "interpreting the Gosho". When Nichiren talks about slander of the Law, he is clear and unequivocal on what is slander and how abominable it is. Even a small child could understand Nichiren's clear and unmistakable message. How could any reasoning adult miss the point? It is only because of attachments to evil.
___________________________________________________________

One could, instead of persecuting and abusing those who rebuke slander of the Law, decide to follow Nichiren Daishonin and attain the way:

As Nichiren states in "The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood", WND I, p. 747, 'The Nirvana Sutra states: "If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer." You should etch deeply in your mind the two words "see" and "disregard" in the phrase "sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him." Both teacher and followers will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering if they see enemies of the Lotus Sutra but disregard them and fail to reproach them. The Great Teacher Nan-yueh says that they "will fall into hell along with those evil persons." [Note: This phrase is found in a passage from On the Peaceful Practices of the Lotus Sutra, which reads: "If there should be a bodhisattva who protects evil persons and fails to chastise them . . . then, when his life comes to an end, he will fall into hell along with those evil persons."] 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. No matter how sincerely one believes in the Lotus Sutra, if one is guilty of failing to rebuke slander of the Law, one will surely fall into hell, just as a single crab leg will ruin a thousand pots of lacquer. This is the meaning of the passage in the sutra, "Because the poison has penetrated deeply and their minds no longer function as before." [Note: Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.]'
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/89#para-7

As Nichiren states in "Encouragement to a Sick Person", WND I, pp. 77-78, "Moreover, every single person is guilty of slander of the Law, an offense exceeding even the ten evil acts or the five cardinal sins. Although few people slander the Lotus Sutra with actual words of abuse, there are none who accept it. Some appear to accept the sutra, but their faith in it is not as deep as their faith in the Nembutsu or other teachings. And even those with profound faith do not reproach the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. However great the good causes one may make, or even if one reads and copies the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand times, or attains the way of perceiving three thousand realms in a single moment of life, if one fails to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to attain the way. To illustrate, it is like the case of someone in the service of the imperial court. Even though he may have served for a decade or two, if he knows someone to be an enemy of the emperor but neither reports him to the throne nor shows personal animosity toward him, all the merit of his past services will be thereby negated, and he will instead be charged with an offense. You must understand that the people of this age are slanderers of the Law. (This is the second [of the five guides for propagation.])"
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/10#para-8

As Nichiren states in "Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man", WND I, p. 108, "Is not one who fails to heed the warnings of this sutra in effect cutting off the tongues of the Buddhas and deceiving the worthies and sages? This offense is truly fearful. Thus, in the second volume it says, 'If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world.' [Note 34. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.] The meaning of this passage is that, if one turns one's back on even one verse or one phrase of this sutra, one is guilty of a crime equal to that of killing all the Buddhas of the ten directions in the three existences of past, present, and future.
If we use the teachings of the sutras as a mirror in which to examine our present world, we will see that it is a difficult thing to find one who does not betray the Lotus Sutra. And if we understand the true meaning of these matters, we can see that even a person of disbelief cannot avoid being reborn in the hell of incessant suffering. How much more so is this true, then, for someone like the Honorable Honen, the founder of the Nembutsu school, who urged people to discard the Lotus Sutra in favor of the Nembutsu! Where, may I ask, in all the five thousand or seven thousand volumes of sutras is there any passage that instructs us to discard the Lotus Sutra?"
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/13#para-65
___________________________________________________________

What happens the first time that the strict admonitions of Nichiren Daishonin are encountered regarding slander of the Law, by a typical lay believer: it is mostly confusion regarding the idea that holding evil views and attitudes, and expressing evil words and acting out evil deeds regarding Buddhahood, the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra, the other sutras, provisional teachings and practices could possibly be as important as holding evil views and attitudes, and expressing evil words and acting out evil deeds towards other members, the Sangha and disturbing the unity of true believers. Nichiren, in his writings, seems to put all of these evils on the same enormous scale of wrongness. It is as if to Nichiren, that the supreme teaching and the people who follow it are one and the same, and without distinction.

When followers of Nichiren Daishonin ignore his admonitions to avoid slandering the Law, they grow attached to their slanderous practices. Successively their compassion for Nichiren's words admonishing them to avoid slander of the Law will diminish, until finally they can no longer bear to hear them: it becomes an agony even to hear the reference and that creates and reinforces a silent conspiracy against the words of Nichiren Daishonin inside the Sangha following Nichiren Daishonin. It becomes disruptive of the unity of true believers even to speak of it, and that disruption is a slander of the Law.

This is how the devilish function turns the medicine of the Law against itself.

Why would anyone cling so ferociously to extraneous practices, when it is obvious they are not Nichiren's practice of the Lotus Sutra? Why would anyone cling so ferociously to Buddhist and Hindu texts that are provisional and extraneous to Nichiren's Gosho and the Lotus Sutra? Why would anyone cling so ferociously to religious objects of worship and other accretions that are not the Gohonzon? These ferocious attachments are nothing more than the functions of demons that accompany slanderous texts, practices and objects. Slander and demons are two in appearance and one in essence.

My constant prayer is to eradicate every demonic slander and replace them all with the shoten zenjin (Buddhist gods), in my five components and every living being, throughout the world of living beings in the ten directions and three existences of Jambudvipa, and across the dharma realm. I only follow Nichiren Daishonin as closely as I do, because my mentor Daisaku Ikeda has taught me to do so. Sensei calls the Daishonin, "the greatest sage in the universe," and he has freed me from any kind of doubt that what he says about the Daishonin is absolutely the truth.

I am the most unworthy of bodhisattvas of the earth, it is certainly true. Nevertheless, because I follow Nichiren Daishonin and am determined to fulfill his desires, then what I am calling for is the Total Abolition of Slander of the Law. I am well aware, from following this path myself in Soka Spirit, that it will call for the most profound kind of human revolution from everybody. The unpleasantries involved will be, in a word, "biblical".

If it were not for my Sensei, Daisaku Ikeda, I would have no hope whatsoever, but I have borrowed Sensei's hope and I keep it close to my heart.

-Chas.

"It's been a long time comin', but ... change goin' come. Oh, yes it is!" - Sam Cooke, 1964

___________________________________

[iainx...@gmail.com]

Chas avoids addressing the issues about his mentor's own words Daisaku - again.

Be well :)

[Chas.]

Addressed and ignored.
___________________________________

This Zen Roshi Brian Victoria is such an utter hypocrite!

He wrote a book called "Zen At War" where he points out the war crimes committed by his own sect of Zen, yet he conflates all other sects, stating that none of them stood up against Imperial State Zen to the bitter end. After he is going to publish, lo, he finds out about Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda's imprisonment and buries that fact in an appendix, so as not to disprove his major thesis.

That is Roshi Victoria's Academic Fraud #1.

Then, he goes on to write a diatribe about Mr. Makiguchi, cherry-picking and distorting the translations of his writing to "prove" he wasn't really standing up to Imperial State Zen and the War, as if they were not one in the same. This scoundrel writing "Putative Pacifism ..." was thoroughly debugged by someone who can actually translate Japanese properly, Koichi Miyata.

That covering of his bare ass by attacking the deceased and defenseless victim once again is the WORST ACT OF ARROGANT EVIL and constitutes Roshi Victoria's Academic Fraud #2.

And here is his latest fraud from what you just posted (see the bold section):

||| In February 2000, a Sōka Gakkai International (SGI)
||| spokesperson claimed, in light of my research, that as far
||| as Makiguchi is concerned “TO CRITICIZE AND REJECT STATE
||| SHINTOISM WITH FULL AWARENESS OF THE RAMIFICATIONS OF SUCH
||| ACTIONS WAS, IN OUR VIEW, TANTAMOUNT TO REJECTING JAPANESE
||| MILITARISM AND IMPERIALISM.”45 THIS CLAIM, HOWEVER, CANNOT
||| BE SUSTAINED, FOR THE REAL CAUSE OF MAKIGUCHI’S
||| IMPRISONMENT IS TO BE FOUND IN HIS AND THE STATE’S MUTUALLY
||| EXCLUSIVE AND ABSOLUTIST RELIGIOUS FAITHS AND HAD NOTHING
||| TO DO WITH HIS CRITICISM, LET ALONE REJECTION, OF EITHER
||| JAPANESE AGGRESSION OR EMPEROR-CENTRIC IMPERIALISM.
|||
||| In fact, one could argue that by admitting Makiguchi’s
||| imprisonment was due to his criticism and rejection of
||| State Shinto rather than a pacifist or antiwar stance, the
||| SGI representative has proven the thesis of this article.
||| To demonstrate this, suppose there was a country at war in
||| which Roman Catholicism was the official state religion. In
||| hopes of unifying the citizens of that country in the war
||| effort the government decreed that all Protestant churches
||| had to replace their “empty” crosses with a Catholic-style
||| crucifix and those failing to do so would be imprisoned.
||| Would those Protestant pastors who refused, and were
||| therefore imprisoned, be considered “pacifists” or even
||| necessarily opposed to the war their nation was fighting?
||| The answer is clear.
|||
||| Like Nichiren some seven hundred years earlier, Makiguchi
||| was convinced that there was only one path to salvation for
||| individual, nation and even emperor, descendant of the Sun
||| Goddess and recipient of her divine virtue as the latter
||| was believed to be. The path to salvation consisted of
||| nothing more, and nothing less, than faith in the Lotus
||| Sutra as interpreted and expounded by Nichiren, whom
||| Makiguchi esteemed as the one and only “true Buddha” of the
||| present age.

In fact, in his very own book "Zen At War", in the chapter on Imperial Way Buddhism, the hypocrite himself proves that Imperial State Zen created the Imperial Way Buddhist umbrella to force all of the populace to bow to the Shinto Talisman to get the entire country behind the God-Emperor and His Holy War to enslave all non-Japanese peoples.

And that is Roshi Victoria's Academic Fraud #3, which I outlined in detail in a previous conversation right here on this newsgroup:
_____________________________________________

Prochronists Brian Victoria, Jon Petry, Buku Mark Rogow and now Robert Kisala Risk Becoming Liars Through the Repetition of Debunked Falsehoods +

Jon Petry continues to misunderstand the history of Japan, in particular, the events of 1935 and the "Organ Theory Affair" regarding the occurrences in the Diet surrounding Minobe Tatsukichi. There were two major factions, the Constitutional Monarchists who were liberal and progressive, and the Absolute Monarchists supported by the militarists who wanted total control over the government, the people and society, and to quell any voices that might disagree with their plans.

Minobe's Organ Theory made the case that the Emperor was an organ of the government and not an absolute ruler. This caused an uproar which ended with the militarists having total authority to do as they wished: and their wish was total Pacific war. Secretly, the Princes and the Emperor were backing the Absolute Monarchists, but the Constitutionalists never knew this.

So in their writings and in attempting to pull the country back into the center over a long struggle ending disastrously in 1935, the Constitutional Monarchists would write expressing loyalty to the Emperor pleading for a middle way to escape the spiral down into madness that was coming. The fact that there was no hope for their cause, does not impugn their efforts to attempt to hold off the darkness that was descending. That piece of intellectual dishonesty is utterly disgusting on the part of Brian Victoria, Robert Kisala and Jon Petry. They should be shunned by academia as prochronists perpetuating a fraud.

With that history in mind, let's examine Jon Petry's confusion regarding the misleading writings and intellectual dishonesty of Brian Victoria and Robert Kisala.

From a recent posting of Jon Petry:

| Engaged Buddhism: A Skeleton in the Closet? By Brian
| Daizen Victoria, Senior Lecturer Centre for Asian
| Studies, University of Adelaide
|.
| In both EBW and David Chappell's Buddhist Peacework
| (BP), Tsunesaburo Makiguchi is presented as another
| foundational exemplar of Engaged Buddhism. Makiguchi's
| Buddhist faith, it is claimed, impelled him not only to
| advocate a humane and peaceful world but to sacrifice
| his very life in resisting Japanese militarism.
|.
| In an article in EBW entitled "The Angulimala Lineage:
| Buddhist Prison Ministries," Virginia Cohn Parkum and J.
| Anthony Stultz describe Makiguchi (and his disciple,
| Josei Toda) as having "experienced incarceration in
| Japan during World War II for resisting the war effort
| and refusing to follow state Shinto worship" (p. 360). A
| second article in the same book, "Racial Diversity in
| the Soka Gakkai" by David Chappell, states that "when
| Makiguchi refused to support government thinking during
| the war, he was arrested in 1943 and died in prison on
| November 18, 1944 at the age of seventy-three" (p. 216).
|.
| Though somewhat more ambivalent, Peter Harvey adds his
| voice to the chorus in An Introduction to Buddhist
| Ethics (IBE) where he writes, "In the Second World War,
| most Buddhist schools agreed to support the nation in
| its efforts. Seemingly the one exception was the Soka
| Gakkai, which refused to take part in this unified
| front" (p. 270). Nevertheless, none of these voices can
| compare with that of Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka
| Gakkai International, who has the strongest words of
| praise for Makiguchi. In an essay included in BP
| entitled "The SGI's Peace Movement," Ikeda writes:

All of those issues are relevant to the discussion of Makiguchi and his views in wartime, and Jon Petry will go on to distort those issues.

