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The Ongi Kuden is a Forgery
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Mark Rogow
3/12/14
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The Ongi Kuden is a forgery.
In the Ongi Kuden we read:
“This Myoho-renge-kyo (Lotus Sutra) is not Shakyamuni’s Mystic Law, because at the
time this chapter was preached, he had already entrusted it to Bodhisattva Jogyo.”
(Gosho, p. 1783)
In the Kanjin Honzon Sho (The True Object of Worship), the most important writing of
Nichiren Daishonin, we read,
“Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the five
charecters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo to the original disciples since the eternal past,
who had sprung up from under ground.” Kanjin Honzon Sho, pp 122 to 140, NOPPA
1991.
and in the Lotus Sutra we read:
“At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great
assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: “The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you
have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting
this sutra (Myoho renge kyo) to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for a
measurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas
to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all
the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret
essentials of the Thus Come One – all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly
expounded in this sutra.”(Myoho renge kyo). (Lotus Sutra Chapter 21)
You can read more about it in: “Some Disputed Writings in the Nichiren Corpus” by
Jacqueline Stone. I will summarize some of the salient points:
1).The Ongi Kuden is not in Nikko’s hand nor is it ever mentioned (“again”) by him.
There is no authentic seal of Nichiren (colophon) except for a later legendary accretion
referencing a serpent who was to have appeared to Nichiren and Nikko as he was
lecturing on the Devedatta Chapter.
2). It is supposed to be based on the Chu Hokkekyo, the authentic Annotated Lotus
Sutra of Nichiren, the original copy exists on Mt. Minobu. The problem is it doesn’t
conform well to it. Only 23 passages of the 133 passages from the Chu Hokekyo appear
in the Ongi Kuden.
3). No mention of the Ongi Kuden or the Ongi Kikagaki occurs before Nitcho’s Keiun
Sho in 1503. These were competing texts used by opposing sides in the Nichiren ichi-
shoretsu debates (the harmony of the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra versus the
superiority of the essential teachings debate), held at this time. “Dueling Oral
Teachings”
4). The Ongi Kuden mirrors the writings of the Tendai sect. They employ the Tendai
sect formulations of Kanjin style interpretations of “progression” and “resemblance and
reversal” to represent concepts found commonly in Chuko Tendai (original
enlightenment) doctrine. These conflict with the authenticated writings of Nichiren,
most notably, the Kanjin Honzon Sho, as seen above.
5). The text contains comments regarding events that did not exist at the time of the
supposed lectures:
A). For example the Ongi Kuden refers to the “six senior disciples” but Nichiren did not
designate these six senior disciples until a few days before his death, some years later
B). According to scholars and priests of the orthodox sects, it refers to Nichiren as the
“eminent founder,” a term which did not come into usage until well after Nichiren and
Nikko died.
C). The text of the Ongi Kuden also refers to a document which was written some 13
years after Nichiren’s death, the “K’o-chu” which is a Yuan-dynasty commentary on the
Lotus Sutra by Hsu Hsing-shan dated Yuan-chen 1 (1295).
D). Finally the date it was supposedly approved by Nichiren (who then affixed his seal),
is the first month of the first year of Koan but the era changed its name from Kenji to
Koan on the 29th day of the second month. There was no first month of Koan.
E). Additionally during the time the lectures supposedly took place and Nikko was
supposedly transcribing them, he was not at Minobu where the lectures were held. He
was in the Fuji area on a shakabuku campaign.
6). John Petry wrote: “The Nichiren Shoshu has pointed to a reference in another
writing in a text by a Fuji school priest in the 1600′s referencing the existence of a
transcript of lectures given by Nichiren in his life time but there is nothing in that
reference to indicate what document he is referring to or even whether it was simply a
copy of the Ongi Kuden or the Onko Kikigaki which were known to exist at right
around 1500.”
7). Nichiren disparaged oral teachings. Since the core Taisekaji doctrines can not be
found in the authentic Gosho, the Oral Teachings as well as many forged Gosho were
invented by them. [above 7 points paraphrased by John Petry]
Here are the words of Nichiren, from Repaying Debts of Gratitude, on the Secret
Dharma of the Object of Worship:
“The first is the object of worship (honzon). All the people in Japan as well as the rest
of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Shayamuni (Original and eternal
Buddha) revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the object of
worship (honzon)…”
Then again in the True Object of Worship, we read:
“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past,
nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and
future.”
In the “Senji Sho”, Nichiren says, regarding his ability to have made his predicition
about the Mongol invasion:
“It was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important predicitions. I believe it was
solely the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha, entering my body, who made them.”
“The number of such quotations number in the hundreds and they are all in Nichiren
hand. Nowhere does Nichiren ever make the claim that he is the Original and Eternal
Buddha. For this reason, the Taisekiji Gosho Zenshu has added exerpts from the 16th
century “Ongi Kuden” to make this claim. They also lump the questionable Gosho with
the authentic Gosho, unlike the Showa Tehon, in order to confuse the believers.
However, the Ongi Kuden and many forged Nichiren Shoshu Gosho, like the Dai-
gohonzon, only appears hundreds of years after the death of Nichiren and the other six
disciples, including Nikko. Taisekiji has invented a new religion, created in the later
Muromachi period (15th to 17th centuries) but has taken Nichiren’s name for the sake
of credibility. Little of its “theology” can be found in the original writings of Nichiren
or his immediate disciples. The Dai-Gohonzon is a later invention, the Nichiren-is-True-
Buddha is a later invention (Nichigen’s theory). Many words and phrases the SGI and
Nichiren Shoshu utilize (the so-called “buzz words” such as, “The Mystic Law of the
Universe”, “getting in harmony with the universe”,”hosshaku kempon”, ‘Esho Funi”)
mostly derive from “chuko tendai” original enlightenment jargon from the Muramachi
period in Japan. Let’s go back to Nichiren himself. There is no honest alternative
The only part of the Ongi Kuden of any worth are the first few sentences of the
Introduction and Preface:
“Namu derives from Sanskrit, and here [in Japan] it is rendered as kimyo , meaning ‘to
devote one’s life.’ This means to devote one’s life to the Person and the Law. Devotion
to the Law means to devote one’s life to the Lotus Sutra. Devotion to the Person means
to devote one’s life to Shakyamuni.”
The SGI’s doctrines and religious worldview derive principally from the Ongi Kuden,
the Shoho Jisso Sho [The True Aspect of all Phenomena], the writings of Nichikan
Shonin, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda. Here I will discuss the Ongi Kuden and
demonstrate that the Soka Gakkai confuses the general with the specific. I will also
demonstrate that the Ongi Kuden should be read in light of the Lotus Sutra [not the
Lotus Sutra in light of the Ongi Kuden], in light of the Five Major Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, and in light of the entire body of writings of Nichiren Daishonin. In the first
part of this commentary, I proved that the Ongi Kuden is a forgery. In light of this one
must be very careful coming to any conclusions whatsoever regarding the Ongi Kuden.
The teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Five Major Works, and the entire body of
Nichiren’s writings contradict the Ongi Kuden. Who are we to believe? The SGI who
says the profound principles of Buddhism are to be found in the Ongi Kuden or the
Kempon Hokke who says the Ongi Kuden is a cunning expedient invented by the
Nichiren Shoshu to promote their heretical brand of Buddhism? You would be wise to
adopt the criteria of the Kempon Hokke and the Kempon Hokke Gohonzon that
contains the power of the Buddha.
Does that which accords with our mind (the Ongi Kuden) deserve our praise while that
which accords with mind of the Buddha (the Lotus Sutra, the Opening of the Eyes, and
the True Object of Worship) deserve to be rejected? Let us look at the most important
Chapter of the Ongi Kuden (Chapter 16).
Ongi Kuden: Chapter 16: The Life Span of the Buddha [Nyorai Juryo]
“The Juryo chapter reveals the original life of all beings in the ten worlds. This chapter
is called the essential teaching or hommon because it is the gateway to eternity. (Gosho
Zenshu p. 799)
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo Nyorai Juryo-hon; for Nichiren, it is the title of this chapter
that is the important teaching. The title of this chapter represents an essential principle
applicable to Nichiren. This was transferred [to Bodhisattva Fukyo] in the Jinriki
Chapter. Nyorai, in the broadest sense, means Shakyamuni and all the Buddhas in the
universe and throughout the three existences of life, but in its strictest sense, it means
only the True Buddha who possesses the three attributes of life. Now I, Nichiren and my
disciples mean to say that Nyorai, in its broadest sense, indicates all humanity but, in a
stricter sense, it stands for my disciples and believers.” (Gosho Zenshu p. 752)
Commentary: Is the True Buddha Nichiren and his disciples or the Buddha who taught
Nichiren and his disciples in the remote past and bestowed upon us the Five Characters
at the Ceremony in the Air? The concept of the general and the specific will be brought
up again and again to show that the author of the Ongi Kuden misunderstood the Lotus
Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin.
This above passage of the Ongi Kuden is what the Fuji sects teach but Nichiren teaches
in the Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood:
“The Lotus Sutra states that Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the others will appear in
the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law to propagate the five
characters, the embodiment of the two elements of reality and wisdom. The sutra makes
this perfectly clear. Who could possibly dispute it? I, Nichiren, am neither Bodhisattva
Superior Practices nor his envoy, but I precede them, spreading the five characters to
prepare the way. Bodhisattva Superior Practices received the water of the wisdom of the
Mystic Law from the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and causes it to flow into the
wasteland of the people’s lives in the evil world of the latter age. This is the function of
wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior
Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan. With regard to the transfer of
teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the
general with the specific even in the slightest, you will never be able to attain
Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and
deaths.”
He spends the rest of this writing explaining this passage and concludes:
“The sutra states, ‘Those persons who had heard the Law dweled here and there in
various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,’ and ‘If one
stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By
following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as
Ganges sands.’ A commentary says, ‘Originally one followed this Buddha and for the
first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again,
one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.’ Another commentary says, ‘In
the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him,
and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.
‘Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain
Buddhahood.’ Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover,
he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this
teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates
on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha
like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not
even I can save you in your next life.”
Nichiren is crystal clear and this passage from the Essential Teaching reflects the Lotus
Sutra and the teachings in the Five Major Works. What are we to believe, this forgery or
the Lotus Sutra, the Opening of the Eyes, the True Object of Worship, and The
Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood?
These teachings from the Essentials Teaching for Attaining Buddhahood contradict the
opening passages of the Ongi Kuden [Chapter 16].
Ongi Kuden: The sutra states, “We will believe and accept the Buddha’s words.” (LS p.
224, 3LS p. 249)
The Buddha endowed with the three enlightened properties, eternally, is the votary of
the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. His honorific name is Nam Myoho Renge
Kyo. This forms the basis for the Three Great Secret Laws in the Juryo Chapter. The
three enlightened properties are attained through a single character. This is ‘believe.’
Therefore, the sutra states ‘We will believe and accept the Buddha’s words.’ You
should fix your mind upon the two characters ‘believe’ and ‘accept.’ The Buddha
endowed with the three properties, eternally, is the votary of the Lotus Sutra in Mappo.
His honorific name is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. This forms the basis for the Three Great
Secret Laws in the Juryo Chapter. (Gosho Zenshu p. 752)
Commentary: The Three Enlightened Properties are the Three Buddha Bodies. In
Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra (not SGI’s Buddhism based
on the teachings of Taisekaji), the Jewel of the Buddha and the Secret Law of the Object
of Worship is Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The Jewel
and Secret Law of the Law is Namu Myoho renge kyo, and the Jewel of the Sangha are
the disciples and believers of Nichiren Daishonin. The Secret Law of the Kaiden is
wherever the Law is preached and wherever resides the Eternal Buddha. The Ongi
Kuden is teaching (above) that Nichiren and his disciples correspond to the entierty of
the Three Jewels. This is equivalent to the Tibetian Vajrayana teachings that the Lama
encompasses the Three Jewels. The Ongi Kuden is confused. Taisekaji is confused. Is
there any wonder that Daisaku Ikeda and the High Priests of Taisekaji would have made
their advent in the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu, the “Lamas” of Nichiren Lotus Sutra
Buddhism.
Nichiren states:
“Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the
golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies.
Therefore, even Universal Worthy and Manjushri were hardly able to expound so much
as a single phrase or verse of it. How much more difficult then must it be for us, who
are no more than ordinary people living in this latter age, to embrace even one or two
words of this sutra!” (The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra)
