Upholding the Buddhist Teachings

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO UPHOLD AND PROTECT THE       BUDDHIST TEACHINGS?

    Is this even important? 

    Well, the teachings are the foundation of everything in Buddhism, and without them there is nothing. No Nichiren Buddhism, No SGI, No Sensei. Nothing. 

    I seriously do not know that people understand this. Do they?

    If one distorts or alters the teaching in some way, is that the same as destroying the teaching? In many of Nichiren's writings he denounces any distortion of the Buddhist teaching. In fact the most famous writing that is completely dedicated to that, Nichiren's legitimate successor Nikko calls his most important work. That is entitled Rissho Ankoku Ron, or "Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land". That most important writing is exactly about that. Does that give an indication of how important it is to uphold and protect the teaching?

    Why are we not taught this?

    In Nichiren Buddhism there is nothing worse than distorting the teaching in some way, spreading that distortion, and refusing to correct that course. In fact in a Gosho entitled "A Comparison of the Lotus and Other Sutras", he says this: " Because Buddhism has gradually been turned upside down, the secular world also has been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When thebody bends, so does the shadow".

    By that passage alone it is clear that a distortion of Buddhism affects society.

    To what extent does Buddhism affect society? In 1945 Japan was perhaps the most destroyed country, cities incinerated, two atomic bombs dropped...but in fifteen years it exploded into one of the worlds leading economies. How is that possible? It would be the sudden "explosion" of the correct teaching in the country. Emphasis is on correct.

    What happened in the United States? Well.... the opposite. The United States' society has steadily declined since the early sixties. Catherine Austin Fitts, former Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has talked and written extensively about the decline of American society since the early sixties.

    So what happened in light of the Buddhist teaching that would cause this? In 1960, a Japanese National by the name of Masayusu Sadanaga took on the name George M. Williams and decided to take charge of the movement in the United States. He was sincere and hung ho enough, but  the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood had their hooks deeply embedded in him. So that he was spreading the teaching on behalf of Nichiren Shoshu, and not President Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai. This included the distorted doctrines they were espousing. As I said earlier, spreading a distortion of the teaching is the worst thing you can do in Buddhism. it will lead to calamity, disaster and great suffering.

    When we broke from the priests, we rid ourselves of most, but not all the erroneous doctrines. We never rid ourselves of the mentality however... What mentality, you might ask? It is the notion that whatever the top leaders say we are to follow, even if what they say disagrees with the Daishonin or Sensei in any way. That is what the Nichiren Shoshu Priests teach their members. They taught Mr. Williams that, and he taught us. 

    And we never forgot that.

    The essence of what has become known as the Priesthood Issue, lies in a distortion of the teaching. This is where, in the case of Nichiren Shoshu, the priests are regarded as the ultimate authority in reality, although they pay lip service to the Gosho, or the teachings. So that if an eminent Priest makes a statement which in some way contradicts the teachings, the members are taught to believe the priest.

    Nichiren Daishonin, however, strictly states: "But in matters of Buddhist doctrines one cannot jump to conclusions simply on the basis of the eminence of the person involved. The words of the sutras are what must come first".  

    I added the emphasis. 

    Temple Members are taught to believe the eminent priests, regardless of whether they uphold there teachings or not. The question is, are we really different from them? If a top leader says something that does not accord with the Gosho or Sensei's guidance, do we just believe the leader? 

    Here is a brief story. I was at a planning meeting where there was a dispute about a course of action. I said that we must remember that the Daishonin said: "The most important thing in practicing the Buddhist teachings is to follow and uphold the Buddha’s golden words, not the opinions of others".

    The Senior Leader in charge was very sincere (I mean very sincere). Without skipping a beat, however, after I quoted the Daishonin, he said "No, the most important thing in our practice is to follow the direction of the Organization."

    A direct contradiction of the Gosho, which said to follow the Buddha's teaching, not the opinion of others! To this leader, following the direction of a few leaders at the top of our organization was more important than following the teachings.

    He was taught that. By who? Incidentally his statement was an indication of a very authoritarian organization. Is that who we are? And do we just go along?

    There will be times I will clarify some passages, and I pledge here not to distort them. This is why I say this:

     Some years ago President Ikeda made a speech where he stated: "The correct course of action for us, lies in courageously engaging and refuting the Nikken sect." And I pointed this out to a senior leader in the SGI-USA, he responded by saying that we are doing that simply by doing our activities. But that is not what Sense's words say! He very clearly says engage and refute. Now he did not say to go to the Temple and cause a ruckus, he meant dialogue. That leader was distorting Sensei's message.

    HOW CAN ONE TELL AN ENEMY OF BUDDHISM? ESPECIALLY SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SO EASILY MISLED?

    I have given hints above. I have heard stories of "uprisings" in Japan and other places of "disruptors" and potential "enemies within". I have also noticed that it is the top leaders in the USA that tend to warn people of those who have become "Devilish functions". What I have also noticed is that almost everyone goes along, assuming that the top leaders are right and righteous; that by their position and their position alone, we must listen to them, as they are the authority. Just like the Priests do with Temple members.

    And just like Temple members we never ever think that they might be the ones who are off. So how can you tell?

    It is very simple: every enemy of Buddhism will in some way distort the teaching. I do not mean that make they mistakes, we all make mistakes and when they are pointed out we correct ourselves, I mean those who set a course of distortion with no intention of correcting it. Let me give you an example.

    Some years ago a leader was removed from the organization for "Creating disunity" and slandering the leaders and members. This leader's followers were claiming he was just "Speaking out against injustice". Now years before he was removed I noticed that every now and then he would say something that did not agree with the teachings. What was even more concerning was that I saw people just going along.

    One of the things he said was that no one will ever attain the same life condition as President Ikeda. Actually that is a fundamental violation of the teaching. Nichiren Daishonin states:  "Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death."

    The whole purpose of the Lotus Sutra and the Ceremony in the Air, is that we have the same life as the Buddha. The "Buddha Nature" is not unequally distributed. BY that leaders making that claim, he sets his followers apart from Sensei and then that leaders, by doing that, becomes the de facto intermediary. Clever. But his followers, lacking sufficient study, just went along.

    When that other leader said we are "Engaging and Refuting" the Nikken Sect simply by doing our activities, he was also distorting the teaching. He was taking a clear instruction from President Ikeda and interpreting that to mean something different than what the words say. And by refusing to correct course, what does that make him?

    Before that other leader was removed from the organization, he was still my leader and in that respect I still supported him. This is a very important lesson. However I was never swayed by any guidance that violated the teachings.