However, bringing up the following material from 1903 is really a red herring.

Makiguchi's 1903 writings were from a time long before he came into contact with Nichiren's Buddhism, when he was basically under earlier influences of the religion of his family, and are simply not relevant to the point that Victoria, Kisala and Petry are trying to make: that he might not have been imprisoned for resisting the War, or even that he might not have been a pacifist AT THAT MUCH LATER TIME.

One can argue over his pacifistic tendencies in 1903, which undoubtedly were in conflict at that time with his nationalism, but that does not in any way pertain to the occurrences in the middle and late 1930s and the early 1940s. These are truly specious as well as unjustified and distorted assertions.

Petry continues:

| Early in the twentieth century (1903), President
| Makiguchi published The Geography of Human Life (Jinsei
| Chirigaku), which strongly advocated a shift to
| humanitarian competition at a time when imperialism and
| colonialism were still the prevailing modes of
| international relations. He analyzed competition among
| nations as consisting of the phases of: military
| competition, political competition, economic
| competition, and humanitarian competition. He stressed
| that humanity's aim should be humanitarian competition
| (p. 136).
|.
| Robert Kisala, however, once again presents us with an
| alternative view. He begins by noting that the central
| focus of Makiguchi's first book, Jinsei Chirigaku, was
| on "drawing connections between geography and everyday
| life and advocating the study of geography through field
| trips and other hands-on experiences" (p. 75). As for
| Makiguchi's alleged war resistance, Kisala explains that
| the crux of the matter was Makiguchi's refusal to
| venerate a talisman of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess,
| issued by the central Shinto shrine at Ise. It was this
| refusal, he claims, not war resistance, which led
| Makiguchi and some twenty other leaders of what was then
| known as Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Academic Society for Value-
| Creating Education) to be arrested on charges of lese
| majestè and the violation of the Peace Preservation Law
| on July 6, 1943.

This skin-deep analysis, more appropriate to a high school paper, completely ignores the contextual fact that Shinto was the religion that identified the Emperor as a kami (god) superior to the hoteke (the buddhas). That meant the Emperor was the country itself: the government, the military and the war effort ... and that resisting Shinto was resisting the Emperor's war. Resisting the state religion of Imperial Way Buddhism (according to Brian Victoria's very own book) was resisting Imperial State Zen at war in the Pacific.

This evil Shinto view had evolved according to the honji suijaku theory (13th century Tendai slanders of Dengyo) and the later foundations of the Sanno Ichijitsu cult of worshipping Ieyasu as a god (laid down by Tenkai, another Tendai slanderer of Dengyo, who inserted lies into his mentor's mouth stating that the gods were greater than the buddhas, and that the greatest god of all was Ieyasu), all of which was inherited by the Meiji Restoration to build a new Emperor Cult, which came to fruition in 1935.

[See my other posting regarding the Toynbee analysis of the Fuji School for vastly greater detail on this evil.]

Petry continues:

| Kisala concludes his study of Makiguchi by pointing out
| that while "Soka Gakkai literature often claims that
| this persecution was the result of an anti-military
| stance taken by Makiguchi. . . my reading of the
| situation indicates that Makiguchi's opposition was more
| narrowly focused on the religious policy of the
| government" (p. 90).

The utter ignorance of this statement is pathetic. There was no separation at all between the Emperor and the War effort, in the religious view of Shinto. Shinto equals War. It has no other purpose than the absolute power of a monarch leading to War. It was invented and reinvented by the Tendai at the behest of the Zen bakufu (military government) over several centuries expressly for the purpose of governing through distortion of Buddhism. [The fact that it is a distortion that suits Jon Petry and his Five Senior Priest cronies at Minobu, is no accident.]

Now, Kisala and Petry go back to the irrelevant evidence of Makiguchi's writings nearly thirty years before his conversion to Nichiren Buddhism, with some crazy idea that it informs us of his views and actions in the middle of the struggle leading to the events of 1935 and the later events of the early 1940s.

Simply and obviously irrelevant, a red herring is a red herring no matter how many times you repeat the fallacy: it remains fallacious reasoning. Indeed, repetition of an obvious fallacy is the propaganda technique numero uno of the fascists themselves, the big lie that becomes more acceptable when it is repeated endlessly (Josef Goebbels).

Petry continues:

| This writer's research on Makiguchi shows that not only
| is Kisala's conclusion correct but that he revealed only
| a small part of the story. That is to say, while
| Makiguchi may, as Ikeda claims, have looked forward to
| the coming of a future world based on "humanitarian
| competition," that world did not yet exist. In Jinsei
| Chirigaku, Makiguchi described the actual world he
| inhabited as follows:
|.
| "It is my view that the sole cause of the present danger
| to world peace is Russia's promotion of its own
| viability. That is to say, in the present age of
| economic struggle for existence, Russia seeks to exploit
| weaknesses among the international powers in order to
| acquire what it must have: access to the oceans. Thus it
| is in the process of expanding in three directions, from
| the Dardanelle Straits in Eastern Europe to the Persian
| Gulf in western Asia and the Yellow Sea in the Far
| East." (Makiguchi 1903:950-951).
|
| In identifying Russia as being solely responsible for
| endangering world peace, Makiguchi adopted a stance
| identical with that of the Japanese government of his
| day. Japan used this alleged threat to justify its
| surprise attack on Russia the following year,
| ostensively to protect Korea's independence and prevent
| further Russian encroachments on Chinese territory, most
| especially Manchuria. The reality, however, was that
| following its victory over Russia in 1905, Japan moved
| to take control of Korea for itself, turning it into a
| full-fledged colony in 1910. As for Manchuria, Japan
| steadily increased its control of this area of China
| until it established the puppet state of Manchukuo in
| February 1932.

The entirety of Jon's and Kisala's irrelevant argument, here, has been completely debunked already, SEVERAL TIMES IN SEVERAL PLACES.

I refer you to the first time that Koichi Miyata debunked Brian Victoria's canard (the fourth time that Victoria vomited forth this filth, polluting the public marketplace of ideas):

. Turning to my first point: Victoria quotes a passage
. from Makiguchi's 1903 work Jinsei Chirigaku (The
. Geography of Human Life), in which Makiguchi notes that
. Russia was engaged in a policy of expansionism in the
. search for year-round harbors. Victoria asserts that
. this world view was identical to that of the government
. of Japan, a view used to justify the Russo-Japanese War
. (1904-1905), then the annexation of the Korean peninsula
. (1910) and the founding of the puppet state of Manchukuo
. (1932). Victoria's assertion, and his implicit criticism
. of Makiguchi, simplistically links analysis of the
. global situation with the policies taken in response to
. that. Makiguchi was merely voicing what was then the
. accepted understanding of the geopolitical motives for
. Russia's expansionist policies, a view held not only by
. the Japanese government, but shared by the British, with
. whom Japan had formed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
. Certainly I know of no scholar of political geography
. who rejects this commonsense view in favor of one that
. Russia posed no danger. If we were to extend Victoria's
. argument, the logical conclusion would be to find not
. only Makiguchi but everyone who studies political
. geography guilty of complicity with Japanese aggression.
. Critical Comments on Brian Victoria's "Engaged Buddhism:
.
. From "A Skeleton in the Closet?", by Koichi Miyata.
. <http://www.globalbuddhism.org/3/miyata021.htm>

So, this was the actually the view of all of the allies of Britain at the turn of the 20th century, and not some Japanese imperialistic view.

Stop repeating this nonsense, Jon Petry and Robert Kisala, you are obviously lying in your deliberate repetition of debunked falsehoods (like Propaganda Minister Goebbels and Brian Victoria).

Leaving aside the wretchedness of your methods and lack of connection with any rational semblence of truth, this line of discussion continues to be a red herring, by delving again into Makiguchi's decades past ideas, way before Makiguchi's conversion to Nichiren Buddhism.

I can understand this from a non-believer like Kisala, but Jon Petry considers himself a believer, does he not?

Are not people allowed to change and grow as they age, or are we all simply static entities?

King Ashoka went from being a cruel conqueror to being a peaceful Buddhist, is that only OK for him to change his life, because he is ancient history?

I mean, (if it's OK with your Lordship) is it satisfactory to you if we practice human revolution, even we mortals who are less than your perfection?

Petry continues:

| Significantly, neither Ikeda nor Kisala mention a second
| seminal book Makiguchi first published in November 1912.
| Entitled Kyodoka Kenky (Study of Folk Culture), this
| volume was an extension of the ideas contained in Jinsei
| Chirigaku, with special emphasis on their relevance to
| the life and structures of local communities. Makiguchi
| wanted rural educators (rather than the central
| government's bureaucrats) to take the lead in developing
| educational initiatives attuned to local communities.
| But toward what end? The book's concluding chapter
| explained Makiguchi's ultimate goal for education as
| follows:
|.
| "Regardless of social class, everyone should be
| conscious of the nation's destiny, harmonizing their
| lives with that destiny and, at all times, prepared to
| share that destiny. It is for this reason that the work
| of national education is to prepare ourselves to do
| exactly this, omitting nothing in the process. . . .
| However, in order to do this, and prior to placing
| ourselves in service to the state, we should first
| contribute to the local area that has nurtured us and
| with which we share common interests." (Makiguchi
| 1933:460-461).
|.
| It should be noted that Makiguchi wrote the above
| specifically for an enlarged 1933 edition of this book
| (see Makiguchi 1933:6). Despite championing rural
| education under local control, by 1933 both he and his
| publisher, none other than Soka Kyoiku Gakkai, shared a
| vision of education that was as "state-centered" as any
| of his contemporaries.
|.

Once again, this nonsense of yours has been debunked by Koichi Miyata in the same article. Since you appear incapable of clicking and reading this article, I have included it in total at the end of this writing. Here is the passage debunking your (above) hypothesis:

. Secondly, Victoria quotes an extract from Makiguchi's
. book Kyodoka Kenkyu (A Study of Folk Culture), in which
. Makiguchi notes that the state plays an important role
. in the lives of citizens. From this, Victoria draws the
. conclusion that as the Japan moved closer to war,
. Makiguchi adopted the view that education should be "in
. service to the state". (Victoria states that Makiguchi
. added this section for the 1933 revised edition of the
. book. This is incorrect, as it appears in the first
. edition published in 1912.) Since the publication of
. Jinsei Chirigaku Makiguchi had consistently emphasized
. the formation of identity on three levels-that of a
. person's local community, the national and global
. levels. Within this context, and against a backdrop of
. global competition for empire, he placed particular
. importance on national independence. This is hardly
. unreasonable. Japan was one of only a handful of
. countries in Asia that had maintained independence amid
. encroachment by the Western powers, and Makiguchi was
. well aware of the miserable circumstances of colonized
. peoples. What we may find problematic-in terms of the
. current view that controlling peoples is intrinsically
. wrong-is that Makiguchi did not say enough after Japan
. itself acquired colonies, omitting to comment on the
. issue of independence for these colonized peoples, and
. only suggesting that imperialism was not the optimal
. policy choice because of the financial burden involved.
. Here I refer Dr. Victoria to my essay "Tsunesaburo
. Makiguchi's Theory of the State" in TJOS, in which I
. discuss Makiguchi's view that imperialistic-military and
. economic-competition should be supplanted by a
. cooperative sense of community, what he called
. "humanitarian competition."

Miyata's article "Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's Theory of the State" is located at: http://www.tmakiguchi.org/assets/images/miyataforIOPspecialissue.pdf

I wonder if you are capable of clicking and reading this article, or will you continue to repeat that debunked piece of propaganda, too? Next time, I will include that article as well, if you continue to prevaricate, by floating this canard.

By the way, note the date 1933. Even according to your prochronistic reasoning, Jinsei Chirigaku was enlarged and published just at the point, 2 years before the crisis and catastrophe of the Constitutional Monarchists in 1935, when the Constitutionalists were desperately trying to pull the government back to the middle, while it was sliding away from them to the far right and utter chaos.

The Constitutionalist case would not be furthered by separation from the the ruling government, or by separating from the nobility that they were trying to influence, in vain as it would turn out.

So they made their plea from the center. In support of the Emperor. As Tony Blair has noted, all progressive governments that survive must rule from the center. Always from the broad center of the people. The fact that it did not work this time is not the fault of their rhetorical support of the Emperor, while trying to influence the royals.

Petry continues:

| Only a few years later, millions of young Japanese would
| be called on to sacrifice their lives, and those of
| their victims, in the process of "placing [them]selves
| in service to the state." Thus, Makiguchi's quarrel with
| the central government's bureaucrats over the control of
| local education was not about whether or not service to
| the state should be promoted, but simply how best to
| attain that goal.

That few years, after 1935 and a sharp break with the last glimmer of hope in 1933 when Makiguchi wrote, does not impugn the pre-Absolute Monarchy attempts of the Constitutional Monarchists in 1933 to preserve a progressive government in Japan. Those failed efforts were noble, and had they succeeded, could have prevented much death and destruction. THIS, TOO IS PACIFISM !!!

And during the last of the war years, Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda were imprisoned, and they were the only ones who never gave in to the end, to Mr. Makiguchi's death, and Mr. Toda's unyielding and undefeated release from prison. The honor of Japan's Buddhists resided only with these two in the end. Certainly not with Zen and not with Minobu and their subjugated temples.