and
“…The “Life Span” chapter reads, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds,
thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained
Buddhahood.” The Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives is the eternal Buddha since
time without beginning, who obtained the three bodies more than numberless major
world system dust particle kalpas ago…”
Note, the above passage doesn’t say we the votaries or common mortals, “within the life
of Shakyamuni Buddha”. It says, “Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives.” Once again
we see this writing and the teachings of the SGI confusing the general with the specific.
Specifically, Shakyamuni is the Original Buddha from time withut beginning.
Generally, his Original Disciples the Bodhisattvas of the Earth function as the Buddha
in this Latter age as envoys of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni.
Ongi Kuden: “You must listen carefully and hear of the Thus Come One’s secret and
his transcendental powers.” (LS p. 225, 3LS p. 249)
The countless entities in the three thousand worlds, which are undergoing the process of
birth, life, change, and extinction, are embodiments of [these] transcendental powers. As
for ‘transcendental powers,’ the actions that are carried out instant by instant, motion by
motion by us, the living beings, are called ‘transcendental powers.’ Apart from attaining
Buddhahood, there are no ‘secret’ or ‘transcendental powers.’ In the final analysis, the
five characters of Myoho Renge Kyo are synonymous with the phrase ‘the Thus Come
One’s secret and transcendental powers.’ (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
The sutra states, “But good men, it has been immeasurable boundless hundreds,
thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained
Buddhahood.” (LS p. 225, 3LS p. 250)
‘I’ [in the above passage] refers to Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment in the
remote past. However, according to the actual meaning of this [Juryo] chapter, ‘I’
represents all living beings in the universe. The Ten Worlds are each indicated by ‘I.’
‘In fact’ means establishing that these are the Buddhas inherently endowed with the
three eternal properties, this is the meaning of ‘fact.’ ‘Attained’ means to open. All
phenomena of the universe are ‘opened’ to reveal them as the Buddha inherently
endowed with the three eternal properties. Being awakened to this is called
‘Buddhahood.’ As for ‘since’ [irai] ‘I’ indicates the past, and ‘rai,’ the future. This
passage is saying that the Buddhahood ‘I in fact attained’ is immeasurable and
boundless in both the past and future. This [passage further] indicates the hundred
realms, thousand factors and the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment. As
for the two words ‘hundreds’ and ‘thousands,’ ‘hundreds’ means indicates the hundred
realms and thousands is the thousand realms. These are practically the single thought-
moment being three thousand realms in actuality. (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
Commentry: Once again we see the east is west, up is down, black is white, teachings of
the Ongi Kuden adopted or created by Taisekaji. “I” specifically refers to Shakyamuni
Buddha and generally to us, not the other way around. The Taisekaji teachings are those
of arrogant licentiousness that is so appealing to the people of the Latter Day, those
people thrown out by all the other Buddhas. The import of the Sixteenth Chapter is two
fold: gratitude to our father, the Original Buddha Shakyamuni who transferred the
entierty of his merits and virtues (Namu Myoho renge kyo) to us, the people thrown out
by all the other Buddhas; encouragement that we, as filial sons, inherit the entierty of
his teachings and thus are three bodied Tathagatas in our own right. The unfilial sons of
Taisekaji who would depose their father’s rightful place can not be counted among the
multitude of Buddhas.
Ongi Kuden:
"Now Nichiren and his disciples who chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo are the main
subjects of the Juryo chapter. In general, bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha, in his
provisional aspect, cannot uphold this chapter. For them, the theoretical teaching is
primary and the essential teaching secondary, while for us the essential teaching is
primary and the theoretical teaching is secondary.”
Commentary: The main subject of the Juryo Chapter is The Father of the World, the one
who saves his children from the sufferings and travails, the Good Physician who cures
his children with the medicine of Namu Myoho renge kyo, Shakyamuni Buddha. The
children are not the main subject. It is not we who save our father. It is only by
accepting and acknowledging the medicine (Law) and our father (Buddha) that we
become equal to him. It is not by accepting the medicine and then turning around and
declaring that it was our medicine all along and we, in fact, pounded and sifted and gave
the medicine to our father. Why would anyone teach that it is we who endowed
Shakyamuni Buddha with the Three Properties of the Buddha’s life? To what purpose
does it serve if not to trivialize the accomplishments of our father. Nichiren says unfilial
sons do not inherit the lands and riches of the father. This is the reason the Nichiren
Shoshu and SGI members remain unenlightened worldlings. They are those without
gratitude for their father, or those with misplaced gratitude to Daisaku Ikeda and the
High Priests of Taisekaji, or those who follow the person and not the Law.
The Ongi Kuden continues:
“Even so, this chapter is not the essential teaching for the Latter Day of the Law. The
reason is that this chapter confers the benefit of [reaping the harvest of] emancipation
for those who lived in Shakyamuni’s lifetime, while only the five characters sow the
seed [of Buddhahood] for those who would come in the future, that is, at the present
time. This being the case, the Buddha’s lifetime was the age for the benefits of [the
harvest of] emancipation, while the last age is the time for sowing the seed. In the Latter
Day of the Law, sowing the seed is the basis. Nichiren and his disciples, who chant the
Daimoku, are the parents of mankind because they save them from the hell of incessant
suffering.” (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
Commentary: This is nothing more than a restatement of the teachings in the True
Object of Worship. As long as we keep in mind the true meaning of sowing and
harvesting as explained by Nichiren in the True Object of Worship, we will not get lost
in the thickets of the Taisekaji doctrines. The True Object of Worship reads:
“It is stated in the tenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, ‘The Teacher of the Dharma’: ‘This
sutra has aroused much hatred and jealousy even in the lifetime of the Buddha. How
much more can this be expected after His death!’ And in the eleventh chapter,
‘Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures’: ‘Taho Buddha and the Buddhas in
manifestation (funjin Buddhas) from all the worlds in the universe gathered together to
make this dharma live forever….Buddhas in manifestation should remember My (the
Buddha’s) intention to keep on spreading the dharma forever.’You may find similar
statements in the thirteen chapter, ‘Encouragement for Upholding this Sutra’, and
fourteenth chapter, ‘Peaceful Practices’. They show that the theoretical section of the
Lotus Sutra is directed to those in the beginning of the Latter Age.
The essential section of the Lotus Sutra is preached solely for those living in the
beginning of the Latter Age. At first glance it appears that the seed of Buddhahood was
planted in them by the Eternal Buddha in the eternal past or 500 dust particle kalpa ago.
The seed germinated and grew within them with the help of all the sutras from the Lotus
Sutra preached by the sixteenth prince of Daitsuchisho Buddha in 3,000 dust particle
kalpa in the past to all those preached by Sakyamuni in his life before the Lotus Sutra
and the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra. Finally the essential section of the Lotus
Sutra enabled them to attain Buddhahood.
On closer examination, however, the essential section differs from the theoretical
section. That is to say the essential section, all through the prologue, the main discourse,
and the epilogue, was preached for those people in the beginning of the Latter Age of
the Decadent Dharma. The teaching of the essential section during the lifetime of
Sakyamuni Buddha and that which would spread in the beginning of the Latter Age are
likewise absolutely perfect. However the former is for attaining enlightenment, whereas
the latter is for sowing the seed of Buddhahood. While the former is crystallized in the
sixteenth chapter, ‘Duration of the Life of the Buddha’, with half a chapter each
preceding and following it, the latter is solely embodied in the five characters of Myo,
Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra.” Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu
(NOPPA 1991) pp 120 – 122;
What was referred to by Nichiren as “the teaching for attaining enlightenment” [MW -
Buddhism of the Harvest] is the teaching by the historical Buddha during his lifetime,
i.e., his spoken words to his disciples. In the Age of Mappo we can only rely on the
Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) but the manner of its faith, practice, and propagation in
the Age of Mappo differs from that of the historical Buddha during his lifetime. We rely
on the Daimoku transmitted by the Buddha to the Bodhisattvas from Underground who
are commissioned to propagate the Lotus Sutra in this Age of Mappo. In Chapter 15 of
the Lotus Sutra, the various provisional Bodhisattvas from this and other worlds ask to
expound the Lotus Sutra. However, the Buddha demurs saying, “I do not want you to
uphold this sutra….” Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 124; MW p
172.
Nichiren, referencing Tien-tai, discusses this rejection: “After all, Sakyamuni Buddha
could not reveal his innermost enlightenment, or the great dharma hidden in the lines of
the Duration of the Life of the Buddha Chapter [Chapter 16] to those great bodhisattvas
from other worlds who had been guided by the teaching of the theoretical section.”
Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 126; MW 173.
Nichiren continues, explaining that in this Age of Mappo, the essence of the Lotus
Sutra, Myo Ho Renge Kyo, is taught to the people by the Bodhisattvas from
Underground, the original disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha:
“Lands at the beginning of the Latter Age slander the true dharma and those who live
there have poor capacity for comprehension and faith in Buddhism. Therefore, instead
of relying on Buddhas from other worlds, the Buddha called out great bodhisattvas from
underground to entrust them with the task of transmitting the five characters of Myo,
Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo, the essence of the ‘Duration of the Life of the Buddha’ chapter,
to the people in this world. It meant also that those guided by the teaching of the
theoretical section were not the original disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha.” Kanjin
Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 126; MW 173.
“Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the five
characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo to the original disciples of the Buddha since
the eternal past, who had sprung up from underground.” Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren
Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 140; MW 176.
“Tien-tai comments on this in his ‘Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra’:
'Following ‘Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha said to the host of bodhisattvas’ is the third
section of the chapter on the Divine Powers, summarizing the essence of the Lotus Sutra
and transmitting it to the bodhisattvas from underground.” Kanjin Honzon Sho,
Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 142; MW I:76.
“The manifestation of the ten divine powers in the 21st chapter on the ‘Divine Powers’
is for the sake of transmitting the five characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge Kyo to the four
bodhisattvas of Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jyogyo and Anryugyo, representing the host of
bodhisattvas who had sprung from underground.” –Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu
(NOPPA 1991) p 142; MWI:76-77.
Nichiren goes on to explain that the time had only just arrived for the bodhisattvas from
underground to appear and propagate Myoho Renge Kyo, the excellent medicine for the
Latter Age:
“Now we are at the beginning of the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma, when
Hinayana teachings strike down Mahayana teachings, provisional teachings destroy true
teachings, east is taken for west and west for east, and heaven and earth are upside
down. Under these circumstances, the four ranks of bodhisattva-teachers who preach the
theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra remain in hiding. Gods desert the land which they
are supposed to protect. Then, for the first time, those bodhisattvas from underground
appear in this world to encourage ignorant people to take the five characters of Myo,
Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo, the excellent medicine of the Latter Age. Many ignorant people
would fall into hell by slandering the five characters, but they would be saved
eventually. (NOPPA) pp. 143
The real meaning of the Buddhism of the Harvest and the Buddhism of the Sowing, is
NOT that there are two different Buddhisms [as taught by Taisekeji and the Soka
Gakkai], the Buddhism of Shakyamuni and the Buddhism of Nichiren but that the time
of the Latter Day is for sowing the seed of Buddhahood not harvesting the seed.
Haz clic aquí para responder
Katie Higgins
9/10/16
- mostrar texto citado -
Once again-- The Ongi Kuden-- upon which Chas, Noel and Richard rely--to the
exclusion of the 10 Major Writings and *reason*-- is a forgery !!
~Katie
Chas.
10/10/16
Once again, literary analysis of writings based on other writings which can also be
questioned is questionable.
The best test of a document is to nail down what it claims to be and when it was claimed
to be created and by who.
Then you subject that to scientific testing, starting with AMS carbon dating which dates
organic material with extremely high precision. Then you test the ink, etc.
That will tell the tale, your points are all questionable from questionable sources that
can be forged. And the word of Jackie Stone is not the word of god, she is wrong, until
she is proven right scientifically: this is because statements of forgery that are not
backed up by hard physical proof as opposed to conjecture are scientifically invalid.
____________________________________
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
Mark Rogow
10/10/16
Your's is like the argument that we, 150 years after the abolition of slavery, are
somehow guilty of the act of having promulgated slavery even though many of us had
descendants who arrived after slavery was abolished. Also, none of us are or ever were
Nichiren Shu.
Mark
Mark Rogow
10/10/16
Also, the fact is, our arguments satisfy documentary, theoretical, AND actual analysis
for the Ongi Kuden being forged [it having cited an event that occurred after the
Daishonin's passing].
Mark
Chas.
11/10/16

On Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 11:22:08 PM UTC-7, Mark Rogow wrote:
[snip]
> > Your's is like the argument that we, 150 years after the abolition of slavery, are
somehow guilty of the act of having promulgated slavery even though many of us had
descendants who arrived after slavery was abolished. Also, none of us are or ever were
Nichiren Shu.
>>
> > Mark
You yourself said you left Kempon Hokke 3 years ago (even though you remain their
agent provocateur) and Kempon Hokke is Nichiren Shu, whether they admit it or not.
>
> Also, the fact is, our arguments satisfy documentary, theoretical, AND actual analysis
for the Ongi Kuden being forged [it having cited an event that occurred after the
Daishonin's passing].
>
> Mark
But not physical or chemical. I trust not your documents or methods without
provenance and physical and chemical testing to verify that provenance.
________________________________________________
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.
Katie Higgins
12/10/16
Mark tells Chas:>>" Also, the fact is, our arguments satisfy documentary, theoretical,
AND actual analysis for the Ongi Kuden being forged [it having cited an event that
occurred after the Daishonin's passing]. <<"
Chas shows how "FACT" only confuse him:
<<"But not physical or chemical. I trust not your documents or methods without
provenance and physical and chemical testing to verify that provenance. <<"
To avoid meeting the same fate as Chas; consider the relevance of FACTS as they
support the claim that the Ongi Kuden is a FAKE.
Chas is terrified of having the foundation for his self serving, material gain practice to
be destroyed!
Nothing could be more terrifying than the way Chas clings to that which slanders the
Lotus Sutra---. If the displays of his lunacy aren't enough to convince others , Nichiren
teaches the horrible frightful fate that awaits slanderers. Read Nichiren-- for yourself.
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo!
~Katie
JazzIs TvRicky
12/10/16
Nichiren teaches the horrible frightful fate that awaits slanderers, and Gohonzon
Burners like you 'Lady of the Dark Side'
Katie Higgins
12/10/16
On Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 2:23:19 PM UTC-4, JazzIs TvRicky wrote:

> Nichiren teaches the horrible frightful fate that awaits slanderers, and Gohonzon
Burners like you 'Lady of the Dark Side'
Well, of course you would think a scroll scribbled on by a madman was a GO-honzon !
You are probably speed chanting your truncated version of daimoku to it right before
you come up with these ridiculous attempts to *trump* your last name calling comment
---
There is, however, no reasonable explanation for your claim to knowing what "Nichiren
teaches"-- your abject ignorance of the teachings is well established....Maybe you
picked up the "frightful fate that awaits slandered" part, but since you obviously don't
know what constitutes slander, your zinger fizzled out.
~Katie
Chas.
13/10/16
Emmanuel Kant wrote of the "Categorical Imperative" in his "Critique of Practical

Reason" (I believe, perhaps the other one on "... Pure Reason", I always confuse this
point.) There are many aspects to the Categorical Imperative (treating a perfect Law as a
utility is categorically unethical), but one is this:
Ends do not justify means. Means and ends must be justified separately.
1. Otherwise, you could steal or murder to obtain an authentic Nichiren Daishonin

Gohonzon and get great benefits from it.
2. Since that is not so, and since slandering the Law is worse than violating the criminal
code (theft, murder), then receiving from or giving to the icchantika includes receiving
your authentic Nichiren Daishonin Gohonzon from a slandering priest of Nichiren Shu,
founded by the traitorous priests that turned Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism into Shinto
worship of Shakyamuni as a Hindu god.
3. Then receiving that 2nd or 3rd, or 500th hand from the internet is the same slander of
the Law, the handoffs do not wash away the stain.
___________________________________________________
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:
. 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
13/10/16

Iainx can answer this better than me-- but I will make a start-- on your lead in
statements>
<<"Emmanuel Kant wrote of the "Categorical Imperative" in his "Critique of Practical

Reason" (I believe, perhaps the other one on "... Pure Reason", I always confuse this
point.) There are many aspects to the Categorical Imperative (treating a perfect Law as a
utility is categorically unethical), but one is this:
Ends do not justify means. Means and ends must be justified separately. "<<
Ahh! you chose a basic tenet of medical ethics-- that a person, a patient is the "end"--
that must be focused on first and foremost-- and not become *the means* by which any
other purpose is served. This is best demonstrated by considering the ethical matters
regarding conducting research/experiements on patients to procure new treatments,
drugs, etc-- or simply information by which a doctor can advance his knowledge --.
Another example in medicine would be ethical prohibitions around doctor's performing
or prescribing unnecessary treatments for their own gain and financial *profit*.
I don't see these concepts as applicable to your example regarding Nichiren's Gohonzon.
First off- the Gohonzon is NOT a person -. It is the person who has faith in the Lotus
Sutra, who can actualize what Nichiren actualized by inscribing Gohonzon. So-- it
doesn't hold that Nichiren's Gohonzon could not be actualized by a person with faith in
the Lotus Sutra. You are claiming that Nichiren's Gohonzon itself is subject to some
kind of alteration based upon circumstances, which, again does not accord with the
description Nichiren, himself, has provided for the Gohonzon he inscribed.
That pretty much negates this statement of yours:
>>"1. Otherwise, you could steal or murder to obtain an authentic Nichiren Daishonin
Gohonzon and get great benefits from it."<<
Are you saying that an evil person who embraces the Lotus Sutra and prays to
Nichiren's Gohonzon single-mindedly seeking the Buddha, will not get great benefits
from it? WHO is prohibited from attaining Buddhahood through faith in the Lotus
Sutra?
But because you are also insisting that ANY authentic imaging of Nichiren's Gohonzon
had to have been acquired through some *evil means*-- I am inclined to insist that you
prove this allegation-- though I would not agree with you that the circumstances under
which a Nichiren Gohonzon was obtained could in any way render the Gohonzon
*useless* to a recipient who embraced the Lotus Sutra and practiced single-minded faith
in Myoh-Renge-Kyo. To say that the *Gohonzon* becomes worthless--- even if you are
able to prove your wild allegations, is a direct contradiction of Nichiren's teachings.
So, Chas-- because you have major errors in your premise--- this conclusion is likewise
erroneous-
>>"2. Since that is not so, and since slandering the Law is worse than violating the
criminal code (theft, murder), then receiving from or giving to the icchantika includes
receiving your authentic Nichiren Daishonin Gohonzon from a slandering priest of
Nichiren Shu, founded by the traitorous priests that turned Nichiren Daishonin's
Buddhism into Shinto worship of Shakyamuni as a Hindu god.<<"
You simply are not relying on Nichiren's teachings about the Gohonzon when you go
off on these tangents-- and that is a bigger problem as the unlikelihood that your wild
allegations are even close to true.
Again-- you are way off-- actually you are slandering the Gohonzon by saying this:
>>"3. Then receiving that 2nd or 3rd, or 500th hand from the internet is the same
slander of the Law, the handoffs do not wash away the stain."<<
The Gohonzon exists in FAITH alone-- Entry is through FAITH alone-- . I believe
there are substantial reasons to consider that Nichiren's Gohonzons are the only True
Gohonzons--. But I also think that since Nichiren only bestowed Gohonzon on
followers whom he knew to have strong faith in what HE taught them-- the Lotus Sutra
and reverence for Shakyamnui Buddha--. It stands to reason that discussion of the
Gohonzon minus FAITH in Myoho-Renge-Kyo, minus Faith in the Lotus Sutra and
minus the Buddha, Shakyamuni is pointless--. By the same token, since FAITH is key,
the circumstances-- including the internet downloading and printing of the images, etc,
really don't matter at all.
Unless you have substantial, verifiable-- as in not just Gakkai-speak, evidence for
claiming that Nichiren Gohonzons were obtained via evil means-- I strongly encourage
you to drop this sensational rhetoric.
~Katie
JazzIs TvRicky
13/10/16
As for those who claim Nichiren's use of Nam was never written and that SGI's and
NST's Gosho's are fake and non authentic hiding the 'U' and exclusively misinterpreting
Namu into Nam...ummmmm
Nichiren writes:
"Those vicious and arrogant monks described in the Lotus Sutra in the beginning armed
themselves with sticks and staves and used them to belabor Bodhisattva Never
Disparaging. But later they pressed their palms together and repented of their error.
Devadatta inflicted an injury on Shakyamuni Buddha that drew blood, but when he was
on his deathbed, he cried out, “Namu (Devotion)!” If only he had been able to cry,
“Namu Buddha (Devotion to the Buddha)!” he would have been spared the fate of
falling into hell. But so grave were the deeds he had committed that he could only utter
the word “Namu” and could not pronounce the word “Buddha” before he died.
And soon the eminent priests of Japan will no doubt be trying to cry out, “Namu
Nichiren Shōnin (Devotion to the Sage Nichiren)!” But most p.579likely they will only
have time enough to utter the one word, “Namu!” How pitiful, how pitiful!
In the secular texts it says, “A sage is one who fully understands those things that have
not yet made their appearance.” And in the Buddhist texts it says, “A sage is one who
knows the three existences of life—past, present, and future.”
WND Vol. I
Now explain this?
Caught again!
Sincerely
iainx...@gmail.com
13/10/16
Nope Richard, you cannot use tge Lotus Sutra that you reject.
You may want to play games with the words if a Buddha you despise, trampling on his
head but you will not. Get back in the tiny box you have built yourself. Go play games
with the teaching of the SGI Religion you follow.
Be well : )
Katie Higgins
13/10/16
Required reading to post on this thread!!!

JazzIs TvRicky
13/10/16
Mark Rogow is a proven LIAR, and NICHIREN GOHONZON BURNER. HOW IN

THE HECK IS HIS THOUSAND PAGE POSTS OF PURE NONSENSE REQUIRED
READING?
KATIE THE DEVILS MAIDEN is at it again. She loves PAIN!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Katie Higgins
13/10/16
If you read the post, and there is no reason to believe you did, you would find what
everyone I have shared this with has learned-- The evidence that the Ongi Kuden is
FAKE is conclusive.
You are the LIAR Richard--- it is you who pretends to be practicing Nichiren's
Buddhism while behaving in the most disrespectful and outright vulgar ways.
I am a 62 year old grandmother-- and a nurse who is preparing to leave for work. I have
been practicing and studying Nichiren's Buddhism for the past 28 years. I am hardly the
"devil's" anything--Your name calling is unnecessary-- unless you want to demonstrate
how ill-mannered and unrefined you are--- which, BTW attests to your lack of faith in
Nichiren's teachings.
You have never proven Mark is a liar--- but I do think you are jealous of his knowledge,
his courage and his integrity-- Too bad you are too proud and too arrogant to learn from
him-- You are the one who will suffer for that karmic impediment of yours.
~Katie
JazzIs TvRicky
14/10/16
Mark who foolishly propounds that others send him their Nichiren Gohonzon's so that
he may BURN THEM! And Mark, who foolishly thinks that he is qualified to bestow a
internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously seeking Nichiren
Daishonin's Buddhism.
Only fools like you Katie follow and accept heretics like Mark as Sages and one who
professes to know all in his made up religion.
Wow I pity the patients who have you as a NURSE!
Tell us where you work so we may warn the families of the patients you are responsible
for.
Wow!
And your Grandchildren are lucky they have their own karma, and do not have to rely
on your distorted and made up religion!
You Katie are truly sick and demented!
Sincerely,
Chas.
14/10/16
uh, the only premise in that syllogism is "Ends do not justify means. Means and ends
must be justified separately." the rest are logical statements based on that premise,
assuming ethical behavior, which I guess you do not subscribe to, since you claim that
murdering someone and stealing their Gohonzon and then chanting to it will bring great
benefits.
I will dispense with the rest of your response, your reasoning engine is beyond repair.
_______________________________
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:

... 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)
... 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 a...
Mostrar contenido recortado
Katie Higgins
14/10/16
No, Richard, FOOLS blindly follow authority. Nichiren taught and lived the crucial
aspect of our humanity -- he studied and he questioned the religious authorities of his
time. You and your chorus line do not even read the refutations that have already been
posted here and elsewhere on every topic you bring up--from the daimoku to the True
Buddha--ALL of your arguments have been refuted, but because none of you read,
research, study or question, or in other words, emulate Nichiren, you repeat the same
"Party Line" and spew your provocative *fear mongering* base and crude remarks. You
don't make a single point refuting the True teachings that have already been posted
here--
But, guess what? Readers who come here seeking and have cause to be skeptical of the
SGI AND its parent the NST, read ALLo f the posts you so brazenly declare you have
no time to entertain.
Two wonderful things happen because you are so brazen in your dismissal of solid sutra
and Gosho based refutations of your *erroneous, fabricated doctrines*--1) Others see
what you have blown off and 2) Others see how you behave towards those of us who
sincerely and patiently share what Nichiren actually taught.
And that is why I am going to sleep after my night shift instead of spending time
reposting and rehashing the True teachings-- grateful to iainx for creating the indexes
for readers and fully aware of how they are being employed. I can sleep today knowing
that the foundation has been laid for the propagation of the Namu-myoho-renge-ky0
"Devoting one's life to the Lotus sutra"-- NOT dedicating one's life to personal gain and
fame, NOT devoting one's lifeto supporting a multi billion dollar scam--Nope!
Nichiren's Lotus sutra buddhism is about arousing joy from the Law--itself! And to
experience that one only needs to *practice* as Nichiren taught. So there!!
You pity my patients? Why? Because I continue to devote myself to establishing the
single mind of faith in the Lotus Sutra? Oh my!! How horrible you must think that is---
how very wrong you are!
One of the main reasons I gravitated to this practice and have continued to devote
myself to Nichiren's writings--and the Lotus sutra is because I have expanded my life
and my capacity to alleviate the sufferings of others--- which BTW is why I became a
nurse 42 years ago. I doubt that means much to you, and surely you are priming
yourself for the next round of insults-- I say I am a nurse, you say you pity my patients.
I say i am a grandmother, you are glad my grandkids are fortunate to have their own
karma?? Dumb remark, because obviously we have "shared karma"-- and a most joyful
relationship, thank you for your interest.
That's the thing isn't it Richard? You have no interest in anything but promoting what
you have accepted on *authority*. I hope you wake up, but I am here mostly to present
alternatives to many SGI and NST members who are suffering and tired of being
intimidated-- and bullied for QUESTIONING AUTHORITY !
HERE, the important thing is to share how ANYONE can find out the truth-- and most
important of all-- it cannot be emphasized enough, Chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo--
read Nichiren directly and read the Lotus Sutra with a seeking mind--pure faith and
arousing joy from the Law will follow-- and THAT is the surest means for refuting you
and your cohorts.
Have a great day, Richard --
And thanks for your help :-)
Z-zzzzzzzzzzzz
~Katie
Noel
14/10/16
Look what the SGI has done. They are responsible for disposing of millions of Nikken
complete 10 world transcribed Gohonzon's for Nichikan 7 world photo shopped
Gohonzon's and deceiving everyone into thinking that they had 10 world Gohonzons.
So does this also make you a fool for trusting in SGI corp who seem to be more
interested in profits than Sages and Buddhas
By the way Mark has said that the Denpo Gohonzon that he recommends is the most
common downloaded Gohonzon by Independent practitioners like myself all over the
world so this means that we can download it ourselves we don't have to go through
Mark if we so desire. Mark is one of the many who guides others who are struggling to
receive an bestow a internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously
seeking Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
that the SGI has miserably failed to do
So if you want to keep going on repeating criticism about the genuine Gohonzon's you'll
have to be constantly reminded of SGI's monumental stuff up for delivering counterfeit
Gohonzons. We donated money for a 10 world Gohonzon that we latter found out had
only 7 worlds. We felt ripped off, how could they have short changed us by leaving out
the worlds of Hell, Anger and Learning that so desperately need to be transformed
through Myoho Lenge kyo
The crime of misrepresenting the banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra is far worse
than what you accuse Mark of for bestowing a downloaded replica/exact copy of an
authentic complete 10 world Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon on the internet that has been
downloaded for people seriously seeking Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
You must be still living in the Dark ages,would you prefer that we go back to the pony
express
.
I suggest you, Chas, Julian etc take on board what I say and do some serious self
reflection before you criticize others in such a relentless way. We all have issues with
our faith that needs to be worked on that we cant always see ourselves as others can.
This is why all criticisms should not go unheeded
"Devadatta was the foremost good friend to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this
age as well, it is not one’s allies but one’s powerful enemies who assist one’s progress."
(The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra)
Na/mu Myoho Lenge Kyo
Julian
14/10/16
On 14/10/2016 23:33, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:

> On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 1:07:56 PM UTC+10, JazzIs TvRicky wrote:
>> Mark who foolishly propounds that others send him their Nichiren Gohonzon's so
that he may BURN THEM! And Mark, who foolishly thinks that he is qualified to
bestow a internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously seeking
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
>>
>> Only fools like you Katie follow and accept heretics like Mark as Sages and one
who professes to know all in his made up religion.
>>
>> Wow I pity the patients who have you as a NURSE!
>>
>> Tell us where you work so we may warn the families of the patients you are
responsible for.
>>
>> Wow!
>>
>> And your Grandchildren are lucky they have their own karma, and do not have to
rely on your distorted and made up religion!
>>
>> You Katie are truly sick and demented!
>>
>> Sincerely,
>
> Mark who foolishly propounds that others send him their Nichiren Gohonzon's so that
he may BURN THEM! And Mark, who foolishly thinks that he is qualified to bestow a
internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously seeking Nichiren
>
> Only fools like you Katie follow and accept heretics like Mark as Sages and one who
professes to know all in his made up religion.
>
> Look what the SGI has done. They are responsible for disposing of millions of
Nikken complete 10 world transcribed Gohonzon's for Nichikan 7 world photo shopped
They didn't get mine.
Chas.
15/10/16
On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 2:33:39 PM UTC-7, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:
[snip]
>
> Look what the SGI has done. They are responsible for disposing of millions of
Nikken complete 10 world transcribed Gohonzon's for Nichikan 7 world photo shopped
So does this also make you a fool for trusting in SGI corp who seem to be more
interested in profits than Sages and Buddhas
>
[snip]
You keep making the same ignorant statement all nine worlds in the world of Buddha
are present on the Nichikan Gohonzon, and in their proper places.
-Chas.
Noel
15/10/16
Prove it
Noel
15/10/16
> http://www.sgiusa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/diagramofgohonzon.php
SHARIPUTRA, ASURA,and DEVADATTA are not written in this Gohonzon
This is Nichikan's Gohonzon in which you say has the ten worlds and that they are in
their proper positions, and the nine worlds in the world of Buddhahood .
Can you prove what you say???
what you have said about Nichikan's Gohonzon and what is on it does not match up
with Nichiren's description in the real aspect of the Gohonzon Gosho.
SHARIPUTRA, ASURA,and DEVADATTA are written in this Gosho
. 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 SHARIPUTRA 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
-
The Ongi Kuden is a Forgery

198 publicaciones de 8 autores
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Julian
15/10/16
On 15/10/2016 13:01, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:

> On Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 7:44:37 AM UTC+10, Julian wrote:
>> On 14/10/2016 23:33, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:
>>> On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 1:07:56 PM UTC+10, JazzIs TvRicky wrote:
>>>> Mark who foolishly propounds that others send him their Nichiren Gohonzon's so that he may BURN THEM! And Mark,
who foolishly thinks that he is qualified to bestow a internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously seeking
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
>>>>
>>>> Only fools like you Katie follow and accept heretics like Mark as Sages and one who professes to know all in his made up
religion.
>>>>
>>>> Wow I pity the patients who have you as a NURSE!
>>>>
>>>> Tell us where you work so we may warn the families of the patients you are responsible for.
>>>>
>>>> Wow!
>>>>
>>>> And your Grandchildren are lucky they have their own karma, and do not have to rely on your distorted and made up
religion!
>>>>
>>>> You Katie are truly sick and demented!
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Mark who foolishly propounds that others send him their Nichiren Gohonzon's so that he may BURN THEM! And Mark, who
foolishly thinks that he is qualified to bestow a internet downloaded picture of a Gohonzon to people seriously seeking Nichiren
>>>
>>> Only fools like you Katie follow and accept heretics like Mark as Sages and one who professes to know all in his made up
religion.
>>>
>>> Look what the SGI has done. They are responsible for disposing of millions of Nikken complete 10 world transcribed
Gohonzon's for Nichikan 7 world photo shopped Gohonzon's and deceiving everyone into thinking that they had 10 world
Gohonzons.
>>
>> They didn't get mine.
>
> They didn't get mine.
>
> Good for you Julian. What type of Gohonzon do you have
It's a 1984 Nikken.
> and do you belong to a sect,
No
> Buddhist organisation
I'm a subscriber to alt.buddha.short.fat.guy
> or maybe an independent practitioner if you don't mind my asking
I don't mind you asking.
I, Julian, am not the founder of any sect, nor am I a latter-day

follower of any older sect. I am a person without precepts, neither
keeping the precepts nor breaking them.
I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, divorced from both

the possession of wisdom and the absence of it.
Noel
15/10/16

You sound like you could be the reincarnated Nichiren...Pleased to meet you
Julian
15/10/16

That's a speculation not conducive to edification.
> Pleased to meet you
Likewise.
Noel
15/10/16

One can be hopeful.Do you believe in Rebirth/reincarnation and wouldn't you like to be more like Nichiren???
Well then how about a Movie from another path that has parallels with the one we walk
http://www.movie-life.net/movie/awake-the-life-of-yogananda/
Julian
15/10/16

Reincarnation/Rebirth are, at the very best, provisional teachings
and all questions on such matters are, as the Buddha taught, not
conducive to edification.
> and wouldn't you like to be more like Nichiren???
Would I like to be, or be like, a dead, medieval, Japanese, monk

rather than an alive, contemporary, English civilian with a better grasp
of arithmetic?
No, I wouldn't.
> Well then how about a Movie from another path that has parallels with the one we walk
>
> http://www.movie-life.net/movie/awake-the-life-of-yogananda/
Like I said above... Hindu stuff isn't my thing.
Katie Higgins
15/10/16

And likewise you hold on to your Nikken Gohonzon-- and offer comments here in support of the Boy Band agenda--at your
leisure--.
A riddle one might employ to stump a dragon!!
~Katie
Noel
15/10/16

Either you lack wisdom to answer the question in the context that would equate to you being an English civilian with a better
grasp of arithmetic than he does have of common sense or your just acting out your Boof headed smart arse self
Julian
15/10/16

Your opinion has been noted but I don't share your
dualistic, this or that, black or white, good or evil, etc.
mode of thinking.
I am of the opinion that in any given scenario there

are always more than two options.
Noel
15/10/16

I don't agree with your summary which is being formed on your premature misconceptions
Noel
15/10/16

Well you should love this then being the Non dualist that you appear to be
The Source
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definition for ‘source’: “that from which something originates”. This is ‘Pure
Awareness’ (PA), Consciousness at rest, or ‘Manifesting (in) Awareness’ (MA). For Awareness is still and all movement (cosmic
energy – manifestation) arises in (and from) stillness, abides in a substratum of stillness relative to which it may be ‘seen’ and
subsided back into That when its energy is spent.
For example when one walks across a room initially there is stillness, then motion which can be noticed relative to the still room,
and finally stillness when one reaches the other side. This Awareness is our essential being, That which witnesses all
sensations, thoughts and mental images and by which our mind can ‘become aware’ of these.
For to ‘become aware of’ anything presupposes that Awareness is present, which is the ‘constant conscious perceiving
presence’ – the subject of the ephemeral flow of objects; that is the thoughts, sensations and mental images, the awareness of
which constitutes our moment to moment experience.
At the physical level our body/minds originate from the union of our father (PA) and mother (MA); and in Hinduism
Consciousness at rest is considered to be masculine (Siva), whilst That in motion (manifesting) is considered to be feminine
(Sakti or Kali). So there is a harmony here, in that our essential source and our physical source are both the union of PA and
MA, masculine and feminine.
It could also be said that the mind/body is the PA, personal assistant, to That; for it is through the physical being that
Consciousness can engage with, know, enjoy and love the world. You could also say that it is the material assistant, MA, for the
same reason.
To sense Its manifestation Consciousness needs a material instrument with sense organs and it is through these that It can
sense, and act in, the world. The word ‘assistant’ signifies an aide, rather than the ‘doer’, which is apt as we are just expressions
and instruments of Consciousness - the ultimate doer. So in this paradigm we are also the union of PA and MA, personal and
material assistants.
Our physical bodies are composed of cosmic energy, Consciousness in motion, ‘Manifesting (in) Awareness’ (MA). Whilst our
essence is Pure Awareness (PA) the ‘constant conscious perceiving presence’ which perceives the thoughts, sensations and
mental images originating from our physical bodies. So on this ‘holistic level’, that which takes into account our essence and
our physicality, we are also the union of PA and MA, that is Consciousness at rest and in motion – the substratum, substance,
subject and ‘subsidence’ of all that is.
(Colin Drake) he is the my local non dualist/advaita friend
Chas.
16/10/16
On Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 12:36:48 AM UTC-7, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:

