Spirit of Nichiren Buddhism

The Justice Chronicle, provided by Soka Gakkai International-USA, is a free monthly e-mail in support of the Soka Spirit movement. Soka Spirit is the SGI's educational effort to create value and deepen our understanding of Nichiren Buddhism through increased awareness of issues surrounding the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and the spiritual foundation of the SGI movement.

1) FILL THE WORLD WITH THE LIGHT OF WISDOM AND CULTURE

This series contains SGI President Ikeda's 1991 message to commemorate March 16, Kosen-rufu Day, which originally appeared in the May 1991 issue of the Seikyo Times. It was written shortly after the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood began taking action against the Soka Gakkai at the end of 1990.

CORRECTLY PUTTING INTO PRACTICE THE SPIRIT OF NICHIREN BUDDHISM

Those who enlighten the people are troublemakers! This is the logic of domineering rulers. The more meekly their citizens follow them like a herd of sheep, the more it suits them. A wise populace is a dangerous one [for domineering rulers].

Therefore, such rulers tend to hate culture and education, which fill the people's souls with the flame of humanity and illuminate their minds with the light of intellect.

For most rulers, peace simply means nothing other than the obedience of the people, and their own personal security.

The Opium War, which took place between China and Great Britain in the middle of the nineteenth century, offers a good example of this kind of leadership. As a result of Britain's victory in the conflict, Hong Kong ceded to the British crown.

The British made phenomenal profits through opium trafficking. Once they had weakened China with opium, the British, on the pretext of opening China to the outside world and punishing arrogance, attacked Hong Kong and seized it as their own territory.

This conflict has been characterized as one of the most unjust wars in history. Besides the obvious unjustness of the imperialistic actions of the British, China had left itself wide open to smuggling, an early decree by the Ch'ing authorities banning opium notwithstanding. The smoking of opium became widespread, affecting even members of the royal family in Beijing. By the time the Chinese realized the gravity of the situation, it was already too late.


According to one historian, the cause for his deplorable misgovernment lay in China's policy at the time of withholding knowledge from the general populace.

The Ch'ing dynasty was, if anything, more frightened of their people growing wise than it was of the threat posed by foreigners. As long as they could collect their taxes, they believed it was more rewarding and less troublesome to let the people smoke opium as they pleased, idling their time away in a semi-conscious state.

As a result of their looking down upon and ridiculing the people, the rulers brought about the ruin of the country itself. This is one of the harsh lessons of history.

Marx said that Religion...is the opium of the people. Lenin called religion an evil liquor that intoxicates people's souls and robs them of reason.

These statements obviously were made in ignorance of Nichiren Buddhism -- a religion that regards human beings as wise, courageous and victorious.

Furthermore, Nichiren Daishonin writes, Even if my counsel is heeded, if I am not given due respect as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, then the country will perish (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 773).

The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is a great beneficial medicine for all humankind, but failure to administer it correctly could result in its functioning as a powerful poison.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the first president of the Soka Gakkai, said, The closer counterfeit money resembles the real thing, the more serious the crime.

In the above passage, the Daishonin is saying that if his Buddhism were to be misused, the country would perish, and the Great Law would be lost. Humankind would be forced to live in fear, in perpetual darkness and cold.

For that reason we must persist in correctly putting into practice the spirit of Nichiren Buddhism, the medicine of universal benefit, in exact accordance with the Daishonin's teachings. We must not allow this spirit to become distorted. [Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda declared:] In faith, go back to the time of Nichiren Daishonin! This is where the fundamental spirit of our master lies. Therein also rests the eternal Soka Gakkai spirit.

Seven in a series.


2) FROM MY DEAR FRIENDS IN AMERICA

This series contains excerpts of speeches SGI President Ikeda made in the United Statesÿ which relate to Soka Spirit and are contained in the book My Dear Friends in America.

This excerpted speech was given on Sept. 30, 1991, before Nichiren Shoshu's excommunication of the SGI, in Santa Monica, Calif.