And, oh, by the way, Jon Petry. Your show is slipping.

Your evil Minobu sect (Nichiren Shu and the other subjugated temples) were not hiding away somewhere. They were unabashed cheerleaders for the war effort and the attack on Pearl Harbor, even worse than the evil Fuji School Priesthood.

They bowed to the Shinto talisman, that slanderous object of worship, which stands in opposition to the Lotus Sutra and the Gohonzon, and which was the direct cause of war, chaos and holocaust.

They bowed to the Shinto talisman and cheered as defeat after glorious defeat occurred, with the mass suicide of division after division, running out of the caves burning from the flamethrower's napalm.

Minobu cheered as the kamikaze flew and they cheered as the Yamamoto went down with all hands without inflicting any damage whatsoever on the Allies.

So noble.

Your Minobu priests cheered as Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki burned. And damn them to hell for it and all the rest of their distorting garbage Buddhism.

Petry continues:

| If, as the preceding quote demonstrates, Makiguchi
| believed the ultimate goal of education was to serve the
| state, what was the emperor's role in fostering this?
| Was Makiguchi in any way opposed or critical of either
| the emperor or the imperial system?
|.
| Though critical of patriotism based on "superficial
| reasons," Makiguchi wrote, "His Majesty, the Emperor, on
| whom is centered the exercise of Imperial authority,
| does so through his military and civilian officials. The
| reason he exercises this authority is definitely not for
| his own benefit. Rather, as leader and head of the
| entire nation, he graciously exerts himself on behalf of
| all the people. It is for this reason that in our
| country, the state and the emperor, as head of state,
| should be thought of as completely one and indivisible.
| We must make our children thoroughly understand that
| loyal service to their sovereign is synonymous with love
| of country. . . I believe it is only in so doing that we
| can clarify the true meaning of the phrase "loyalty to
| one's sovereign and love of country" [Châkun Aikoku]
| (Makiguchi 1933:411- 412).

This repeated nonsense of yours HAS ALSO already been repeatedly debunked, which ALSO throws into question, ONCE AGAIN, your putative intellectual honesty, Jon Petry. Here is Koichi Miyata's argument from "A Skeleton In The Closet?"

. Thirdly there is the problem of the emperor system.
. Quoting a section from Kyodoka Kenkyu in which Makiguchi
. argues that loyalty to the emperor is synonymous with
. love of one's country, Victoria implies that Makiguchi's
. view was identical to that of the military government.
. This, however, is a far too loosely framed argument that
. ignores the interpretative issues associated with the
. 1889 Meiji Constitution. The preamble to the Meiji
. Constitution recognizes the supreme authority of the
. emperor, while Article 3 declares the sacred nature of
. the emperor, and Article 4 his sovereign rights over the
. state -- making the state and the emperor system
. inseparable. If we stress the supreme authority of the
. emperor, the emperor is then cast in the role of
. absolute monarch. If we consider instead the role of the
. Constitution as a brake on the supreme authority of the
. emperor, he becomes a constitutional monarch. The former
. view is represented by the imperial fascism supported by
. the military regime, while the latter corresponds to
. Tatsukichi Minobe's theory of the emperor as an organ of
. the state. From the era of Taisho democracy through to
. the suppression of Minobe's theory in 1935, this view
. held sway among constitutional scholars and members of
. the Diet. The idea that loyalty = patriotism is common
. to both views, and by aligning Makiguchi with the
. imperial fascism of the military simply on the basis of
. his comments here, Victoria again appears determined to
. ignore the written record of Makiguchi's thoughts. From
. his earliest writings, Makiguchi viewed the emperor as a
. constitutional monarch, and was critical of moves to
. make the emperor's powers absolute.

Once again, Prochronists like Victoria, Kisala and Petry, will always judge a person's writings before the emergence of Fascism, in a post-Fascist light, to make whatever conclusion they desire seem correct. In this way they persecute the noble efforts of those who tried to forestall catastrophe, by twisting the truth and demonizing their nobility.

The State Fascism triumphant in 1935 was not the same as the Constitutional Monarchists struggling to survive as part of the Diet in 1933. Got that?

It is truly shameful, how Victoria, Kisala and Petry can exploit that subtle difference in timing, making fools of the public. But that is indeed what they do. And they call themselves academics. And people continue to publish their garbage writings.

More from Jon Petry:

| In urging his fellow educators to make the nation's
| children "thoroughly understand that loyal service to
| their sovereign is synonymous with love of country" we
| once again find Makiguchi situated squarely in the
| mainstream of the nationalistic fervor that increasingly
| came to characterize the 1930s. No matter how
| Makiguchi's position toward the emperor may have changed
| later on, in 1933 Makiguchi advocated the widely held
| proposition that love of country was synonymous with
| loyal service to the emperor. It was exactly this
| educational ideology that provided the foundation for
| the Japanese military's demand of absolute and
| unquestioning obedience from its soldiers, claiming that
| "the orders of one's superiors are the orders of the
| emperor."

This time as well, Petry is repeating a section of Victoria's work that has been thoroughly debunked over and over by Koichi Miyata in "A Skeleton In The Closet?":

. Victoria mentions the military indoctrination of soldiers
. that "the orders of one's superiors are the orders of the
. emperor," and asserts that Makiguchi supported this
. view. In fact, however, Makiguchi commented: "The orders
. of the emperor could be mistaken, mind you", thereby
. rejecting the absolute authority of the emperor. This
. point is an important one when we come to consider the
. next, that of the relationship between Makiguchi's
. criticism of the religious policies of the military
. government and his anti-war activities. I refer Dr.
. Victoria here to Hiroo Sato "Nichiren Thought in Modern
. Japan: Two Perspectives" in TJOS in which he discusses
. the relationship between Makiguchi and the emperor
. system from a religious-historical perspective.

Does Petry simply refuse to read the debunking of his incorrect positions? Can he not see what is apparent to one and all, that his autistic lying, like a network device that is an open emitter, only serves to undermine his validity on every point he makes? Endlessly reformulating an erroneous statement into a new posting does not make it true, in spite of Goebbels' guidance to propagandists.

And trashing Makiguchi and Toda without regard to the truth of their heroism, does not make the devilish priests at Minobu and the other Nichiren temples into saints. The were, are and will remain war-mongering slanderers of Buddhism.

More from Jon Petry:

| Makiguchi also touched on Japan's colonization of Korea,
| claiming that Korea, prior to being formally annexed by
| Japan in August 1910, had been in such a state of
| anarchy that it was unable either to defend itself or
| protect its citizens. Not only that, the Chinese people
| presently found themselves in exactly the same situation
| (see Makiguchi 1933:413).

Once again, one does not succeed in influencing the powerful back into the center, by picking unnecessary fights about past history that cannot be changed now. Or by encouraging disloyalty against the leader of the nation, whom you are trying to influence.

This (1933) was the time when fate still held in the balance, when the course had not been decided (apparently), and when there was still hope. Should they have given in prematurely?

That appears to be what Kisala and Petry think.

They would rather be viewed in a better light by history, than fight in an effort to change the outcome. How determinist of them, what fatalism that is, and such intellectual detachment is merely a disguise for clucking defeatism.

It is precisely the hopeless causes that require the strongest fight and the greatest courage. Get your ass off the sidelines and into the fight, Jon Petry. You and your Tendai-influenced kin need to discard the notion of "original enlightenment", which is really the devilish function's most excellent disguise. You cannot attain the way by having an opinion of Buddhism that differs from Nichiren Daishonin. You are either with him, or you are in Avichi Hell:

From the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 77-78, Chapter Seven - The Parable of the Phantom City, Point Seven, on the passage "Now you must press forward diligently / so that together you may [all] reach the place where the treasure is.",

. The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The
. word "all" refers to the Ten Worlds. The word "together"
. refers to the words [of the Buddha in chapter two, Expedient
. Means] "hoping to make all persons / equal to me, without
. any distinction between us." The word "reach" means to
. arrive at the level of the highest effect, the state of
. Buddhahood. "The place where the treasure is," the treasure
. land, is the holy mountain, Eagle Peak.
.
. Nichiren and his followers, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge
. -kyo, one and all will "together reach the place where the
. treasure is." This one word "together" means that, as long
. as they are together with Nichiren, they will reach the
. treasure land. BUT IF THEY ARE NOT TOGETHER WITH HIM, THEY
. WILL FALL INTO THE GREAT CITADEL OF THE AVICHI HELL.

When Nichiren placed all of Buddhism in the hands of Nikko Shonin, your ancestral mentors (the Five Senior Priests) ignored the final words of their dying mentor.

Now you are in Avichi Hell as a result.

While you still live, Jon Petry, you can still escape this hellish condition by following Nichiren's final admonition. (Yes, even after all of this evil ranting filth.)

By that, I don't mean joining your fellow Avichi denizens, the Transfer Box-less followers of Nikken in Nichiren Shoshu. I mean coming to the SGI. That is the only exit strategy that is sufficient to make an escape from your present predicament.

More from Jon Petry:

| The clear implication of the latter claim was that
| China, like Korea before it, would greatly benefit from
| Japanese control. This was of course a sentiment shared
| by the Japanese government, as seen, for example, in the
| Amau Statement of April 1934 issued by its Foreign
| Office. China, the statement declared, was not to avail
| itself of the assistance of any country other than
| Japan.

That detailed implication of Makiguchi's that you describe is actually, clearly and simply, a detailed inference on your part.

Your inference does not equate to Makiguchi's implication.

Makiguchi did not make that prediction: "will greatly benefit from".

Stop putting your thoughts and words into Makiguchi's mouth. If he didn't say what you really wished that he had, then there is a reason for it.

Cease your distortions, bad translations and quotes out of context.

More from Jon Petry:

| This said, it is equally clear that Makiguchi's chief
| concern in writing favorably about Japan's expansion
| onto the Asian continent was, as ever, directed toward
| the manner in which Japan's children were to be
| educated. Makiguchi saw, in a discussion of Korea's
| recent past and China's present, a golden opportunity to
| demonstrate to Japanese children just how fortunate they
| were to be living in Japan. Makiguchi continued:
|.
| "It is when we look at these concrete examples [of Korea
| and China] that thoughts about our own country emerge. .
| . . The result is that we cannot help but feel grateful
| and want to repay the debt of gratitude we owe [the
| state]. The practical application of the study of folk
| culture is to provide the fundamental basis for an
| understanding of the state by having [our children] look
| at situations like these that are right before their
| very eyes. I feel very deeply that we must vigorously
| seek to create persons of character who will in the
| future lead a state-centered life, having first acquired
| the germ of the idea of serving the state at the town
| and village levels." (Makiguchi 1933:413).

First off, I have not seen this translation, which is in direct contradiction to Makiguchi's views, and since all your other translation errors have been extremely self-serving to your purpose of trashing Makiguchi, I do not trust this little bit regarding "state-centered", either.

Since you have ignored Koichi Miyata's references to Makiguchi's other works delineating his views clearly, I will refer you to President Ikeda's speech at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in 1996, which appeared again recently in the World Tribune (10/30/09):

. Two years later, on Nov. 18, 1930, together with his
. disciple and fellow teacher, Josei Toda, Mr. Makiguchi published the first
. volume of 'The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy,' and
. it is from this day that we date the establishment of
. our organization.
.
. 'Soka' is Japanese for "value creation." From Mr.
. Makiguchi's viewpoint, the most fundamental and central
. value is that of life itself. Taking into account John
. Dewey's pragmatism, Mr. Makiguchi stated that "the only
. value in the true sense is that of life itself. All
. other values arise solely within the context of
. interaction with life." The fundamental criterion for
. value, in Mr. Makiguchi's view, is whether something
. adds to or detracts from, advances or hinders, the human
. condition.

Since Mr Makiguchi's central thesis is LIFE-CENTERED, as the name of our organization states clearly (and not state-centered), I think we can dispose of your putative translation into the same waste-bin as the other putative translations leading to the rest of the distorting rhetoric of Victoria, Kisala and Petry.

I repeat once again regarding your continuing fallacious reasoning as well: Prochronists like Victoria, Kisala and Petry, will always judge a person's writings before the emergence of Fascism (1933), in a post-Fascist light (1935 and later), to make whatever conclusion they desire seem correct. In this way they persecute the noble efforts of those who tried to forestall catastrophe, by twisting the truth and demonizing their nobility.

To them, social criticism was the only correct line of attack, since the Constitutionalists SHOULD HAVE KNOWN that the cause was lost, in the view of Prochronism. The view of Prochronists is always, that you should have known the future, that you are to be judged in your actions in the past, by the unfortunate turn of future events against your cause and efforts, even when you were simply trying to avert that future disaster.

Hence, trying to avert disaster by political and rhetorical means is viewed by the Prochronists as complicity with the perpetration of the disaster. The only Prochronist-righteous course is to stand on the sidelines with a carefully positioned (and historically preserved) letter of protest, without taking any risk by participating in the fray.

No Philsopher of any note encourages this inactive ethical stance, they all, to a man (Kant, Descartes, Mill, Hegel, etc.) demand that we take action to avert disaster, or be branded as cowardly.

This is pure sophistry with an evil purpose, specifically to find fault where there is none.