> Prove it
You made the case for the opposition improperly, you can prove that to yourself:
I never said that the characters for "SHARIPUTRA, ASURA,and DEVADATTA" were present on the Nichikan Gohonzon. What I
said is the Nine Worlds in the World of Buddha (= 10 Worlds) are on the Nichikan Gohonzon, and I see them constantly. It is
your job to figure that out from the diagram and your own enlightened perception of ichinen sanzen in the mirror of the
Gohonzon, where they are and what those characters are:
http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/diagramofgohonzon.php
It is everyone's job to perceive ichinen sanzen in the mirror of the Gohonzon themselves. I would not steal that challenge from
anyone (and Nichiren Daishonin enjoins us from that kind of internal discussion, that is between you and your own true entity.)
Just know that they are there, and that you will find them if you so desire to.
-Chas.
Noel
16/10/16

I said and I will repeat, that the nine worlds in the world of Buddhahood are on the Nichikan Gohonzon in their proper places. Go
look on the chart from the SGI-USA website and figure it out.
These are your exact words
the nine worlds in the world of Buddhahood...True if you are refering to buddhahood is the charchters Nam/u Myoho Lenge Kyo
thats in the middle of the Gohonzon.
are on the Nichikan Gohonzon in their proper places... True they are there in proper places either side of Nam/u Myoho Lenge
Kyo thats in the middle of the Gohonzon. Proper places, yes thats true in Buddhahood
However the characters for "SHARIPUTRA, ASURA,and DEVADATTA" are not there present in their proper places either side
of Nam/u Myoho Lenge Kyo thats in the middle of the Gohonzon.
But if you would like me to imagine that they are there I could if I didn't have a Gohozon where they are already there
What I said is the Nine Worlds in the World of Buddha (= 10 Worlds) are on the Nichikan Gohonzon and I see them constantly.
You must see that everything is interrelated so that the 9 worlds are every where because buddahood is every where and
nowhere in everything and nothing simultaneously in a manifest or latent state which brings us back to the true entity of the
mytstic Law.
Is this where you are coming from and the reason why Nichiren and Priests didn't bother to write all the characters on all
Gohonzons. If this is the case all we would need is the charchters Nam/u Myoho Lenge Kyo in the Gohonzon.
I'm happy with a Gohonzon that fits nichirens description in the real aspect of the gohonzon gosho and what I know is the same
as Dai Gohonzon and the fact that it is a photocopy of an original gohonzon from Nichiren Daishonin himself regardless of how
many hands that its been through to get to me because the source is itself pure and beyond corruption especially if it was
written by Nichiren Daishonin's hand and that would have to include any Gohonzon but he did make a statement of the
Gohonzon that would be used of the banner of propagation in the real aspect of the gohonzon and mine fits the bill
Na/mu Myoho Lenge Kyo
Chas.
17/10/16
Well if your personal preference for how the Gohonzon should be is offended by Nichikan Shonin's Gohonzon, I can't help you.
But to say, as you did, that the Nichikan Gohonzon is deficient of three worlds, because of the particular and subjective way that
you want them represented, and because they are represented differently and that displeases you ... that is a personal opinion
based on subjective preference for the characters "SHARIPUTRA, ASURA,and DEVADATTA", not upon something objective.
I have heard it said that the only thing a Gohonzon needs to have inscribed upon it to work properly is "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
Nichiren". The point expressed there is that your own ichinen sanzen will manifest and then you will perceive it in the "object of
devotion for observing the mind."
I pointed out how you might alter your subjectivity and perceive it yourself and you rejected that, so there is nothing I can do for
you, there.
I also pointed out that the ends do not justify the means of receiving the Gohonzon from the Five Senior Priests of Nichiren Shu
who betrayed Nichiren Daishonin and made Nichiren's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra into a Shinto method for warrior domination
and enslavement of the peoples of the world that led directly to the Asian Holocaust. This is why chanting to a Gohonzon
recevied from murdering and traitorous thieves is an evil act, not matter how you receive it. You rejected or ignored that
admonition, so I cannot help you there, either.
______________________________________
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
|||
|||
||| "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.
Noel
17/10/16
At the end of the day we are all free to believe what ever we bloody like which includes the crucified Christ
Noel
17/10/16
What is missing in your life is an authentic complete ten world Nichiren inscribed gohonzon with Nikkos name on it rather
than any of the other priests or other persons
I think this would be the best thing for those of Nikko's lineage which I believe follow Nichirens teachings
JazzIs TvRicky
18/10/16
"Now Nichiren and his followers, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are the original lords of teachings of the “Life Span”
chapter. Generally speaking, the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching are not the sort of persons who are qualified to handle
this chapter. For they employ an approach in which the theoretical teaching is on the surface and the essential teaching is in the
background, while Nichiren and his followers employ an approach in which the essential teaching is in the forefront and the
theoretical teaching is in the background."
"Be that as it may, this chapter does not represent the teaching that is essential for the Latter Day of the Law. The reason is that
this chapter embodies the Buddhism of the harvest suitable for the time when the Buddha was in the world. But only the five
characters of the daimoku constitute the Buddhism of sowing that is suitable for the present time. Thus, the Buddhism of the
harvest is for the time when the Buddha was in the world, and the Buddhism of sowing is for the time after his passing. Hence it
is the Buddhism of sowing that is needed in the Latter Day of the Law."
Chapter Sixteen: The Life Span of the Thus Come One

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings
"Hence it is the Buddhism of sowing that is needed in the Latter Day of the Law."
What a wonderful revelation!

Sincerely
Chas.
18/10/16
On Monday, October 17, 2016 at 2:09:21 PM UTC-7, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:

> What is missing in your life is an authentic complete ten world Nichiren inscribed gohonzon with Nikkos name on it rather
than any of the other priests or other persons
>
> I think this would be the best thing for those of Nikko's lineage which I believe follow Nichirens teachings
Actually I do not miss anything received from a priest-traitor to the Daishonin, such as those from Nichiren Shu.
_____________________________________
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

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
[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

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.
___________________________________________________________

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.
___________________________________________________________

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.
___________________________________________________________

[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 intr
Noel
18/10/16
Things are not what they seem when all that seen is back the front from what really is
JazzIs TvRicky
18/10/16
"You should realize that it is because of a profound karmic relationship from the past that you can teach others even a sentence
or phrase of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra reads, “Nor will they hear the correct Law—such people are difficult to save.” The
“correct Law” means the Lotus Sutra; it is difficult to save those who are deaf to the teachings of this sutra."
"Words and Phrases, volume ten, says, “The sutra as a whole is summed up in these four phrases.1 These four represent the
essence of the sutra. The Buddha hands it on to others.”
"The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: “The sutra as a whole” refers to the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus
Sutra, the essential teaching and the theoretical teaching. “These four phrases” refers to the four principles of name, function,
essence, and quality. “The essence of the sutra” refers to the five characters of the daimoku. “Hand it on to others” means
handing it on to Bodhisattva Superior Practices. “It” refers to Myoho-renge-kyo.
This passage of the commentary is perfectly clear. Now when Nichiren and his followers propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, this
is the principle of essence or heart. The twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra are the principle of function. The recitation of
[any of] the twenty-eight chapters is a supplementary practice, while the recitation of the daimoku is the main practice. The
supplementary practice is included within the main practice."
Sincerely
Se eliminó este mensaje.
Noel
18/10/16
Get over it Chasser and realise that the common denominator is Nichirens original complete ten world Gohonzons regardless
of who's names are on it.
Because of your emotional connection with Nikko's lineage i recommended a comlplete gohonzon with his name on it for you
not that it really makes any difference when we consider its original source
Chas.
19/10/16
"Buddhism is reason" "Hero of the World", WND I, p. 839.

I can only offer the medicine of truth, it is yours to drink, or not.
___________________________________________
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
Chas is threatened by actual proof that his pompous self promoting practice is based on a FAKE document.
The Ongi Kuden is FAKE. Please read the post !!
~Katie
Chas.
21/10/16

You quote Jackie Stone as if she were your High Priestess who cannot be wrong. Her contentions can easily be wrong and are
not backed by scientific analysis of all the documents. Simple documentary analysis leads in circles. Only instrumental analysis
proves that the documentary provenance is either correct or deficient.
Mark's posting only proves that he is a fanboy of Jackie Stone.

________________________________
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.
Katie Higgins
21/10/16
I know you have never read Jackie Stone, or any other translations of the Gosho or the Lotus Sutra for that matter. -
Your one trick pony response is to attack the persons who do engage in through comparative study--- something your
SGIkeda forbids!
Funny, how it does not phase you rip apart the person whose work, and whose words you are 100% ignorant of..
Interesting to see the parallels between yours and Richard's behavior and that of the heretical priests who attacked
Nichiren in his time.
The operative terms, that are most similar to Nichiren's example are :*widely study*; *question and compare*- you stay
in your Gakkai box and throw rocks at anything that challenges your weak grip on reality.
Your labels are no more accurate than the warped reasoning that produces them--
~Katie
More proof that the Ongi Kuden is a forgery