NICHIREN DAISHONIN'S WRITINGS ARE OUR STANDARD

If things are left unexplained, many people may fail to understand even that which is crystal clear. So today I would like to say a few words regarding the traitorous acts committed by Mimbu Niko and Hakiri Sanenaga against their master, Nichiren Daishonin, after his death.

Some priests are now going around branding the Soka Gakkai as having committed the slander of Hakiri.

What is the standard for the Daishonin's disciples? It is nothing other than his writings. If we always bear in mind and base ourselves on this extremely clear and explicit principle, everything will become crystal clear.

The Daishonin strictly admonishes us, To forget the original teacher who had brought one the water of wisdom from the great ocean of the Lotus Sutra and instead follow another would surely cause one to sink into the endless sufferings of birth and death (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 747). To follow the Daishonin, who is the original teacher, is the very meaning of our faith.

Nikko Shonin, the second high priest, revered Nichiren Daishonin as the original Buddha and solemnly lived up to his teaching. The other senior priests, by contrast, forgot the teaching of the original teacher and transferred their allegiance to another. They haphazardly concocted false doctrines to accommodate persons of power and authority, whom they feared, and succumbed to the allures of the secular world.

In Reply to Lord Hara, Nikko Shonin describes in detail the actions of Mimbu Niko [one of the five senior priests], who went against the Daishonin's teaching. Although Nikko Shonin repeatedly pointed out with strict compassion this priest's serious mistakes, his warnings were not heeded. This led to Nikko Shonin's departure from Mount Minobu.

At the conclusion of the lengthy Reply to Lord Hara, Nikko Shonin states: Needless to say, you should clearly understand that the Daishonin's teaching tells us that if we do not disavow those [evil] teachers who go against Nichiren Daishonin, we will be committing an offense ourselves. You should consider, in particular, how the Daishonin must feel at this turn of events (Hennentai Gosho, p. 1734).

Nikko Shonin makes it clear that if someone follows priests who have turned against the Daishonin and who have become enemies of the correct teacher who strictly upholds the Daishonin's teaching, then that person is guilty of the same offense as those evil priests.

It goes without saying that correct teachers are those who conduct themselves in accord with the Daishonin's teaching, and evil teachers are those who act contrary to it. To say that we should follow someone who goes against this principle just because he is a priest, or a priest of high rank, contravenes Nikko Shonin's precept.

Citing T'ien-t'ai's Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin writes, All assertions that lack scriptural proof are to be branded as false (WND, 56). If some think that anything they say or do out of personal interests and emotionalism should be accepted and followed because of their authority, even in the absence of any documentary proof, such people are evil teachers of the same ilk as Mimbu Niko.

Where, for example, is it written that destroying the unity of believers is permissible?

Destroying the unity of believers is one of the five cardinal sins. Nittatsu, the 66th high priest, once emphatically directed priests not to encourage members to leave the Soka Gakkai and join temple groups, and Nikken himself once clearly remarked, Promoting a danto [temple] movement is the wrong way to spread the teaching.

The Daishonin teaches that those who follow teachers who go against the sutras will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. He adds: T'ien-t'ai said that to accept and put faith in the doctrines of evil teachers is the same as drinking poison. You should deeply consider this and beware! (WND, 61).

According to the same writing, the evil teachers to whom he is referring are priests who despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against (WND, 61) those who correctly embrace the Lotus Sutra.

Such persons, in other words, while saying that they revere the Law, in fact despise and hate those who are actually spreading and propagating faith in it. The Daishonin says that to follow and place faith in such evil priests is the same as drinking poison.

Just as all the different kinds of plants and trees come forth from the earth, so all the various teachings of the Buddha are spread by persons (WND, 61). It is because there are people who spread the teaching that the power of the Law becomes manifest.

Ten in a series.


SOKA SPIRIT IN THE PUBLICATIONS

This section highlights articles published in the World Tribune and Living Buddhism related to the Soka Spirit movement.

April 26 World Tribuneÿ Seize the Day: SGI President Ikeda's 1999 essay Stormy April 24 is reprinted. It describes the day in 1979 when he stepped down as the third president of the Soka Gakkai, due to the actions of Nichiren Shoshu and traitorous Soka Gakkai members who joined forces with them.