More from Jon Petry:

| Makiguchi demonstrates yet again that his ultimate
| concern was implanting in Japan's children a willingness
| to serve the state. Makiguchi simply believed he knew
| how to do this in a more effective way than the central
| government's bureaucrats who showed such little concern
| or understanding of local conditions. While it is true
| that Makiguchi was arrested in July 1943 for refusing to
| worship a talisman of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu issued
| by the Ise shrine, this had nothing to do with being
| disloyal to the emperor.

Pure unadulterated Petry-thought with absolutely no foundation in fact.

This completely ignores the facts that in Shinto, the Emperor is the god above the buddhas, whose body is the state, whose word is divine law, and whose war is a religious practice. Resisting Shinto is resisting the Emperor's divine war. Imperial Way Buddhism (Shinto) IS Imperial State Zen and the Zen War on humanity. They are not separate, not even in the tiniest way.

You cannot defeat an evil by bowing to it.

The absolute monarch must not be obeyed in slandering Buddhism, the Shinto Talisman and everything it represented (Imperial Way Buddhism, Imperial State Zen, and the public acknowledgement of divinity of the Emperor, which is inseperable from supporting his divine Pacific War) even though required by law, must all be rejected.

The people must not bow down to Shinto, or the world falls into hell, never to emerge.

More from Jon Petry:

| As he informed his police
| interrogators, "I think it is, for we Japanese, the Way
| of the Subject to be loyal. This is what I have realized
| from my study of the truth of the Lotus Sutra" (Akashi &
| Matsâra, eds. 1975:172). Further, as contradictory as it
| may seem, Makiguchi's refusal to worship a talisman of
| the Sun Goddess did not even signify a lack of respect
| for this alleged progenitress of the Imperial family.
| Makiguchi made this clear when he told the police,
|.
| "The Sun Goddess is the venerable ancestress of our
| Imperial Family, her divine virtue having been
| transmitted to each successive emperor who ascended the
| throne up to and including the present emperor. Thus has
| her virtue been transformed into the August Virtue of
| His Majesty which, shining down on the people, brings
| them happiness. It is for this reason that Article III
| of the Constitution states: "The person of the Emperor
| is sacred and inviolable."
|.
| "Just as we [association members] recognize the
| fundamental unity of filial piety and loyalty, so it is
| our conviction that it is proper to reverently venerate
| His Majesty based on the monistic view that "His
| Majesty, the Emperor is One and Indivisible" [Tenno
| Ichigen-ron], thus making it unnecessary to pay homage
| at the Grand Shrine at Ise. . . . In light of this, who
| is there, apart from His Majesty, the Emperor himself,
| to whom we should reverently pray?" (Akashi & Matsâra,
| eds. 1975:174-175).

Buddhism is reason. Here, you see the excellent example of Makiguchi's brilliant shakubuku technique, exercised towards his persecutors. His mind is like a rapier in the hands of a master fencer.

Makiguchi APPEARS to be simply repeating what was a traditional view of the Japanese. It was even written into the Constitution that the Emperor was thus.

ACTUALLY, he is attacking the Shinto system with Reason, by setting the ends against the middle. You cannot perceive this if you do not have faith in the mentor: it is necessary to ask yourself, "Why is Sensei doing this?" That question will never occur to the mind of a non-disciple.

He tells them, FROM THEIR OWN WORDS, how their views are contradictory. Not needing to pray at the Ise shrine because of "the monistic view that 'His Majesty, the Emperor is One and Indivisible' [Tenno Ichigen-ron]", means that placing the Shinto talisman in one's altar is therefore redundant, as well.

SIMULTANEOUSLY, he was trying to draw the distinction, even at this late date, that his disloyalty to state Shinto and the order to accept the talisman was not the same as disloyalty to the Emperor, because the Emperor ("one and indivisible") and state Shinto were not the same entity.

Makiguchi's statement is like a razor, which cuts between loyalty to State Shinto, which he REFUSES to bow to, and loyalty to the person of the Emperor ("who is there, apart from His Majesty, the Emperor himself, to whom we should reverently pray?"), who as leader of the nation he MUST bow to.

There is a history to using the words and teachings of issendai against their evil goals. Dengyo (whom Nichiren Daishonin described himself as a disciple of) went to China to visit Miao-lo's disciple, where he copied the unmodified versions of the Lotus Sutra and the True Word Sutras, which he then fetched back to Japan.

Why did Dengyo carry back with him the True Word Sutras, which the Lord of Teachings, Shakyamuni himself asked his followers to "honestly discard" while only retaining the Lotus Sutra as his "remnant" -Nichiren?

Dengyo violated a precept, so that he could defeat the Six Schools at Nara in the year 792 ["They are the Dharma Analysis Treasury (Kusha), Establishment of Truth ( Jojitsu), Three Treatises (Sanron), Precepts (Ritsu), Dharma Characteristics (Hosso), and Flower Garland (Kegon) schools." <http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=2078>] in a historic debate in front of the Emperor, resulting in Dengyo's Tendai School of Buddhism becoming the national religion of Japan.

He accomplished this great feat by showing that the Six Schools (which were not really independent, some temples taught all six) had modified their versions of the True Word Sutras to incorporate large sections of the Lotus Sutra. Exposing their flagrant appropriation, forgery and plagiarism, Dengyo was victorious.

By the way, Nichiren Daishonin gleefully recounts his mentor's victory in "The Selection of the Time", WND-1, pp. 548-549, <http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=548&m=0&q=>.

In that VERY SAME Gosho, Nichiren masterfully uses Dengyo's technique, by quoting the provisional sutras to defeat the schools that embrace them. That makes the "Selection of the Time" Gosho, itself, an embodiment of the principal of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple.

Neat, huh? Dengyo, Nichiren and Makiguchi: cut from the same cloth. And this is also why Nichiren Buddhism is not a precepts practice.

Here is Koichi Miyata's refutation of Victoria's bad translation in Petry's passage above (which has been repeatedly ignored by Victoria, Kisala and Petry):

. Victoria also quotes from a report produced by the
. special police on their interrogation of Makiguchi as
. proof that Makiguchi acknowledged the divine status of
. the emperor. Again, this assertion arises from a
. distortion of the relevant passage. Victoria quotes a
. reference by Makiguchi to "praying" to the emperor. He
. could hardly, however, have been more distorting in
. selecting the passage he quoted, deliberately excluding
. the following extract, which I have underlined:
.
... "The august virtue of His Majesty the Emperor is
... manifested in the security and happiness of the
... people, through the organs of his civil and
... military officials. Should these be deficient in
... some way, the people can petition him through
... the Diet or other bodies. In light of this, who
... is there, apart from His Majesty, the Emperor
... himself, to whom we should reverently pray?"
... ("Pray" is Victoria's translation; "beseech" is
... probably more accurate in this context.)
.
. It is obvious that "beseech/pray" and "petition" have
. the same meaning in this context. The manner in which
. Victoria has misused Makiguchi's choice of a term
. normally used in a religious context, but with a special
. meaning in this context, to claim that Makiguchi
. supported emperor worship, is not what one would expect
. from a serious scholar endeavoring to document his
. claim. Surely in examining the interrogation report
. Victoria must have encountered the following statements
. by Makiguchi:
.
... "His Majesty the Emperor is an ordinary man, who
... went to the Peers' School as Crown Prince, and
... studied how to be an emperor. The Emperor too
... makes mistakes. They say that in the early years
... of the Meiji era Tesshu Yamaoka admonished the
... Meiji Emperor and pointed out his mistakes on
... many occasions." [Tokko Geppo (Monthly bulletin
... of Special Higher Police), August 1943 issue, p.
... 152]
.
. These comments indicate clearly that Makiguchi rejected
. completely the deification of the emperor. Victoria
. mentions the military indoctrination of soldiers that
. "the orders of one's superiors are the orders of the
. emperor," and asserts that Makiguchi supported this
. view. In fact, however, Makiguchi commented: "The orders
. of the emperor could be mistaken, mind you", thereby
. rejecting the absolute authority of the emperor. This
. point is an important one when we come to consider the
. next, that of the relationship between Makiguchi's
. criticism of the religious policies of the military
. government and his anti-war activities. I refer Dr.
. Victoria here to Hiroo Sato "Nichiren Thought in Modern
. Japan: Two Perspectives" in TJOS in which he discusses
. the relationship between Makiguchi and the emperor
. system from a religious-historical perspective.

Does Jon Petry listen? He hasn't in the past, but we continue to hope.

More from Jon Petry:

| In fact, nowhere in Makiguchi's writings, either before
| or during the war, either in prison or out, do we find
| any statements critical of Japan's wartime policies. On
| the contrary, not only did Makiguchi justify Japan's
| colonial takeover of Korea (and earlier war with
| Russia), but he devoted his entire life as an educator
| to devising more effective ways of instilling "service
| to the state" in Japanese children. He further advocated
| that these same children "thoroughly understand that
| loyal service to their sovereign is synonymous with love
| of country." Even after imprisonment, he affirmed that
| loyalty to the emperor was but a natural part of the
| "Way of the Subject" based on his understanding of the
| Lotus Sutra. And, as we have seen, as far as the emperor
| was concerned, Makiguchi asked, "Who is there, apart
| from His Majesty, the Emperor himself, to whom we should
| reverently pray?"

Every single one of these serial distortions, which are serial defamations of a truly noble person trying to avert disaster (and save the many millions who died in that disaster), each and every one is debunked above, and has been repeatedly debunked in the past.

Finally, the last from Jon Petry:

| For apologists to now claim that, his imprisonment and
| death notwithstanding, Makiguchi resisted or opposed
| Japan's war effort is an attempt to turn night into day.

As I said before, Jon Petry, your show is slipping.

This attempt by Zen (Victoria) and slanderous Nichiren Schools (Petry) to trash Makiguchi and Toda, who were the only honorable Buddhists who stood their ground against the Shinto War against Buddhism and humanity to the end of the war, is an obvious ploy.

Victoria had problems with his thesis in chapter six of his book (CH 6: "No Organized Resistance Against Imperial State Zen After 1942"). The problem was that after he wrote it, he found that Makiguchi and Toda made a liar out of him, or worse, a lazy academic. So he proceeded to repeatedly attempt to tar these noble men with these lies, so as to make himself a truthful and a diligent academic, at least in retrospect. Of course this is a pathetic and vain attempt, no matter what the outcome, because he did not do his dirtywork within the confines of his thesis, which is therefore, trash. Then, Victoria, as an academic, is no more than a producer of trash.

This is the way of Zen, as the Tokugawa bakufu hired Tendai and Zen scribes to create new Shinto fantasies of themselves as kami (gods), who were greater than the Hoteke (Buddhas). Writing something down does not ascribe truth to the writing, nor nobility to the author. A lie is a lie, however often it is repeated. And even when the truth is silenced (fortunately, not the case this time).

Similarly, whenever heroes like Makiguchi and Toda rise up nobly, the mass of weaklings who cower in the face of adversity must later tear them down, to cover up their own shameful cowardice at the time.

It is no accident that they are led by a Roshi of the Zen School (Victoria) that perpetrated this horror on humanity. And it is no accident that his water is (once again) carried by a follower of the Nichiren Schools and temples (Petry), that gratefully accepted the Shinto Talisman and worshipped that object of Shinto devotion to the Zen war against Buddhism and the human race.

No one in the Nichiren Schools refused to bow to Shinto, which is a mask over the face of Zen War. No one went to prison and stayed there after 1942 (Victoria's own thesis), with the exception of those Victoria overlooked: Makiguchi and Toda of the Soka Gakkai, who were the only ones bearing the honor of Buddhism in the midst of this holocaust. No other Buddhists had the determination and valor necessary to stay the course against Imperial State Zen to the bitter end (Makiguchi's death and Toda's release after the war was lost).

Indeed, Nichiren Shoshu and the other schools gleefully supported the war, cheering every victory, screaming for more blood, and highlighting the glorious sacrifice of young Japanese in this 'noble' cause. This is all on record, for every school. Here is a list of infamy, of Nichiren Schools that accepted the Shinto Talisman and supported the war (some are now split off from temples, which at that time, were infamous):

... Nichiren Schools
...
... Nichiren Shu (Kuon-ji at Minobu)
... Nichiren Shoshu (Taiseki-ji at Fujinomiya)
... Honmon Butsuryu Shu ja
... Kempon Hokke Shu (Myoman-ji)
... Hokkeshu, Honmon Ryu
... Hokkeshu, Jinmon Ryu
... Hokkeshu, Shinmon Ryu
... Honmon Hokke Shu (Myoren-ji)
... Nichiren Honshu (Yobo-ji)
... Nichiren Shu Fuju-fuse-ha (Myokaku-ji)
... Nichiren Hokke Shu
... Hokke Nichiren Shu
... Hompa Nichiren Shu
... Honke Nichiren Shu (Hyogo)
... Fuju-fuse Nichiren Komon Shu
... Honke Nichiren Shu (Kyoto)
... Shobo Hokke Shu
... Honmon Kyoo Shu
... Nichiren Komon Shu
... Reiyukai (Spiritual-Friendship-Association)
... Rissho Kosei Kai
... Nipponzan Myohoji
... Kokuchukai
... Shoshinkai
... Fuji Taisekiji Kenshokai
... Honmon Shoshu

They all bowed to the great evil that is Shinto, wielded as a weapon by Imperial State Zen. They all bowed to the destruction of Buddhism and the human race that would have been the outcome of Shinto War. Only Makiguchi and Toda stood up against and refused to bow to this evil to the end.