In the Ongi Kuden we read:
“This Myoho-renge-kyo (Lotus Sutra) is not Shakyamuni’s Mystic Law, because at the time this chapter
was preached, he had already entrusted it to Bodhisattva Jogyo.” (Gosho, p. 1783)
In the Kanjin Honzon Sho (The True Object of Worship), the most important writing of Nichiren
Daishonin, we read,
“Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the five charecters of
Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo to the original disciples since the eternal past, who had sprung up from under
ground.” Kanjin Honzon Sho, pp 122 to 140, NOPPA 1991.
and in the Lotus Sutra we read:
“At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of
bodhisattvas, saying: “The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable,
boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra (Myoho renge kyo) to others I were to
employ these supernatural powers for a measurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands,
millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it
briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of
the Thus Come One – all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra.”(Myoho
renge kyo). (Lotus Sutra Chapter 21)
You can read more about this in: “Some Disputed Writings in the Nichiren Corpus” by Jacqueline Stone.
John Petry has summarized some of the salient points [edited]:
1).The Ongi Kuden is not in Nikko’s hand nor is it ever mentioned (“again”) by him. There is no authentic
seal of Nichiren (colophon) except for a later legendary accretion referencing a serpent who was to have
appeared to Nichiren and Nikko as he was lecturing on the Devedatta Chapter.
2). It is supposed to be based on the Chu Hokkekyo, the authentic Annotated Lotus Sutra of Nichiren, the
original copy exists on Mt. Minobu. The problem is it doesn’t conform well to it. Only 23 passages of the
133 passages from the Chu Hokekyo appear in the Ongi Kuden.
3). No mention of the Ongi Kuden or the Ongi Kikagaki occurs before Nitcho’s Keiun Sho in 1503. These
were competing texts used by opposing sides in the Nichiren ichi-shoretsu debates (the harmony of the
28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra versus the superiority of the essential teachings debate), held at this time.
“Dueling Oral Teachings”
4). The Ongi Kuden mirrors the writings of the Tendai sect. They employ the Tendai sect formulations of
Kanjin style interpretations of “progression” and “resemblance and reversal” to represent concepts
found commonly in Chuko Tendai (original enlightenment) doctrine. These conflict with the
authenticated writings of Nichiren, most notably, the Kanjin Honzon Sho, as seen above.
5). The text contains comments regarding events that did not exist at the time of the supposed lectures:
A). For example the Ongi Kuden refers to the “six senior disciples” but Nichiren did not designate these
six senior disciples until a few days before his death, some years later
B). According to scholars and priests of the orthodox sects, it refers to Nichiren as the “eminent
founder,” a term which did not come into usage until well after Nichiren and Nikko died.
C). The text of the Ongi Kuden also refers to a document which was written some 13 years after
Nichiren’s death, the “K’o-chu” which is a Yuan-dynasty commentary on the Lotus Sutra by Hsu Hsing-
shan dated Yuan-chen 1 (1295).
D). Finally the date it was supposedly approved by Nichiren (who then affixed his seal), is the first month
of the first year of Koan but the era changed its name from Kenji to Koan on the 29th day of the second
month. There was no first month of Koan.
E). Additionally during the time the lectures supposedly took place and Nikko was supposedly
transcribing them, he was not at Minobu where the lectures were held. He was in the Fuji area on a
shakabuku campaign.
6). John Petry wrote: “The Nichiren Shoshu has pointed to a reference in another writing in a text by a
Fuji school priest in the 1600′s referencing the existence of a transcript of lectures given by Nichiren in
his life time but there is nothing in that reference to indicate what document he is referring to or even
whether it was simply a copy of the Ongi Kuden or the Onko Kikigaki which were known to exist at right
around 1500.”
7). Nichiren disparaged oral teachings. Since the core Taisekaji doctrines can not be found in the
authentic Gosho, the Oral Teachings as well as many forged Gosho were invented by them. [above 7
points paraphrased by John Petry]
Here are the words of Nichiren, from Repaying Debts of Gratitude, on the Secret Dharma of the Object of
Worship:
“The first is the object of worship (honzon). All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world
should revere the Lord Buddha Shayamuni (Original and eternal Buddha) revealed in the essential
section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the object of worship (honzon)…”
Then again in the True Object of Worship, we read:
“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born
in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future.”
In the “Senji Sho”, Nichiren says, regarding his ability to have made his predicition about the Mongol
invasion:
“It was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important predicitions. I believe it was solely the spirit of
Shakyamuni Buddha, entering my body, who made them.”
“The number of such quotations number in the hundreds and they are all in Nichiren hand. Nowhere
does Nichiren ever make the claim that he is the Original and Eternal Buddha. For this reason, the
Taisekiji Gosho Zenshu has added exerpts from the 16th century “Ongi Kuden” to make this claim. They
also lump the questionable Gosho with the authentic Gosho, unlike the Showa Tehon, in order to
confuse the believers. However, the Ongi Kuden and many forged Nichiren Shoshu Gosho, like the Dai-
gohonzon, only appears hundreds of years after the death of Nichiren and the other six disciples,
including Nikko. Taisekiji has invented a new religion, created in the later Muromachi period (15th to 17th
centuries) but has taken Nichiren’s name for the sake of credibility. Little of its “theology” can be found
in the original writings of Nichiren or his immediate disciples. The Dai-Gohonzon is a later invention, the
Nichiren-is-True-Buddha is a later invention (Nichigen’s theory). Many words and phrases the SGI and
Nichiren Shoshu utilize (the so-called “buzz words” such as, “The Mystic Law of the Universe”, “getting
in harmony with the universe”,”hosshaku kempon”, ‘Esho Funi”) mostly derive from “chuko tendai”
original enlightenment jargon from the Muramachi period in Japan. Let’s go back to Nichiren himself.
There is no honest alternative
The only part of the Ongi Kuden of any worth are the first few sentences of the Introduction and Preface:
“Namu derives from Sanskrit, and here [in Japan] it is rendered as kimyo , meaning ‘to devote one’s life.’
This means to devote one’s life to the Person and the Law. Devotion to the Law means to devote one’s
life to the Lotus Sutra. Devotion to the Person means to devote one’s life to Shakyamuni.”
The SGI’s doctrines and religious worldview derive principally from the Ongi Kuden, the Shoho Jisso
Sho [The True Aspect of all Phenomena], the writings of Nichikan Shonin, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda.
I have already demonstrated that the Soka Gakkai confuses the general with the specific, that the Ongi
Kuden should be read in light of the Lotus Sutra [not the Lotus Sutra in light of the Ongi Kuden], in light
of the Five Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, and in light of the entire body of writings of Nichiren
Daishonin.
The teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Five Major Works, and the entire body of Nichiren’s writings
contradict the Ongi Kuden. Who are we to believe? The SGI who says the profound principles of
Buddhism are to be found in the Ongi Kuden or the Kempon Hokke who says the Ongi Kuden is a
cunning expedient invented by the Nichiren Shoshu to promote their heretical brand of Buddhism? You
would be wise to adopt our criteria and the Nichiren Gohonzon that contains the power of the Buddha.
Does that which accords with our mind (the Ongi Kuden) deserve our praise while that which accords
with mind of the Buddha (the Lotus Sutra, the Opening of the Eyes, and the True Object of Worship)
deserve our censure?
In the first part of this commentary, we proved that the Ongi Kuden is a forgery. In light of this, one must
be very careful coming to any conclusions whatsoever regarding the utility of the Ongi Kuden.
Posted by Mark Rogow at 11:20 AM
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4 comments:
1.
JewelglowDecember 27, 2015 at 1:43 AM
All this aside the Ongi Kuden gives the most comprehensive explanation of what I understand ichinen
sanzen to be. I find that their metaphysical concepts are more advanced than the other Nichiren sects,
even though I don't go along with the heritage of the Law through successive high priests and the
authenticity of the Dai Gohonzon but I believe Nichiren as an ordinary mortal and Bodhisattva was
also true Buddha like Shakyamuni.
Nichiren played the part of Clark Kent even though he was Superman because if he revealed his true
identity he wouldn't of been able to complete his mission of creating the Gohonzon that is the same
enlightenment of all Buddha's throughout eternity. Our Gohonzon is the eternal Buddha for the
transmission of Dharma that was passed on from Shakyamuni to Nichiren and on to us
Reply
2.
Mark RogowDecember 27, 2015 at 10:20 AM

The Ongi Kuden "theology" is derived from Tientai, not Nichiren.... https://nirc.nanzan-
u.ac.jp/nfile/2560
Nothing is more profound than Nichiren's "One Buddha" doctrine.

Reply
3.
JewelglowDecember 28, 2015 at 2:15 AM
Nichiren couldn't say that he is also the true Buddha because he was the representation of the
ordinary person just like Clark Kent couldn't say that he was Superman
Reply
4.

I see. We should follow your comic book narrative rather than Nichiren's clear and bright words. This
is the first point. The second point is you you miss the point of Shakyamuni Buddha being [human]
parent, [human] teacher, and [human] sovereign. Lastly and most importantly, you misunderstand the
concept of the Three Buddha Bodies and "sometimes I show my own body and sometimes the body
of another." In no other religion are we ourselves the very substance of the supreme being.
Reply
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013
The definitive analysis on why SGI is a cult [author unknown]

SGI is a Cult
Authoritarian leadership, deception and destructive mind control are the main ingredients in a cult, and SGI fits
the bill. That may strike some as an unkind or unfair assertion, but I plan to back it up with examples and
explanation. SGI is a cult.
Am I saying that SGI members are bunch of brainwashed zombies? No, I'm not. If mind control were so
cartoonish and obvious, it wouldn't be a problem. Internalized beliefs and phobias aren't usually obvious, yet they
nonetheless have an enormous influence on a person's behavior and emotions.
Am I saying that SGI members are horrible, stupid or consciously manipulative people? No, not at all. Some of
the most wonderful, smart, sincere people I have ever met are SGI members. It's because of our sincerity and
idealism, perhaps,that we uncritically accepted "training" that made us dependent on the SGI, and we faithfully
passed this training on to others.
I don't think that most SGI members are deliberately trying to hurt anyone. It's more like we're passing along a
virus because we have no clue that we have been "infected."
You'll notice that I'm saying "we." I include myself. I joined SGI almost 14 years ago. I've worked for the SGI as a
paid propagandist — first as a staff writer for the World Tribune and more recently as a freelance ghostwriter for
SGI-USA's Middleway Press. SGI is on my professional résumé. I've defended the SGI in print. I've tried to
explain away charges from friends, family and strangers that SGI is a cult. I've tried to convince myself that SGI
might one day change.
But cults like SGI change only in the sense that they become more sophisticated or perhaps more subtle in their
workings. They may take Ikeda's photo down from the wall in the Gohonzon room, and stop making members
wear white uniforms — they may look less cartoonishly cult-like. But the goal remains the same: to make
members believe that they will suffer without the group, and whatever happiness and success they have is
attributable to the group, and they owe everything to the group. This is *not* Nichiren Buddhism — this is SGI-
ism, and it's precisely what makes SGI a cult.
SGI members proudly state, "I am the SGI," despite the fact that members have no voting rights, no control over
the SGI's policies or finances, no grievance procedure for resolving disputes, etc. "I am the SGI" means that SGI
members have assumed total personal responsibility for an organization in which they have zero control. So
when I criticize the SGI, I know that many SGI members will feel that I am attacking them personally and they will
respond with personal attacks on me.
But this isn't about personalities. It's about becoming aware of the methods and content of SGI cult
indoctrination.
There are many SGI members who will refuse to read what I have to say. That's fine with me. Many will dismiss
my views as "negativity" or "complaining." So it goes. But there are probably a few people who are ready to read
this. It took me a long time to get to the place where I could even write it. If what I say resonates with you — if
you say, "Yes, exactly! That's true for me!" — then that's cool. If you think I'm full of crap, that's cool too.
For many years I have been a member of a cult. I have contributed my money, time and talent to the
perpetuation of a cult. I have been a cult apologist, leading other people into the cult.
No more.
Nobody Joins a Cult

"SGI is a cult? No, certainly not,” I would tell my concerned friends and family members. “Do I seem like the kind
of person who would be in a cult?”
No, certainly not, they had to concede. I was fairly smart and educated, fairly well off, and from a loving, stable
family. I had a job, a mortgage and friends. "I know it may seem like a cult in some ways,” I would tell people.
“But it’s not. Trust me.”
No one had kidnapped me and forced me to join SGI. Rather, I was willingly persuaded. I heard the chanting of
the Nichiren Buddhist mantra at a meeting in Los Angeles. I loved the sound and was intrigued by the practice. I
wanted to know more about the philosophy. SGI members were quick to inform me that the mantra and practice
were under their stewardship, and they alone were charged with the duty of telling all humanity about Buddhism
to bring peace to the world. I didn’t really care about proselytizing or world peace. I just wanted to chant.
My new friends told me that there was no true Buddhism outside of SGI. I believed them. I didn’t know any
better. I knew nothing about Nichiren’s teachings. Besides, the members were completely sincere, friendly and
knowledgeable. They spoke a language that I wanted to learn — “doing human revolution” and “shakubuku.”
SGI members seemed convinced that they had a special mission in life. They were also very hard on
themselves, talking about how they needed to overcome their arrogance, or saying that they were too stupid to
understand some crucial Buddhist lesson, so they had to “substitute faith for wisdom.” They deferred to the
wisdom of their “seniors in faith” as they called their leaders. And they all spoke glowingly of “Sensei,” SGI
President Daisaku Ikeda, even though most had never met him.
I liked almost everyone I met in SGI, and still do. I had no reason to doubt what they told me. They were relaying
what they had been told by other people who were equally earnest and sincere. I trusted them, just as they had
trusted their seniors in faith. So it hurt my feelings when people called SGI a cult, even in jest.
“SGI used to be a cult, maybe, back when members wore uniforms and aggressively recruited people,” I would
explain. “But that has all changed. We don’t worship President Ikeda. We learn from him and try to emulate him.
Besides, my life has improved since I joined SGI. President Ikeda always talks about freedom and the
importance of the individual. I’ve learned a lot from him about standing up and speaking out. You’d never learn
that in a cult.”
In SGI, cult allegations are usually dismissed as amusing paranoid fantasies manufactured by people who are
jealous of SGI or intolerant of religious plurality, or who “just don’t get it.” I have heard SGI members proudly say
that being called a “cultie” by an outsider is a badge of honor, and makes them feel even more committed to the
group.
But it really bothered me. My brother and I got into a loud argument about it one time, which really upset me. We
deliberately avoided the topic at future family gatherings. Still, I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t more
supportive of me. My SGI leaders encouraged me to “chant for him.” As if he was the one who needed to get a
clue.
In retrospect, I think I was upset because I was afraid. Not just afraid that my brother might be right and I might
be wrong, but afraid of something more fundamental and threatening that I could not articulate. I knew that
something felt very wrong, but I didn’t know what or why. I felt I was in danger somehow.
SGI members are programmed to believe (whether we are aware of it or not) that we will suffer if we get
crosswise of the SGI or part with it voluntarily. Only cowards, weaklings and corrupters leave the SGI voluntarily,
we are told. We are convinced that the correctness of our Buddhist practice is dependent on our SGI affiliation,
even if that affiliation is loose or sporadic. Being an absentee member for a few months is fine, but leaving SGI
will invite the wrath of all the Buddhist gods and our lives will become nothing but misery.
During my years as an SGI member and as the editor of BuddhaJones.com, I have observed the extreme fear
and superstition that SGI members feel toward their own organization. Many write to tell me about some crappy
thing that happened to them in the SGI, but they beg me not to publish their letter, or to post it under an assumed
name — and some ask me not to tell anyone that they were even reading my web site. They are afraid of being
in trouble with SGI, of being shunned, of having misfortune rain down upon them because they dared to
displease "the org."
One of the reasons why I say SGI is a cult is because it instills in members this irrational fear that harm will come
to them unless they remain members in good standing. It’s not as if some leader says: “OK, now we’re going to
indoctrinate you with fear and irrational beliefs.”
Instead, we are indoctrinated with what it means to be a noble soldier of Soka:
...You are the SGI. If you are not happy with SGI, you must work harder to make it better. Leaving the SGI is the
same as trying to escape your karma, which can’t be done. The people who quit are deluded traitors. Those who
betray the SGI are betraying Nichiren. They will experience retribution. Those who leave come crawling back to
SGI begging for forgiveness....
There is nothing in Nichiren’s teachings to support the notion that correct practice is dependent upon compliance
with or commitment to a particular religious corporation. It’s utter nonsense…unless a group of people you trust
tells you repeatedly that it’s absolutely true, and you chant with all your heart to internalize the lesson.
It didn’t start to dawn on me that SGI is a cult until I tried to leave. I felt overwhelming anxiety and uncertainty. I
would talk with friends who were also trying to leave (and a few who had already left) and we would talk for hours
at a time. We spent months trying to come up with excuses and explanations for why we should stay in SGI,
even knowing what we knew about the organization’s finances, fibs and noxious fundamentalism. We weren't
interested in quitting our practice or joining any other Nichiren group, we just wanted to stop giving our tacit
approval to SGI.
There are many in SGI who scoff at the notion of mind control. They shrug and say that every religion instills
some measure of fear in its practitioners. Even Nichiren had his fire-and-brimstone moments. Yeah, to an extent.
But I’m talking about indoctrinating people with a fear that serves to benefit the religious corporation rather than
the practitioner -- a fear that is not instructive or helpful, but is destructive and manipulative.
By contrast, I had been a confirmed Catholic for more than ten years before I decided to join SGI, but I never
gave the Pope a second thought. I just moved on to a religion that I felt was better for me. Leaving the SGI, on
the other hand, was difficult and terrifying. It took me years of chanting, months of talking, and a day of reading
Steven Hassan’s books to understand why.
In Combatting Cult Mind Control, Hassan cites an anonymous quote that says it all: “Nobody joins a cult. They just
postpone the decision to leave.”
The SGI Cult BITEs