Trashing these heroes will not raise up the lot of you by even a millimeter in stature. Your heritage will remain that of cowardly and treasonous Buddhists, who betrayed the Buddha, the Law and the human race.

Live with it.

-Chas.

_________________________________________________

Jon Petry, since you seem incapable of going and looking at this paper of Miyata's I include the entire text here, so that you could not possibly miss it:

. Critical Comments on Brian Victoria's "Engaged Buddhism:
. A Skeleton in the Closet?", by Koichi Miyata.
.
. <http://www.globalbuddhism.org/3/miyata021.htm>
.
. Abstract
. In "Engaged Buddhism: A Skeleton in the Closet?"
. (Vol. 2) Brian Daizen Victoria claims, among
. other things, that Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-
. 1944), founder of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai
. (forebear of the Soka Gakkai and Soka Gakkai
. International), was an active supporter of the
. Japanese wars of aggression. In this response,
. Koichi Miyata argues that Victoria's claims rest
. on the highly selective use of quotes, and
. ignore key interpretative issues associated with
. Japanese imperial fascism and its underlying
. belief structures. Miyata discusses the
. significance of Makiguchi's arrest and
. imprisonment under a law specifically aimed at
. opponents of the war efforts, in his analysis of
. critical lapses in Victoria's article.
.
. Having read the recent essay by Brian Daizen Victoria, I
. found its contents so problematic that, as someone who
. has studied the ideas of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-
. 1944) for many years, I feel compelled to respond.
.
. While many studies and essays on Tsunesaburo Makiguchi
. exist in Japanese, researchers unable to read Japanese
. have had limited access to Makiguchi's ideas and
. actions. To help fill this gap, last year I edited a
. small collection of English-language essays for the 2000
. special edition of The Journal of Oriental Studies
. (TJOS) which was devoted to the "Ideas and Influence of
. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi." In this response, I will refer
. to this research as I attempt to shed some light on the
. thoughts and actions of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.
.
. Turning to my first point: Victoria quotes a passage
. from Makiguchi's 1903 work Jinsei Chirigaku (The
. Geography of Human Life), in which Makiguchi notes that
. Russia was engaged in a policy of expansionism in the
. search for year-round harbors. Victoria asserts that
. this world view was identical to that of the government
. of Japan, a view used to justify the Russo-Japanese War
. (1904-1905), then the annexation of the Korean peninsula
. (1910) and the founding of the puppet state of Manchukuo
. (1932). Victoria's assertion, and his implicit criticism
. of Makiguchi, simplistically links analysis of the
. global situation with the policies taken in response to
. that. Makiguchi was merely voicing what was then the
. accepted understanding of the geopolitical motives for
. Russia's expansionist policies, a view held not only by
. the Japanese government, but shared by the British, with
. whom Japan had formed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
. Certainly I know of no scholar of political geography
. who rejects this commonsense view in favor of one that
. Russia posed no danger. If we were to extend Victoria's
. argument, the logical conclusion would be to find not
. only Makiguchi but everyone who studies political
. geography guilty of complicity with Japanese aggression.
.
. Elsewhere in Jinsei Chirigaku Makiguchi points out that
. the countries of Western Europe had a great deal of
. trouble operating their colonies, and expresses doubts
. about the value of acquiring colonies, particularly from
. the point of view of the financial burden that they
. would entail. If Victoria had read Jinsei Chirigaku
. carefully, he would not identify the thoughts of
. Makiguchi with the expansionist doctrine of the time.
.
. Secondly, Victoria quotes an extract from Makiguchi's
. book Kyodoka Kenkyu (A Study of Folk Culture), in which
. Makiguchi notes that the state plays an important role
. in the lives of citizens. From this, Victoria draws the
. conclusion that as the Japan moved closer to war,
. Makiguchi adopted the view that education should be "in
. service to the state". (Victoria states that Makiguchi
. added this section for the 1933 revised edition of the
. book. This is incorrect, as it appears in the first
. edition published in 1912.) Since the publication of
. Jinsei Chirigaku Makiguchi had consistently emphasized
. the formation of identity on three levels-that of a
. person's local community, the national and global
. levels. Within this context, and against a backdrop of
. global competition for empire, he placed particular
. importance on national independence. This is hardly
. unreasonable. Japan was one of only a handful of
. countries in Asia that had maintained independence amid
. encroachment by the Western powers, and Makiguchi was
. well aware of the miserable circumstances of colonized
. peoples. What we may find problematic-in terms of the
. current view that controlling peoples is intrinsically
. wrong-is that Makiguchi did not say enough after Japan
. itself acquired colonies, omitting to comment on the
. issue of independence for these colonized peoples, and
. only suggesting that imperialism was not the optimal
. policy choice because of the financial burden involved.
. Here I refer Dr. Victoria to my essay "Tsunesaburo
. Makiguchi's Theory of the State" in TJOS, in which I
. discuss Makiguchi's view that imperialistic-military and
. economic-competition should be supplanted by a
. cooperative sense of community, what he called
. "humanitarian competition."
.
. Further, in deciding that Makiguchi viewed education as
. a means of serving the state, Victoria completely
. ignores Makiguchi's argument in his 1930 Soka Kyoikugaku
. Taikei (The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy) that the
. goal of education must in fact be the happiness of the
. child. In the March 1942 issue of Kachi Sozo (Value
. Creation), the short-lived periodical of the Soka Kyoiku
. Gakkai, Makiguchi criticizes the ideologically central
. concept of messhi hoko -- sacrificing the interests of
. the individual to those of the state. He noted that this
. was mere rhetoric to ordinary Japanese, impossible to
. put into practice. Rather, he stressed, it is natural to
. strive for the realization of one's own and others'
. happiness. In May 1942, he was ordered to halt
. publication of Kachi Sozo. While Makiguchi did view the
. state as having an important role to play, this is
. entirely different from holding the ultra nationalist
. view of education that people should be educated to
. ensure their uncritical acceptance of the policies of
. the state. Here I refer Dr. Victoria to "Value-Creating
. Pedagogy and Japanese Education in the Modern Era," in
. TJOS, by Kazunori Kumagai in which he compares
. Makiguchi's educational philosophy with the statist
. educational system.
.
. Thirdly there is the problem of the emperor system.
. Quoting a section from Kyodoka Kenkyu in which Makiguchi
. argues that loyalty to the emperor is synonymous with
. love of one's country, Victoria implies that Makiguchi's
. view was identical to that of the military government.
. This, however, is a far too loosely framed argument that
. ignores the interpretative issues associated with the
. 1889 Meiji Constitution. The preamble to the Meiji
. Constitution recognizes the supreme authority of the
. emperor, while Article 3 declares the sacred nature of
. the emperor, and Article 4 his sovereign rights over the
. state -- making the state and the emperor system
. inseparable. If we stress the supreme authority of the
. emperor, the emperor is then cast in the role of
. absolute monarch. If we consider instead the role of the
. Constitution as a brake on the supreme authority of the
. emperor, he becomes a constitutional monarch. The former
. view is represented by the imperial fascism supported by
. the military regime, while the latter corresponds to
. Tatsukichi Minobe's theory of the emperor as an organ of
. the state. From the era of Taisho democracy through to
. the suppression of Minobe's theory in 1935, this view
. held sway among constitutional scholars and members of
. the Diet. The idea that loyalty = patriotism is common
. to both views, and by aligning Makiguchi with the
. imperial fascism of the military simply on the basis of
. his comments here, Victoria again appears determined to
. ignore the written record of Makiguchi's thoughts. From
. his earliest writings, Makiguchi viewed the emperor as a
. constitutional monarch, and was critical of moves to
. make the emperor's powers absolute.
.
. Victoria also quotes from a report produced by the
. special police on their interrogation of Makiguchi as
. proof that Makiguchi acknowledged the divine status of
. the emperor. Again, this assertion arises from a
. distortion of the relevant passage. Victoria quotes a
. reference by Makiguchi to "praying" to the emperor. He
. could hardly, however, have been more distorting in
. selecting the passage he quoted, deliberately excluding
. the following extract, which I have underlined:
.
... "The august virtue of His Majesty the Emperor is
... manifested in the security and happiness of the
... people, through the organs of his civil and
... military officials. Should these be deficient in
... some way, the people can petition him through
... the Diet or other bodies. In light of this, who
... is there, apart from His Majesty, the Emperor
... himself, to whom we should reverently pray?"
... ("Pray" is Victoria's translation; "beseech" is
... probably more accurate in this context.)
.
. It is obvious that "beseech/pray" and "petition" have
. the same meaning in this context. The manner in which
. Victoria has misused Makiguchi's choice of a term
. normally used in a religious context, but with a special
. meaning in this context, to claim that Makiguchi
. supported emperor worship, is not what one would expect
. from a serious scholar endeavoring to document his
. claim. Surely in examining the interrogation report
. Victoria must have encountered the following statements
. by Makiguchi:
.
... "His Majesty the Emperor is an ordinary man, who
... went to the Peers' School as Crown Prince, and
... studied how to be an emperor. The Emperor too
... makes mistakes. They say that in the early years
... of the Meiji era Tesshu Yamaoka admonished the
... Meiji Emperor and pointed out his mistakes on
... many occasions." [Tokko Geppo (Monthly bulletin
... of Special Higher Police), August 1943 issue, p.
... 152]
.
. These comments indicate clearly that Makiguchi rejected
. completely the deification of the emperor. Victoria
. mentions the military indoctrination of soldiers that
. "the orders of one's superiors are the orders of the
. emperor," and asserts that Makiguchi supported this
. view. In fact, however, Makiguchi commented: "The orders
. of the emperor could be mistaken, mind you", thereby
. rejecting the absolute authority of the emperor. This
. point is an important one when we come to consider the
. next, that of the relationship between Makiguchi's
. criticism of the religious policies of the military
. government and his anti-war activities. I refer Dr.
. Victoria here to Hiroo Sato "Nichiren Thought in Modern
. Japan: Two Perspectives" in TJOS in which he discusses
. the relationship between Makiguchi and the emperor
. system from a religious-historical perspective.
.
. My fourth point concerns the significance of Makiguchi's
. persecution by the military government for criticizing
. its policy on religion. This is also relevant to the
. arguments of Robert Kisala, which Victoria cites in
. developing his own argument. We must remember that when
. Makiguchi was persecuted by the authorities for
. instructing members of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai to burn
. talismans provided by the Ise shrine, regarded as home
. of the ancestral deity of the imperial family, it was
. not under any law dealing with religious matters, but
. the Peace Preservation Law. Neither Victoria nor Kisala
. appear to understand the significance of this. The Peace
. Preservation Law was demanded by the Privy Council in
. exchange for approving the Universal Manhood Suffrage
. Law in 1925 to ensure that the newly enfranchised
. populace did not begin criticizing the emperor system.
. It was originally designed for the suppression of anti-
. Establishment groups such as socialists, communists and
. anarchists. Having all but eliminated anti-Establishment
. activity of an overtly political nature with a massive
. crackdown on the Communist Party in the early years of
. the Showa era (1926-1989), the military government next
. targeted liberals and religious movements as impediments
. to implementation of their war policies. By completely
. obliterating Tatsukichi Minobe's liberal view of the
. emperor as organ of the state in 1935, the militarists
. established the absolute authority of the emperor,
. brooking no opposition whatsoever their policies, now
. fully shielded by imperial authority.
.
. Next they turned to the religious movements. Religions
. having as their object of worship gods, or the Buddha,
. which their teachings accord a position in the cosmic
. order far superior to that of the emperor, religious
. groups tended to have less regard for his authority. The
. year 1936 saw a crackdown on Ohmotokyo, a new Shinto
. movement that preached the restoration of peace and
. order to the world under a mythical god. To enable more
. systematic repression of religious movements, the
. military government revised the Peace Preservation Law
. in 1939 to provide for punishment of religious groups
. found to be committing blasphemy against the Ise shrine.
. This shows the military government viewed religious
. movements that rejected the authority of the emperor as
. the last remaining impediments to rallying the nation
. behind its war policies. It was against this political
. and social backdrop that Makiguchi came to criticize the
. religious policy of the military regime. His arrest
. under the Peace Preservation Law shows that the regime
. judged his actions a hindrance to their conduct of the
. war. Thus, Makiguchi directly opposed the militarist
. ideology of imperial fascism for its religious policies,
. and because this opposition constituted an impediment to
. conduct of the war by the military regime, there is no
. doubt that he was persecuted for implicitly anti-war
. activities. I refer Dr. Victoria to my Introduction to
. TSOJ in which I examine the historical background and
. significance of Makiguchi's wartime persecution.
.
. I have responded to the views of Brian Victoria on four
. fronts. I can only imagine that in order to prove
. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi cooperated with the war effort,
. Victoria has shaped his arguments to fit his pre-
. established conclusion, willfully quoting only those
. passages of Makiguchi's writings that would seem to
. support it. I cannot imagine he studied all ten volumes
. of Makiguchi's writings in Japanese to reach this
. conclusion. While there is ample room for the frank
. exchange of academic views, including highly critical
. ones, it is important that a tendentious agenda, clothed
. in the guise of academic research, not stand
. unchallenged.

-Chas.
___________________________________

[femal...@gmail.com]

Good post! I started practicing in 1974 and left SGI when Fat Ass Pervert Ikeda and SGI were excommunicated. I used to see the SGI leaders when they came to Santa Monica pull up in limos to the sleazy Massage Parlor near my house. When I was in Japan in 1980, I heard numerous accounts of Ikeda and SGI leaders molesting Young Women’s Division. I reunited a few years back with Nichiren Shoshu and go to the San Francisco Temple. Here is a site I created. www.USABuddhism.com

[Jack Fate]

femal...@gmail.com wrote:
> Good post! I started practicing in 1974 and left SGI when Fat Ass Pervert Ikeda and SGI were excommunicated. I used to see the SGI leaders when they came to Santa Monica pull up in limos to the sleazy Massage Parlor near my house. When I was in Japan in 1980, I heard numerous accounts of Ikeda and SGI leaders molesting Young Women’s Division. I reunited a few years back with Nichiren Shoshu and go to the San Francisco Temple. Here is a site I created. www.USABuddhism.com
>

Good for you!

[Chas.]

The Self-Appointed High Priest +

Can Michael Cody show us a recent picture of the Transfer Box authenticating the Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nichinyo (a well-known thug) as not being a "fake" High Priest appointed by the "self-appointed" High Priest, Nikken? See the truth here:

http://www.nstemple.org/

-Chas.

[Jack Fate]

Another straw man from the man who follows a billionaire who tried to
destroy True Buddhism.

[Chas.]

It wasn't an article, it was a photo with a caption from April 26, 2017 Tokyo in the July 14th, 2017 issue of the World Tribune, page 3.

And most recently in an article in the October 13th, 2017 issue, page 8 of the World Tribune. Sensei and Kaneko visited the Kanagawa Culture Center for a meeting with members.

Hence, Michael Cody and Reddit spew lies that are so easily objectively refuted as to be pathetic.

However, they have no Transfer Box to authenticate the validity of their fake High Priest, the thug Nichinyo "self-appointed" High Priest, Nikken? See the truth here:

http://www.nstemple.org/

Where's the Transfer Box, Michael Cody?

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

On Friday, August 19, 2016 at 7:59:54 PM UTC-4, iainx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Daisaku on the eternal buddha - Nichiren or Shakyamuni?
>
> Confusion abounds in the SGI it would seem. Not only has the Dai Gohonzon been at first quietly then recently explicitly dropped but the identity of the Eternal Buddha has been changed from Nichiren of SGI of old to Shakayamuni of new.
>
> Before we go further and examine Daisaku's guidance, let's get a definition of Kuon Ganjo and Gohyaku Gintengo from the SGI Dictionary, which states:
>
> http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/K/119
>
> kuon-ganjo ［久遠元初］ :Literally kuon means the remote past, and ganjo, beginning or foundation. This term appears in On the Mystic Principle of the True Cause, a work written by Nichiren in 1282. This work refers to “the Mystic Law, uncreated and eternal, of the Buddha of beginningless time (kuon-ganjo),”
>
> In Nichiren Shoshu belief, which SGI started life as, Nichiren is identified as the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, the Buddha of the True cause or the buddhism of the sowing, whilst Shakamuni is identified as the Buddha of the Harvest or Gohyaku Jintengo:
>
> http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/N/97#para-0
>
> "Gohyaku-jintengō or gohyaku-jindengō: An incredibly long period of time described in the “Life Span” (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra to indicate how long ago Shakyamuni Buddha originally attained enlightenment. In the “Life Span” chapter, Shakyamuni reveals that he attained enlightenment not for the first time in this life under the bodhi tree in Gayā, India, but in the inconceivably remote past."
>
> This is the difference between "a very long time ago" and "eternal, without beginning or end".
>
> It is also the fundemental difference between the Nichiren Shu federation sects and organisations beliefs, who view Shakayamuni as the eternal Buddha and Nichiren as Bodhisattva Superior Practices and Nichiren Shoshu (or "Orthodox Buddhism" or "True Buddhism"), who view Shakyamuni as a "husk Buddha" and Nichiren as the True or Eternal Buddha, in his true identity, after the Tatsunakuchi persecution (before his Sado exile) and as Bodhisattva Superior practices in his transient identity, before the Sado exile.
>
> From this, in Nichiren Shoshu belief, we get the notion of discarding the "transient and revealing the true" as Nichiren sheds his Bodhisattva Superior Practices identity and reveals his "true" identity as the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo.
>
> At this point, it would be well to remember that both Mr Makaguchi, in his later life amd as he founded the forerunner of the lay society of Nichiren Shoshu, which Mr Toda re-established as the Soka Gakkai (or more correctly the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai), were both Nichiren Shoshu believers at the point of their respective deaths. Both taught faith and upheld faith in the Dai Gohonzon (or Ita Gohonzon) from the point of their resoective converstions up until the point of their respective deaths.
>
> The Dai Gohonzon, in Nichiren Shoshu belief, is the embodiment of the life of Nichiren Daishonin, the life of the Eternal Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, or time without beginning and end.
>
> For both of these men, faith meant faith in the Dai Gohonzon and kosen rufu meant spreading that faith, or put another way, spreading the faith of True Buddhism, the faith of Nichiren Shoshu. This was the mission of the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai (or the Nichiren Shoshu Value Creation Society). This was the faith Mr Toda trained his "disciple" Daisaku Ikeda and all his other "disciples" in. This is the faith that Mr Toda inherited from his mentor, Mr Makaguchi and passed on to Daisaku Ikeda.
>
> This was the faith that Daisaku Ikeda inherited from his Mr Toda when Daisaku Ikeda took Mr Toda as his mentor, at age 19 and which he upheld until the point of his excommunication from Nichiren Shoshu in November1991. This was the faith that he taught for all those years as head of Soka Gakkai and was still teaching explicitly until at least 1999.
>
> As Mr Toda puts it:
>
> "Nichiren Daishonin possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent. It is indeed an honour that we, of little virtue, can worship him. We are the Daishonin's subjects, children and disciples. Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha of the universe, and to be his subjects, children and disciples is out great karmic relationship. Nichiren Daishonin appeared to enable us to reveal our Buddhahood; also to show us what Buddha wisdom is and thus help us to attain enlightenment. The Daishonin made his advent to allow us ignorant and evil minded individuals to worship the Dai Gohonzon. Therefore it is our supreme benefit to be able to follow the Daishonin 's teachings and worship the supreme Dai Gohonzon as it's child, disciple and subject.
>
> We thus have a mission to share the benefits of the Gohonzon with people in suffering, because we are the first to know of its greatness and our great karma...it is the noble mission of the SGI to guide people to the Treasure Mountain of the Dai Gohonzon" (The History and Conviction of the Soka Gakkai page 7).
>
> Quoted from UKE July 1999 No. 337. Page 26: Gosho study "Opening of the eyes".
>
> And in 1984 Daisaku Ikeda concurs, stating:
>
> Buddhism In Action Volume 1
>
> 1984.
>
> ISBN 4-88872-015-0 C1315
>
> Daisaku Ikeda
>
> Pages 33 & 34
>
> "Needless to say, the Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary inscribed for all mankind is the most fundemental basis of the movement of the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai. The Dai-Gohonzon has been preserved and handed down within Nichiren Shoshu from the founder, Nichiren Daishonin, to his successor, Nikko Shonin, and then to the third high priest, Nichimoku Shonin, up to the present high priest, Nikken Shonin. I hope therefore we will courageously dedicate ourselves to studying Nichiren Daishonin's teachings in order to deepen our faith and to propogate true Buddhism in each country or community, as we follow the high priest's guidance, and respect the traditions and doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu.
>
> " 'Practice' mentioned in the above passage means doing gongyo, chanting daimoku and doing shakabuku for the sake of others as well as ourselves. "study" in the same passage, means studying Nichiren Daishonin's teachings. Only those who are devoted to the two ways of practice and study can be called Nichiren Shoshu believers and Nichiren Daishonin's disciples. If you are negligent in these, you may be said to be running counter to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. When you are consistent in these two fundemental ways, you are practicing Buddhism correctly.
>
> "Etch deeply in your heart the phrase, "Both practice and study arise from faith. Faith means accepting the Dai-Gohonzon as absolute, and devoting yourself to the cause of kosen-rufu.
>
> Page 92 (ibid)
>
> "As I have said repeatedly, it is nothing other than the Dai-Gohonzon that is the basis of our worldwide of our worldwide kosen-rufu movement. It is my honour that I have been able to use what little ability I am endowed with in order to blaze a trail for future world peace as well as fir the furtherance of kosen rufu in Japan where the Dai-Gohonzon is kept."
>
> In the same work, Daisaku explains how Nichiren Shoshu belief supposedly brings benefits and therefore why it is worth spreading through worldwide kosen rufu:
>
> Pages 139-140 (Ibid)
>
> "One of the purposes of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is to develop one's life condition. Every human being has sufferings. Flesh is, as they say, heir to suffering. The sufferings of those who have little or no faith in the Gohonzon may become even worse and tend to create a life-condition confined to the three evil paths. In contrast, the sufferings of those who do believe in the Gohonzon can be transformed into the driving force for changing their negative karma, cultivating virtue and good fortune, and attaining Buddhahood. Such change is possible only through determined faith and chanting daimoku. This is the Buddhist principle that earthly desires are enlightenment. Moreover, one may experience sufferings because of one's practice of faith and activities for kosen- rufu. Enduring such sufferings should be interpreted as part of Buddhist practice to develop one's supreme life condition.
>
> "I joined Nichiren Shoshu when I was nineteen, and tomorrow, on August 24, I will have completed 34 years of practice. I am very grateful to the Dai-Gohonzon for the fact that during all this time I have been able to exert myself for the cause of kosen rufu without interruption. Sickly as I was, I have become increasingly healthy and have been able to work for kosen-rufu as tenaciously as anyone. I will continue to pray to the Dai-Gohonzon for a longer life span so that I can devote myself even more to the cause of kosen-rufu of the world."
>
> Notice that the Dai Gohonzon is at the base of this. In Nichiren Shoshu belief, the mandala's that are enshrined in members homes are transcribed by the high priest from the Dai Gohonzon and have their "eyes opened" (are made functional) by being laid in front of the Dai Gohonzon in an eye opening ceremony. In effect they become imbued with the power of the Dai Gohonzon, becoming its representative in miniture in that member's home.
>
> It is said, variously, that this power is to act as a clear mirror, enabling the believer to accurately percieve the true entity, the eternal Buddha of Kuon Ganjo within their own lives and thus bring forth Buddhahood to transform their lifestate and accurately perceive and change their karma. This power is activated when one chants Daimoku, with faith, to the Gohonzon mandala.
>
> It's therefore surprising that in his 2009 "lecture" On the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and Death, SGI Malaysia (The pink covered book) on page 26 Daisaku Ikeda states correctly that "As desribed in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni himself is the Eternal Buddha who is at one with the eternal mystic Law. He is the Buddha who resides in the actual reality of the saha world and works unceasingly to spread the Law. We can accept therefore that the Law transferred by by Shakyamuni is the fundemental Law that can liberate all people from the sufferings of birth and death, and enable them to attain Buddhahood. We could say that the transferal of Myoho renge kyo by Shakyamuni, as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past, clearly revealed Myoho renge kyo to be the correct and appropriate teaching for leading all people to enlightenment."
>
> So here it is Shakyamuni who is the Eternal Buddha. Who is decribed in the Sutra as being "always here".
>
> The Sutra itself predicts a future Buddha Maitrya, the next Buddha.
>
> And yet, Nichiren Shoshu postulate that Nichiren is the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, or time without beginning and end.
>
> And 2009 Daisaku Ikeda postulates that Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha of the latter day. On page 18 Daisaku states:
>
> (Ibid)
>
> "The mentor of the "kosen rufu of the entity of the Law (i.e. the Gohonzon) is Nichiren Daishonin - the Buddha of the Latter Day who revealed the Law of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the enlightenment for all humanity into the eternal future and set forth its manner of propogation."
>
> Confused? How many Buddha's have we got going on here? How many eternal Buddhas have we got going on? And didn't Shakyamuni transfer the Law to Bodhisattva Superior practices? Yes. And didn't Nichiren identify himself as kikely taking on that role of Superior Practices in his own writingsk Yes. And does either Shayamuni or the Sutra postulate a "Buddha of the Latter Day". No. Or does Nichiren postulate such a Buddha? No.
>
> And if Nichiren is the mentor for kosen rufu, hasn't SGI, in December 2015 change its prayers to name check its first three Presidents as "Eternal mentors for kosen rufu"? Yes.
>
> So not only do we seem to have accumulated 2 eternal Buddhas, we also serm to have acquired another Buddha fir the Latter Day, that the Sutra, forgot to mention and Shakyamuni and Nichiren forgot to tell us about but we also seem to have amassed 4 eternal mentors for kosen rufu. One of whom is one of the the eternal Buddhas and also the Buddha of the Latter day, who lived over 7 centuries ago, who forgot to mention both his eternal status and that he was the Buddha for the Latter day (which the Sutra also failed to mention) and the other three who lived very recently.
>
> Nichiren started his journey early, by age 15 he was praying to become the wisest person in all of Japan and by his early 30's, he'd established a teaching soley based on exclusive faith in the Lotus Sutra, with the Daimoku and the Gohonzon at its centre.
>
> The other three eternal mentors started rather later, Mr Makaguchi very late in life and as a result if losing a bet and having to convert from Nichiren Shu to Nichiren Shoshu. Mr Toda in middle age and by following his mentor in life, who he'd taken first through his educational connection and Daisaku Ikeda, rather earlier, at 19 as a result of hearing Mr Toda lecturing on the Rissho Ankuko Ron and thus embracing Nichiren Shoshu faith based on a belief in tge Dai Gohonzon, which he's now abandoned.
>
> No doubt, SGI members will suggest there is a deeper layer of understanding that I'm missing. Just like I can't reconcile the contradictions of Daisaku Ikeda's teaching of faith in Nichiren Shoshu belief and the Dai Gohonzon, which he inherited from his mentor Mr Toda, who inherited it from his mentor Mr Makaguchi, who inherited iy from the person who won the bet and forced him to convert, with Daisaku Ikeda's later teaching where he's abandoned that faith completely.
>
> And that's probably the point, two eternal Buddhas, an extra Buddha of the latter day, four eternal mentors for kosen rufu isn't really meant to make sense. It's meant to place rationale believers in a position where they think it should make sense and they are missing something that only their mentor Daisaku understands (coz he's amazing). Basically it's gobbledegook.
>
> Which is probably why on page 124 of the 2009 lecture, Daisaku tells us that "A true disciple, meanwhile is one who follows the mentor's teaching" for Daisaku's disciples, they're going to need to, blindly and obediently because it doesn't make sense (and it's not meant to). Whilst for Daisaku himself? Well he's abandonded his own mentor's teaching and made up his own and called it mentor-disciple.
>
> Be well :)

This is one of iainx's most compelling posts-- thanks to whomever brought it back to the top of this forum.

~Katie

[Chas.]

Katie Higgins Cannot Deflect Her Way Out Of Being Refuted By Shakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin, the Gohonzon and the Daimoku +

On Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 9:17:40 AM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> I’m not going to repost links to my responses to your 4 points. The salient response is that you have been shown your error regarding the True Buddha. Failing to acknowledge that, you aren’t s follower of Nichiren- and you don’t even respect your own branded SGI Buddhist scholars.
>
> You have been misled -. But you now willfully remain ignorant - too lazy to investigate the challenges to your views . The polar pppodite of Nichiren!
>
> In Nichiren’s time Tendai monks favored other Buddha’s - now you and Shoshu follow suit- same disregard of the Eternal Buddha. Little do you care to know -the consistent thread is Tendai influence -/ your doctrines were hatched 100 + years after Nichiren’s passing !
>
> All serious minds seekers of the Buddha’s teachings will have no trouble discovering what you are too lazy to pursue .
>
> Have it your way ,Chas - practice according to your preferences , your comfort level-. Your error is calling what you believe, Nichiren’s teachings .
>
> ~ Katie

No, no, no, you don't get off that easy.

Your "answers" come down to one simplistic error: that there are thousands of references to Shakyamuni as the one great eternal Buddha by Nichiren Daishonin, which you all in Nichiren Shu have taken as a fine reason for the dehumanizing deification of that poor man as a man-God like Jesus or as God Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth like Jehovah: which means we need to erect statues of HIM and kneel and slobber over HIS GREATNESS until our expiration.

THAT is what you think Nichiren Daishonin intended from your infantile rhetorical perspective. And to summarize: that is the side-product of "expedient means" in a nutshell.

Nichiren Daishonin had no choice but to speak in the common vernacular of Buddhism in the time to the common people who spoke and read it: to refer to the eternal Buddha and juxtapose his true teachings in the Lotus Sutra against "other Buddhas" in the competition in the marketplace of Buddhist ideas, he had no choice but to compare the Great Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra against the evils of True Word's Mahavairochana, or Nembutsu's Amida, or the Medicine Master's (Reiki) Yakushi-kyo, or the Zen Void which is the complete breakdown of the eternal Buddha and the destruction of the true teachings.

In the context of that battle, he rightly chose that talking about "Myoho-Renge" as the eternal Buddha in the common vernacular of Buddhist rhetorical speech to common people would be to completely abandon all hope of creating a Sangha. No one would hear a single word of what he had to say.

Of course, when speaking to his academic equal, the former Tendai monk Sairen-bō Nichijō, whom he converted when they were both confined to Sado, he could speak about the actual name of the entity and "Myoho-Renge", in the "Entity of the Mystic Law" Gosho.

The side effect of this expedient means is the open sore of misled followers of Nichiren Daishonin and misleading traitorous priests (Nichiren Shu) that would distort his Buddhism after his death into a cult of statue-worshiping idolatry of Shakyamuni.

That open sore on Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra is you: Katie Higgins.

That problem, which he foresaw, would become Nikko Shonin and Nichimoku Shonin's problem, which they solved by being a team: Nichimoku Shonin as High Priest of the Fuji School during the 43 years from 1290-1333, while Nikko Shonin taught the youth.

And that problem is now the SGI's and mine, talking to completely deluded persons such as yourself. To have to abandon dialogue and take up polemics.

This is why it is important to set aside expedient means at the first opportunity (which Nikko Shonin did and then later, Nichikan Shonin rooted out the statue worshipers again.)

Hence, once again, my 4 points HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED BY YOU.

And I think they might never be, because there is no viable construct supporting your distortions of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra into a dehumanizing deification of Shakyamuni as God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth like Jehovah or as a man-God like Jesus Christ. Statue-worshiping idolatry IS NOT Buddhism, it is an outrageous and insupportable attack on the Lotus Sutra itself.

{1.} Nichiren Daishonin's own golden words in the Gosho refute your idolatry of Shakyamuni directly ("Myoho-Renge" is "the actual name of the entity", not Shakyamuni or Nichiren Daishonin.)

{2.} The Lotus Sutra refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (In the past, 15 elder brothers, father and grandfather, and in the future his disciples and even Devadatta: all are great Buddhas just like Shakyamuni.) These are his golden words you deny.

{3.} The Gohonzon refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (the prominence of "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo Nichiren" over all other entities, Nichiren being the common mortal who is chanting and raising the banner of Myoho.)

{4.} Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (we chant neither Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu, nor Nam-Nichiren-Butsu.) This is what you chant every day, Katie Higgins, even though you deny the truth of it.

You simply need to wise up and stop deflecting away from this central point of faith, Katie Higgins.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Friday, November 10, 2017 at 1:02:12 AM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Your SGI Guy , Hiroshi Kanno also says Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha - He reads and studies Nichiren’s writings . Guess you still don’t , Chas 😬
>
> ~ Katie

I don't necessarily agree with everyone under the SGI according to all their views of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra, as I said: it's a big umbrella and the topic is difficult. So much expedient means has been employed in the past, that it's simply hard to perceive the truth. However, analysis is my specialty. When I was an undergraduate, I scored in the 90s percentile on all four parts of the GRE, but I scored in the 99th percentile on the analysis part. There is no 100th percentile. I may not be a very nice person, but I have the virtue of being right, once I hack my way through the forest of confused rhetoric that surrounds most of everything.

And this widespread confusion is true in every field of endeavor right now. The particle physics community is going through fits because the insiders in the academy led by Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, which is led Edward Witten, are 100% totally committed to String Theory (and its children Supergravity, Superstrings, Cosmic Inflation, the Multiverse and other superstitious nonsense) and they are completely in control of who gets to be appointed to a research position in the top six schools: and all recent experimental work at CERN and elsewhere is murdering their "theories" right and left. It is all hogwash and that can be understood by looking at the community of particle physics outsiders led by Peter Woit of "Not Even Wrong" fame throwing brickbats at them.

So the top academics in every field behaving badly is the new standard, why should Buddhism be any different?

Nevertheless, I will continue to confront you, Katie Higgins, with the inconvenient truth that, once again, my 4 points HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED BY YOU. And deflecting with this type of nonsense will not change that fact.

And I think they might not ever be, because there is no viable construct supporting your distortions of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra into a dehumanizing deification of Shakyamuni as God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth like Jehovah or as a man-God like Jesus Christ. Statue-worshiping idolatry IS NOT Buddhism, it is an outrageous and insupportable attack on the Lotus Sutra itself.

-> 1: Nichiren Daishonin's own golden words in the Gosho refute your idolatry of Shakyamuni directly ("Myoho-Renge" is "the actual name of the entity", not Shakyamuni or Nichiren Daishonin.)

-> 2: The Lotus Sutra refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (In the past, 15 elder brothers, father and grandfather, and in the future his disciples and even Devadatta: all are great Buddhas just like Shakyamuni.) These are his golden words you deny.

-> 3: The Gohonzon refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (the prominence of "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo Nichiren" over all other entities, Nichiren being the common mortal who is chanting and raising the banner of Myoho.)

-> 4: Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (we chant neither Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu, nor Nam-Nichiren-Butsu.) This is what you chant every day, Katie Higgins, even though you deny the truth of it.

You simply need to focus on these points and stop deflecting away from this central point of faith, Katie Higgins.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at 6:38:49 PM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
>
> >>"Katie Higgins Cannot Deflect Her Way Out Of Being Refuted By Shakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin, the Gohonzon and the Daimoku "<<
>
> These are your personal views. Until you are wiling to investigate the veracity of the doctrines you uphold, there is no point in engaging you .
>
> You idle away your time defending an organization led by a billionaire, rather than study and research Nichiren's correct teachings.
>
> Unlike you, Chas, I have supported my statements regarding the main doctrines of Nichiren's Buddhism-- you have both The Three Treasures (Buddha) and Daimoku (teaching) WRONG!
>
> And it shows, Chas-- your glaring errors pervade your discourse and your behavior here.
>
> ~Katie

These would be simply my personal views were it not for deductive logic, which is part of reason and "Buddhism is reason" - Nichiren Daishonin.

Referring to my 4 points you cannot rationally respond to:

[0.] The premises of these four points are taken on faith by all followers of Nichiren Daishonin: Gosho, Lotus Sutra, Gohonzon and the Daimoku. These are the tenets of faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra.

[1.] I could possibly agree with you if Nichiren Daishonin said that "Skakyamuni Butsu" was "the actual name of the entity", but he didn't say that. Instead, Nichiren Daishonin said that "the actual name of the entity" was "Myoho-Renge" in the Gosho "Entity of the Mystic Law" and in fact he repeats "Myoho-Renge" 15 or so times in that Gosho, extolling its various attributes and characteristics as the eternal Buddha.

[2.] I could possibly agree with you if Shakyamuni Buddha in the Lotus Sutra had said that he was the only Great Buddha, with a life span of his enlightenment encompassing all others, but he didn't say that. Instead, Shaykyamuni Buddha said that he was preceded, concurrent with and followed in time with other Great Buddhas, his 15 brothers, his father, his grandfather, his various disciples, the Dragon King's daughter, and even Devadatta.

[3.] I could possibly agree with you if the name Shakyamuni-Butsu ran down the center of the Gohonzon most prominently dominating the mandala of the Lotus Sutra, but it is not like that. Instead, the Gohonzon is dominated down the center most boldy, by Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo Nichiren since Nichiren Daishonin is the "common mortal" who is the true Buddha chanting the Daimoku and raising the mandala of the Law at the heart of the Lotus Sutra in the mirror of his life, inscribed in Sumi ink.

[4.] I could possibly agree with you if we Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin, Nichimoku Shonin and their followers of the SGI chanted Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu, but we don't chant that. Instead, we chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, the Law at the heart of the Lotus Sutra containing the "actual name of the entity", Myoho-Renge.

If all that were so and the world turned on its head, I could possibly agree with you, and your Nichiren Shu priests and academics and Mark Rogow, Katie Higgins. However, it is not so and the world is upright and you are so incredibly 180 degrees wrong that no one in their right mind can possibly agree with you.

You are, to quote that champion of Karl Popper the theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, "Not even wrong," Katie Higgins.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 3:58:36 AM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Great- now your errors should be clear - !!
>
> BUDDHA is Shakyamuni -
> TEACHING the Lotus Sutra/ practice- chanting the tittle of the Lotus Sutra
> ORDER is Nichiren and his followers.
>
> Literally thousands of passages written by Nichiren support this doctrine — please notice how scholars and sincere followers who READ Nichiren’s collected works are in agreement on this. Many are equally aware of the corruption that comprises your Shoshu lineage.
>
> ~ Katie

I would put it differently: Shakyamuni Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin and some of the High Priests of the Fuji School (and no one from Nichiren Shu) and the three presidents of the SGI are great Buddhas, along with Shakyamuni's 15 brothers and his father and his grandfather in the remote past, and Shakyamuni's various disciples predicted in the Lotus Sutra, along with the Dragon King's daughter and even Devadatta. Along with all those Buddhas named in the Lotus Sutra are the historic ones are of course, and finally according to Nichiren Daishonin: all common mortals are the true Buddha.

BUDDHA: the actual name is Myoho-Renge
TEACHING: the Lotus Sutra in its many historic and future forms/ practice for now is exactly according to Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho.
ORDER: Nichiren Daishonin's true followers only exist inside the SGI.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 12:54:41 PM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Wow ! You got all that from a disputed Gosho ! And you still have no clue

[snip]

You call the Lotus Sutra quote about the 15 brothers disputed?

Here it is again:

In the remote past there were also others who preached in parallel to Shakymuni and before him: Shakyamuni's grandfather, his father the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence and 15 brothers:

The Parable of the Phantom City, LS-7, pp 156-157:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-35

.... "Now, monks, the buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence
.... passed ten small kalpas before the Law of the buddhas
.... finally appeared before him and he attained supreme
.... perfect enlightenment. Before this buddha left the
.... householder's life, he had sixteen sons, the first of whom
.... was named Wisdom Accumulated. These sons each had various
.... kinds of rare objects and toys of one kind or another, but
.... when they heard that their father had attained supreme
.... perfect enlightenment, they all threw aside their rare
.... objects and went to where the buddha was. Their mothers,
.... weeping, followed after them.
....
.... "Their grandfather, who was a wheel-turning sage king,
.... along with a hundred chief ministers, as well as a
.... hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million of his subjects,
.... all together surrounded the sons and followed them to the
.... place of enlightenment, all wishing to draw close to the
.... thus come one Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, to offer
.... alms, pay honor, venerate, and praise him. When they
.... arrived, they bowed before his feet, touching their heads
.... to the ground.

He and his fifteen brothers all preached in different Buddha lands:

From the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 7, "Parable of the Phantom City", pp.172-173:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-282

.... “You monks, I will now tell you this. These disciples of
.... the buddha, these sixteen shramaneras, have now all
.... attained supreme perfect enlightenment. In the lands in the
.... ten directions they are at present preaching the Law, with
.... immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions
.... of bodhisattvas and voice-hearers for their retinues. Two
.... of these shramaneras have become buddhas in the eastern
.... region. One is named Akshobhya and lives in the Land of
.... Joy. The other is named Sumeru Peak. Two are buddhas in the
.... southeastern region, one named Lion Voice, the other named
.... Lion Appearance. Two are buddhas in the southern region,
.... one named Void-Dwelling, the other named Ever Extinguished.
.... Two are buddhas in the southwestern region, one named
.... Emperor Appearance, the other named Brahma Appearance. Two
.... are buddhas in the western region, one named Amitayus, the
.... other named Saving All from Worldly Suffering. Two are
.... buddhas in the northwestern region, one named Tamala Leaf
.... Sandalwood Fragrance Transcendental Power, the other named
.... Sumeru Appearance. Two are buddhas in the northern region,
.... one named Cloud Freedom, the other named Cloud Freedom
.... King. Of the buddhas of the northeastern region, one is
.... named Destroying All Worldly Fears. THE SIXTEENTH IS I,
.... SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA, WHO IN THIS SAHA LAND HAVE ATTAINED
.... SUPREME PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT.

I won't bother to point out the list of disciples of Shakyamuni being prophesied as great Buddhas in the future, as well as the Dragon King's daughter and Devadatta.

Clearly, you do not bother to actually read the Lotus Sutra. All you do is inaccurately spout, whereas I accurately quote.

Is the Gohonzon disputed? With Shakyamuni and Many Treasures on the same top row and no more prominent than the Four Bodhisattvas (ourselves, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.)

Is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo disputed? You know, what we chant instead of Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu or Nam-Nichiren-Butsu? That's my alternate documentation for "Myoho-Renge" being "the actual name of the entity" since you dispute the Gosho in large part (any Gosho letter that disagrees with you and your Nichiren Shu priests in your statue-worshiping of a falsely deified Shakyamuni as a man-God like Jesus, or as God Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, like Jehovah.)

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Friday, November 17, 2017 at 1:49:31 AM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Nichiren specifically refers to “ Shakyamuni of the Life Span chapter”— I realize it is difficult to believe and difficult to understand , but the Eternal Buddha did manifest in human body, and preached for 40 years before “ revealing the truth “- A major truth is revealed in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra, where Shakyamuni talks about himself. All the years you recited the Juryo chapter doing Gongyo , I bet you weren’t even curious about what you were saying - now you “preach” discarding recitation of Gongyo !

[snip]

> ~ Katie

You don't even listen to yourself!

“Shakyamuni OF THE LIFE SPAN CHAPTER” is not the Shakyamuni of any other time in his life. When anyone recites the Lotus Sutra they manifest their true humanity, whose eternal name is not “Shakyamuni of the Life Span chapter”, but instead "Myoho-Renge", which is why we chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and not Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu.

Before Shakyamuni there was a "Great Universal Wisdom Excellence of the Life Span Chapter", and concurrent with him there are his brothers "Akshobhya of the Life Span Chapter", "Sumeru Peak of the Life Span Chapter", etc. and later a "Heavenly King of the Life Span Chapter," previously known as Devadatta.

That is, unless you believe that when Shakyamuni talks about all of these other Buddhas, either he is lying, or that he would be referring to another teaching entirely from the Lotus Sutra and the Life Span Chapter when he talks about them "preaching the Law"?

The Parable of the Phantom City, LS-7, pp 156-157:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-35

.. "Now, monks, the buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence

.. passed ten small kalpas before the Law of the buddhas
.. finally appeared before him and he attained supreme

.. perfect enlightenment. Before this buddha left the

.. householder's life, he had sixteen sons, the first of whom
.. was named Wisdom Accumulated. These sons each had various
.. kinds of rare objects and toys of one kind or another, but
.. when they heard that their father had attained supreme
.. perfect enlightenment, they all threw aside their rare
.. objects and went to where the buddha was. Their mothers,

.. weeping, followed after them.
..
.. "Their grandfather, who was a wheel-turning sage king,

.. along with a hundred chief ministers, as well as a

.. hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million of his subjects,
.. all together surrounded the sons and followed them to the
.. place of enlightenment, all wishing to draw close to the
.. thus come one Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, to offer
.. alms, pay honor, venerate, and praise him. When they
.. arrived, they bowed before his feet, touching their heads
.. to the ground.

Shakyamuni and his fifteen older brothers all preached in different Buddha lands:

From the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 7, "Parable of the Phantom City", pp.172-173:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/7#para-282

.. “You monks, I will now tell you this. These disciples of
.. the buddha, these sixteen shramaneras, have now all
.. attained supreme perfect enlightenment. In the lands in the
.. ten directions they are at present preaching the Law, with
.. immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions
.. of bodhisattvas and voice-hearers for their retinues. Two
.. of these shramaneras have become buddhas in the eastern
.. region. One is named Akshobhya and lives in the Land of
.. Joy. The other is named Sumeru Peak. Two are buddhas in the
.. southeastern region, one named Lion Voice, the other named
.. Lion Appearance. Two are buddhas in the southern region,
.. one named Void-Dwelling, the other named Ever Extinguished.
.. Two are buddhas in the southwestern region, one named
.. Emperor Appearance, the other named Brahma Appearance. Two
.. are buddhas in the western region, one named Amitayus, the
.. other named Saving All from Worldly Suffering. Two are
.. buddhas in the northwestern region, one named Tamala Leaf
.. Sandalwood Fragrance Transcendental Power, the other named
.. Sumeru Appearance. Two are buddhas in the northern region,
.. one named Cloud Freedom, the other named Cloud Freedom
.. King. Of the buddhas of the northeastern region, one is
.. named Destroying All Worldly Fears. THE SIXTEENTH IS I,
.. SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA, WHO IN THIS SAHA LAND HAVE ATTAINED
.. SUPREME PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT.

And here is Devadatta in the future.

From the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 12, "Devadatta", pp.223-224:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/12#para-35

.. Then the Buddha said to the four kinds of believers:
.. “Devadatta, after immeasurable kalpas have passed, will
.. attain buddhahood. He will be called Heavenly King Thus
.. Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal
.. knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone,
.. understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of
.. people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha,
.. world-honored one. His world will be called Heavenly Way,
.. and at that time Heavenly King Buddha will abide in the
.. world for twenty medium kalpas, broadly preaching the
.. wonderful Law for the sake of living beings. Living beings
.. numerous as Ganges sands will attain the fruit of
.. arhatship. Immeasurable numbers of living beings will
.. conceive the desire to become cause-awakened ones, living
.. beings numerous as Ganges sands will conceive a desire for
.. the unsurpassed way, will gain the truth of birthlessness,
.. and will never regress. After Heavenly King Buddha enters
.. parinirvana, his Correct Law will endure in the world for
.. twenty medium kalpas. The relics from his whole body will
.. be housed in a tower built of the seven treasures, sixty
.. yojanas in height and forty yojanas in width and depth. All
.. the heavenly and human beings will take assorted flowers,
.. powdered incense, incense for burning, paste incense,
.. clothing, necklaces, streamers and banners, jeweled
.. canopies, music and songs of praise and offer them with
.. obeisance to the wonderful seven-jeweled tower.
.. Immeasurable numbers of living beings will attain the
.. fruits of arhatship, numberless living beings will become
.. enlightened as pratyekabuddhas, and unimaginable numbers of
.. living beings will conceive a desire for enlightenment and
.. will reach the level of no regression.”

So, Katie, is Shakyamuni lying or not? Or is Nichiren Daishonin correct when he says that they are all (and we are all) "Myoho-Renge", which is "the actual name of the entity" ?

You see, I believe that he preached those passages in the Lotus Sutra specifically to defy those such as yourself that would seek to deify him later, by putting himself in context with other great Buddhas preaching the Law elsewhere.

These passages were preached SPECIFICALLY TO REFUTE STATUE-WORSHIPING DISTORTERS OF BUDDHISM SUCH AS YOU, MARK ROGOW AND THE TRAITOROUS PRIESTS OF NICHIREN SHU.

-Chas.
___________________________________________________________

On Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 7:05:17 AM UTC-8, Katie Higgins wrote:
> CHAS four points answered for the LAST time.
> >
> > [1:] Nichiren Daishonin's own golden words in the Gosho refute your idolatry of Shakyamuni directly ("Myoho-Renge" is "the actual name of the entity", not Shakyamuni or Nichiren Daishonin.)
>
> - show quoted text -
> This is from a Disputed Gosho-- not in Nichrien's hand, does not bear nNichiren's seal;-- not consistent with authentic Major Writings. As Nichiren himself stated-- refuted texts are not permitted in formal religious debate.
> >
> > [2:] The Lotus Sutra refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (In the past, 15 elder brothers, father and grandfather, and in the future his disciples and even Devadatta: all are great Buddhas just like Shakyamuni.) These are his golden words you deny.
>
> HERE (again) Chas analyzes the Lotus sutra while disbelieving the portions Nichiren recommended for daily recitation-- (disregarding the eternal Buddha, Shakyamuni=slander) No FAITH=No WISDOM. Sorry, Chas-- you have not attained the wisdom of the Buddha :-( - YOUR analysis is bunk and your arrogance knows no bounds (Ikeda-bot NOT follower of Nichiren)
>
>
> > > [3:] The Gohonzon refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (the prominence of "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo Nichiren" over all other entities, Nichiren being the common mortal who is chanting and raising the banner of Myoho.)
>
> FYI Chas- Myoho-renge-kyo is the TITLE- the ESSENCE of the Lotus Sutra, which Nichiren does not separate from Shakyamnui, the Buddha who entrusted Nichiren with propagation of "Myoho-renge-kyo"
> BTW- NAMU- is written on the Gohonzon- means "to devote one's life" --to "The Lotus sutra"
>
> > [4:] Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo refutes this dehumanizing deification directly (we chant neither Nam-Shakyamuni-Butsu, nor Nam-Nichiren-Butsu.) This is what you chant every day, Katie Higgins, even though you deny the truth of it.
>
> Here we go again - for the hearing impaired hobo, Chas: "Dehumanizing deification"? Your term, Chas-- your fantasy, Chas-- I have no clue what you are saying, but it sure doesn't resonate with me.
> >
> > Katie is referencing the teachings of Nichiren-- anyone can do it!!
> >
>
> Hope you like this format for "answering" your dimwitted points, chas-- I will not be addressing your bunk from now on,
>
> ~Katie

Evading my four points IS NOT answering my four points.

On point 1.
No one of any repute, except disreputable you, disputes the "Entity of the Mystic Law" Gosho, that is not an answer, it's an evasion.

On point 2.
Those quotes do not require interpretation (see the posting above):
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/Q-0eZk5t90k/y7xXKQ7ZAgAJ

either the Buddha is describing his family history, or he is lying and then that part of the Lotus Sutra is a lie. Which of these are you claiming?

On point 3.
Another evasion. Shakyamuni's name is not any more prominent than Many Treasures or the Four Bodhisattvas surrounding those two on the top row. The Goshonzon is centered around the "actual name of the entity" , which is "Myoho-Renge", not another name.

On point 4.
Another evasion. It's the "actual name of the entity" that counts when you chant, not other names that did not exist before the Shakya clan existed, like yesterday, in the kalpa perspective.

Evading is not answering. Either the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, the Gohonzon, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and Nichiren Daishonin are all lying, or you, Katie Higgins, ARE TOTALLY WRONG!

-Chas.

[mudpieo...@gmail.com]

.