Some may take issue with my using the word “cult” to describe SGI because they see it as unnecessarily
pejorative. They’re comfortable saying that SGI has “cult-like aspects,” but calling it a cult is going too far. That's
sort of like saying, "It looks like a duck and quacks like a duck but it is not a duck."
Many of these members are the same ones who express dismay about SGI’s seeming refusal to become less
cult-like. They don’t understand why SGI’s leaders and members “deliberately” allow the organization to maintain
financial secrecy, adulate Daisaku Ikeda and obsessively demonize the priests of Nichiren Shoshu, to name
three common complaints. In my opinion, acknowledging that SGI is a cult helps to explain a lot.
Cults characteristically exert control over members’ behavior and the information members receive about the
cult, as well as members’ thoughts and emotions. This is referred to as the “BITE” model of cult influence:
Behavior, Information, Thought, Emotion.
Until around 1990, SGI leaders made no secret about telling members who to marry. They used to tell gays to
chant to be straight. Men were told to shave their beards and mustaches if they wanted to be good members.
Members wore uniforms. In other words, behavior was overtly controlled in SGI. But the organization is no longer
so obvious in its influence on member behavior.
Members still receive “personal guidance” from leaders and are taught to behave cheerfully, subscribe to the
publications, recruit new members and participate in as many SGI activities as possible to “create good fortune.”
And, of course, SGI gets people to sit down and chant twice a day. But if this is behavior control, some may
argue that it’s ultimately benign because chanting is unquestionably always a good thing. Plus, what’s wrong with
being cheerful?
Instead of making members follow strict rules of behavior, SGI influences members’ thoughts and emotions,
which in turn influences behavior. For example, many SGI members are afraid to visit a Nichiren Shoshu or
Nichiren Shu temple because they have been told that temples are infested with demons and slanderers. This
serves to keep members from shopping for an alternative to SGI or discovering first-hand information about other
sects. So with just this one phobia, SGI can control both behavior and information.
In cults, there’s a common phenomenon known as “thought stopping,” a learned response to information and
ideas that threaten or contradict the group’s teachings.
In SGI, all criticism is dismissed as negativity. The moment we hear criticism, we label it “negativity” or “anger”
and immediately discount it and stop listening. If a member cannot maintain a cheerful, grateful attitude toward
SGI, that person is having a “karma attack,” an obstacle to their happiness that they must overcome so they can
be positive and cheerful once again. One must be positive and cheerful to “get benefits” from chanting — or so
goes the conventional SGI wisdom.
Is our training to “put on a happy face” an example of thought stopping? I guess it’s debatable, but that’s how I’ve
seen it used: to get members to squelch their own critical faculties.
Alternatively, when someone has a problem with something in SGI, we say: “Chant about it.” Instead of fully
discussing criticism and thinking things through, we are advised to chant. Chanting is a wonderful practice,
certainly. But when chanting is employed as a “remedy” for free thought and inquiry — or is used to rationalize
the group’s deceptions (or make us forget about them for the time being), chanting becomes nothing more than a
thought-stopping technique.
The BITEness in SGI is pretty obvious, I think. This is how it goes: You start to chant and you like it. Members,
leaders and publications keep telling you that SGI is the only legitimate venue for your Buddhist practice, the
best and only sangha sanctioned by Nichiren.
You are "encouraged" to read the SGI publications, which continue to reinforce the group’s messages. (In SGI,
"encouragement" and "guidance" are often ephemisms for peer pressure and reinforcement of cult-approved
views.) You are discouraged from seeking out "unauthorized” information or putting credence in anything that
you read on the Internet. Uncomplimentary views of Daisaku Ikeda and SGI are explained away in advance by
telling members that SGI has many enemies who are all jealous of the organization’s vast wealth, success and
millions of members.
Members may have persistent questions about doctrine, organizational policy or how to apply Buddhism in daily
life. They may find that their questions are not adequately answered. Even so, many do not search for a more
fulfilling sangha because they have been conditioned to make excuses for the SGI’s failings. From the very
beginning of our membership, it is impressed upon us that we must protect the SGI, preserve the unity of the
members above all, and “be the change we wish to see” in the organization. If there is a problem with the SGI,
the fault is with the person who recognizes the fault, or with common human failings, or with the “low life-
condition” of the group. The organization itself, at its core, is not to blame and should not be scrutinized or
criticized.
Even if we allow ourselves to admit that there are fundamental, systemic problems with the SGI, we most likely
believe that these problems are remediable. We honestly believe that the SGI’s stated aims are it’s true aims.
We assume that everyone is working in good faith toward the same goal of helping people to practice Nichiren
Buddhism. The last thing we think is that SGI is a cult and is therefore not playing by the same rules as an open,
progressive organization.
Some members say, “So what if it’s a cult? SGI has helped me, given me structure and a sense of purpose.
Besides, I don’t care about organizational stuff. I just care about practicing Buddhism correctly.”
This is the most insidious thing about SGI, in my opinion: the organization distorts Nichiren Buddhism to
undermine members’ autonomy and increase their dependence on SGI, and promotes this as “correct practice.”
For example, consider the fact that members do not own the SGI-issued Gohonzon enshrined in their homes —
"your" Gohonzon is the property of SGI. For a one-time fee, SGI will loan you a Nichikan Gohonzon, the “banner”
of SGI. Leaders and members spread rumors that other Gohonzon are “demon infested” or “don’t work.”
Some members think, “Great! We have more unity in SGI because we all embrace the same ‘edition’ of
Gohonzon.” Conformity is often praised as unity in SGI. But what’s more insidious is that SGI inserts itself into the
most sacred and central aspect of Nichiren Buddhism: the relationship between the practitioner and the
Gohonzon.
If SGI owns your Gohonzon, it’s not such a leap to say that they own your practice. And if they own your practice,
it’s not such a leap to say that they own a large share of your mind and heart. After all, the Gohonzon is not just a
paper scroll, Nichiren teaches, but the very essence of our life itself.
To be a good SGI member, you must have a Gohonzon that is approved by SGI. Leaders may rationalize this as
“protecting the members,” but even Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren himself are not approved by SGI. Perhaps
many members are relieved that they do not have to choose from the dozens of Nichiren-inscribed Gohonzon
available for free. But my point is that SGI pays lip service to freedom of choice and diversity, yet there is no
choice with regard to the most essential and personal aspect of Buddhist practice.
Granted, most SGI members do not believe that the teachings of Nichiren have been manipulated to serve the
self-enriching interests of a cult. We have been told for so long that SGI serves all humanity. Serving SGI is
wonderful, we are told, because SGI alone is fulfilling the Buddha’s decree. In other words, the group itself
perpetuates a belief in the unquestionable greatness of the group.
Most destructive of all, SGI members are indoctrinated to "never give up.” In Buddhism, “never give up” means
never give up on your own life and practice, and to be persistent in your quest for liberation for yourself and all
living beings. This is a great Buddhist attitude.
But in SGI, “never give up” is often invoked to mean never give up on the organization. No matter if participation
in SGI requires you to compromise your personal integrity, never give up. No matter how you have to rationalize
and make excuses, never give up. No matter that leaders and members consistently insult or ignore you, never
give up. Keep begging, keep pleading for change, keep smiling. Hold on to SGI, no matter how humiliating or
intellectually dishonest it may be for you. After all, we are told, Nichiren never gave up.
To me, that’s the poison in SGI’s BITE: convincing members that an abject, cringing dependence on SGI is really
something noble, brave and Buddhist. I think Nichiren would be appalled.
SGI is like a cage that members carry inside themselves. To my shame, I spent years helping SGI members
build and reinforce this cage. I feel obligated to say unequivocally that this cage may feel safe but it's really no
more than a trap.
The good news is that no BITE control is 100 percent effective or 100 percent permanent. There is a way to
practice Nichiren Buddhism free from Soka cult programming. The hard part is figuring out for yourself what that
means. ...Or, as Buddha might say, work out your own enlightenment
Manipu-Mentoring in SGI
SGI is emotionally manipulative, yet somehow SGI President Ikeda — leader of the organization for more than
four decades — is never held accountable. He's painted as the hero.
As members and leaders tell it, Ikeda Sensei is good, right and incorruptible; he wants only for you to be happy.
This is pretty funny, because if you look at who benefits from SGI, Ikeda undeniably does, in terms of wealth,
adulation, luxury, fame, dozens and dozens of buildings named after him, etcetera. In fact, he and his top
lieutenants are the only ones who indisputably, materially benefit from the Soka organization. Yet they are
believed, by organizational lore, to be the most selfless and worthy contributors to SGI. Leaders who are corrupt
or jerkish just "don't know Sensei's heart."
How does one come to know Sensei's heart? Leaders have advised members privately that one way to know
Ikeda's heart is to read his writings and pray daily for his health and happiness. What really helps is to cut out a
photo of Ikeda and keep it near your Buddhist altar or hang it up on a wall in your home. You should then have
"conversations" with your photo of Ikeda, telling him all your troubles, hopes and dreams. You don't even need a
photo, leaders will tell you — just open up a "dialogue" in your mind and heart with Sensei. Sensei is mystically
psychic of course, so he will hear everything you say (or pray) to him/his photo, and soon you will come to know
his heart.
Obviously the purpose is to get members to project their own fantasy of a perfect, wonderful "spiritual father"
onto Ikeda. So I guess it's no wonder why most members have a hard time thinking critically about him. After all,
the Ikeda they know is an Ikeda of their own creation/projection, an Ikeda about whom they have heard only
wide-eyed fables of praise from trusted leaders.
One of Ikeda's recent speeches provides examples of some of the manipulative messages that are
communicated to SGI members. Most of Ikeda's speeches follow the same pattern and say mostly the same
thing, time after time. But the speech I refer to here was published in the February 27, 2004, World Tribune
"special insert." It's SGI President Ikeda's address at a nationwide executive leaders conference held in Tokyo,
November 25, 2003.
The paper says,"In this speech commemorating 12 years of the SGI's spiritual independence, SGI President
Ikeda discusses the intense growth and development of our organization in accord with the teachings of Nichiren
Daishonin."
Right from the start, we are told, as always, that the SGI and its activities accord with the teachings of Nichiren.
And of course "spiritual independence" is a big fat euphemism for excommunication from Nichiren Shoshu.
Ikeda begins: "Who are the worthiest of respect? It is those working for the happiness of others, those firmly
dedicated to truth and justice. This describes our noble Soka members, each of whom is a priceless treasure."
So he begins with flattery, an example of what cult critics call "love bombing." According to Sensei, if you are a
Soka member, you are dedicated to truth and justice; you are working for the happiness of others. ...All of this
just by virtue of your membership in Ikeda's organization! How wonderful!
Ikeda continues: "It is imperative that we change the state of the world in which good-hearted ordinary people are
oppressed and forced to suffer. This is an age of democracy, an age where people are sovereign. Those in even
the most powerful positions of authority are there solely to serve the people. It must never be the other way
around. Our second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, strictly taught us this point."
This is the classic Ikeda mixed message. Yes, democracy is a great thing, but Ikeda fails to mention that there is
nothing even remotely approaching democracy in SGI. Leaders are not elected, and leadership appointments
are not reviewed by the membership. There are no term limits. The membership is not polled or consulted
regarding organizational policies. SGI finances are kept secret. Ikeda pays lip service to democracy and rails
against authoritarianism -- yet he himself is not accountable to the membership. Say one thing, do another.
The next section is under the heading "We uphold true friendship." This imparts the familiar SGI message that
SGI members are your real friends, your comrades in faith whom you should trust without question. In this
section, Ikeda says: "The courageous German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht, who vociferously opposed the
Nazis, called out to the people, "It's yourselves you'll be deserting / if you rat on [betray] your own sort."
Hmm. Ikeda name drops a famous poet, suggesting a kinship between the two of them, and invokes the Nazis --
emotionally loaded in any context. Then he uses Brecht's words to send a strong message about "betrayal"
(interesting editorial insertion by the World Tribune of the word "betray" for "rat on," by the way.) The implication
is obvious: those who leave SGI are betrayers and deserters, akin to those who betrayed their neighbors to the
Nazis.
Ikeda continues: "As comrades, family, brothers and sisters, fellow human beings, we will fight all our lives for
kosen-rufu. This is our mission. This is what unites us. We are a fighting force, a fighting fortress."
What is kosen-rufu exactly? The SGI defines it in different ways, usually having something to do with world
peace. Kosen-rufu is a vague goal, as is "world peace," a broad generalization, yet Ikeda declares that "this is
our mission." There are no objective measures of progress, no benchmarking. So members are "united" by
fighting all their lives for a non-specific goal. And how many peace organizations would brazenly declare
themselves a "fighting fortress," I wonder? This rhetoric speaks to the siege mentality inculcated into SGI
members: we are surrounded by enemies and we are the only ones who can save the world.
But now Ikeda returns to flattery and a show of humility, saying: "Allow me to deeply commend and thank all of
you for your tremendous efforts this year. Our repeated triumphs in 2003, the Year of Glory and Great Victory,
have indeed been significant."
He cites no examples of what has been accomplished, but goes on to say, "We have never before received such
a flood of praise and congratulations from our friends, supporters and leading figures around the world."
What accomplishments? Which leading figures around the world? Ikeda does not say, but the message is clear:
whatever vague things SGI members are doing, they are glorious, significant, global and widely celebrated. This
is another example of flattery, with the added boost to member self-esteem of being "special" on the world stage.
Ikeda says: "The only way we can accumulate lasting and eternal benefit is through our Buddhist practice.
Striving earnestly and humbly for kosen-rufu, without airs or pretensions, is what matters."
Hear that? Without your Buddhist practice as defined by SGI, you'll never have "lasting benefit." Also, you are
profoundly special...but don't get a big ego about it. Meanwhile, Ikeda names buildings after himself and ranks
himself alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the traveling SGI-sponsored Gandhi-King-
Ikeda exhibit...
The exercise of critiquing one of Ikeda's speeches is exhausting...and there are three more text-crammed pages
of this speech to analyze, including a section titled "To betray the SGI is to betray Nichiren Daishonin." Ikeda's
long harangue is enough to make me turn off my brain and nod my head in passive agreement. Which may be
the whole point...
Ikeda reportedly once said at a meeting that he didn't care if people fell asleep. People cannot close their ears,
he said, and even when they are asleep his words will still penetrate their subconscious.
Yikes.
Who's In Your Head?
Hypnosis is little understood by most people, writes Steven Hassan in Combatting Cult Mind Control: "When the
term is mentioned, the first image that may come to mind is of a bearded doctor dangling an old pocket watch by
its chain in front of a droopy-eyed person. While that image is certainly a stereotype, it does point to the central
feature of hypnotism: the trance."
Hypnosis applies to a hot topic du jour in SGI: the re-writing of the silent prayers that members read twice daily
during sutra recitation or "gongyo."
Hassan writes: "People who are hypnotized enter a trance-like state which is fundamentally different than normal
consciousness. The difference is this: whereas in normal consciousness the attention is focused outwards
through the five senses, in a trance one's attention is focused inwards. One is hearing, seeing and feeling
internally. Of course, there are various degrees of trance, ranging from the mild and normal trance of
daydreaming to deeper states in which one is much less aware of the outside world and extremely susceptible to
suggestions which may be put into one's mind."
In Buddhism, the word "samadhi" means a state of absorption attained through intense concentration. It's a type
of trance that is beneficial and integral to Buddhist practice. When Nichiren Buddhists recite the sutra and chant
daimoku, we enter, more or less, a trance. In this state, we participate in the "ceremony in the air" and commune
with the Gohonzon. In my view, there is nothing wrong — and everything right — with entering a trance-like state
as part of Buddhist practice.
Hassan continues: "Hypnotism relates to unethical mind control practices of destructive cults in a variety of ways.
In many cults which claim to be religious, what is often called 'meditation' is no more than a process by which the
cult members enter a trance, during which time they may receive suggestions which make them more receptive
to following the cult's doctrine. Non-religious cults use other forms of group or individual induction. In addition,
being in a trance is usually a pleasant, relaxing experience, so that people wish to re-enter the trance as often as
possible. Most importantly, it has been clinically established by psychological researchers that people's critical
faculties are diminished in the trance state. One is less able to evaluate information received in a trance than
when in a normal state of consciousness."
You can see where I'm going with this: The silent prayers during gongyo are the best time to indoctrinate
members with an unquestioning belief in the greatness and righteousness of SGI and its leaders.
So you can see why many people were alarmed when, without notifying members, SGI-USA suddenly changed
the third silent prayer to read:
"I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu be fulfilled, and that the Soka Gakkai International develop in this
endeavor for countless generations to come. I offer appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude for the
three founding presidents -- Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda -- as eternal models of
selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law."
Some SGI leaders have defended the new prayers, saying that the wording of the prayers is not important —
rather, what matters is what's in one's heart. Which begs the question: Then why print up and distribute a canned
set of prayers in the first place?
Do I think a nefarious plot is afoot, or that a mind-control strategy is consciously being applied by diabolical
leaders in SGI-USA to convince people that they owe a debt to the SGI? Or that the SGI is deliberately distorting
the concept of gratitude as taught by Nichiren to manipulate people into enriching the fortunes of a religious
corporation?
No, I don't think this is happening consciously on the part of most leaders and members. But lack of conscious
intent does not mean that mind-control techniques are not being used.
And who truly stands to benefit from the doctrines now stated in the SGI-USA silent prayers? The corporation
itself and its top leaders.
It is not known whether Nichiren prescribed any sort of silent prayers during sutra recitation. All we know is that
he urged people to chant and recite portions of the sutra, and he did not specify how often his students should do
this. So silent prayers are not necessarily an orthodox element of Nichiren Buddhist practice.
Another interesting wrinkle to prayergate is that the new prayers announced in the official SGI memo were
adopted in other English-speaking countries such as Canada. But in the United States, the prayers were
changed yet again to underscore the message that SGI members must "repay their debt" to the eternal SGI
leaders. SGI-USA leaders have explained away this discrepancy, claiming that the newer new U.S. prayers are a
"better translation."
Perhaps the leaders of SGI-USA believe in all sincerity that SGI members should embrace the doctrines
expressed in the prayers, for our own good. They only want to help us. Perhaps these leaders are not
consciously aware of the power of suggestion during a trance, and these silent prayers just feel "right" to them.
That may well be. No group says: "Hey, we're a cult! We employ techniques to indoctrinate and manipulate your
mind! Come on in!"
Cult mind control often relies on lack or suppression of conscious awareness. All the more reason to raise these
issues for public discussion.
Plausible Cult Deniability
For years, I told myself that SGI wasn’t a cult, yet the functional reality of SGI was plain to see. For instance,
President Ikeda would say that we should all speak our minds freely. But members would censor themselves out
of fear of disrupting the group, keeping in mind that President Ikeda also often said that disrupting the unity of
SGI was a grave offense against Buddhism. (He is, after all, a master manipu-mentor.) Top and mid-level leaders
would frown on dissent, even going so far as to issue a memo saying that only “pertinent” dialogue would be
permitted in official SGI meetings and publications.
In other words, SGI is a cult that pays lip service to the value of free speech and dissent – just enough lip
service, perhaps, to make people doubt the applicability of the word “cult.” Even so, members who express
criticism of the organization are demoted, marginalized, ridiculed, insulted or defamed.
Simply, SGI’s stated goals and values are not its functional goals and values.
If you’re an SGI member, you are probably aware of the dichotomy between stated values and actual values in
the organization. You may have learned to rationalize this dichotomy as a conflict between “ocean” and “village”
cultures, or a conflict between “American” values and “Japanese” values, or the difference between those who
“know Sensei’s heart” and those who don’t.
By rationalizing the dichotomy in this way, members can be persuaded that the “heart” of the organization is in
the right place and that somehow, eventually, the organization will become the type of open, supportive sangha
that it claims to be. It's easy to believe this when you want to believe it -- despite all evidence to the contrary -- to
preserve your sense of having made a free, informed and correct choice in committing to SGI.
Over the past 15 years, things have changed for the better in the SGI, many members tell themselves. This is
what I call the Myth of Substantive Change in SGI, the belief that the SGI used to be a cult but is no longer.
People point to the fact that inane songs are no longer (routinely) sung at meetings, and SGI members no longer
stand on street corners trying to recruit new members. In other words, the SGI leadership has come to realize
that these activities scream "cult" to most observers, thus necessitating a change in window dressing.
Many SGI members tout the apparent acceptance of gays and lesbians — and the active recruitment of new
members at Gay Pride celebrations — as a jaw-dropping miracle of positive change in SGI. For decades, gay
SGI members remonstrated with SGI leaders about organizational hostility toward gays. Did these sincere efforts
finally bring about a major change in SGI?
I think not. After all, this “change” benefits the organization by opening up a new constituency of eager recruits,
many of whom are idealistic and have felt alienated from traditional religion and are seeking a spiritual “home.”
Many have significant disposable income and often fewer family obligations. Plus, gays are a demographic group
renowned for loyalty to organizations and advertisers who reach out to them (as many marketers have learned
so lucratively over the past decade.)
In my opinion, informed by the fact that I'm a lesbian: “Acceptance” of gays is not a fundamental change in the
SGI. Rather, it’s a sign that SGI recognizes a cult-recruitment jackpot when they see one. So don’t hold your
breath waiting for the SGI to take a stand against the Federal Marriage Amendment. (SGI claims to be apolitical,
despite their history of hiring lobbyists in the U.S.) Besides, discrimination against gays has always been and
always will be indefensible in light of Nichiren Buddhist teachings. So with social attitudes toward gays becoming
more accepting, SGI had no doctrinal leg to stand on, and was quickly losing it's social excuse for discrimination.
Welcome to SGI, homos!
When I worked for SGI-USA in 1998, I requested that they expand their health insurance policy to cover the
same-sex domestic partners of their gay and lesbian employees. The proposal was rejected by the SGI-USA
Board of Directors. Gays and lesbians can get "married" in SGI, sure. But the SGI doesn't put its money where
its mouth is and actually recognize these relationships as equal to heterosexual marriage.
So. Read newspaper reports about Soka Gakkai going back more than forty years. You'll see that the more
things change, the more they stay the same. Since 1963, when Daisaku Ikeda first came to the U.S., Soka
Gakkai has been interested in expanding its political power in Japan and throughout the world. Since the very
beginning and all the way up to the recent lawsuit and trouble at Soka University of America, Soka Gakkai has
proven itself to be an aggressive, deceptive organization concerned with wealth, political power and secular
influence.
Who Benefits?
Who benefits from the SGI? Members have been told time and again that they themselves benefit, and that
society benefits. But the members and society do not control the purse strings on SGI’s billions. They do not
make the organization’s policies. They are not on the organization’s payroll.
Who controls the money? Who has final say on organizational policies and activities? Who benefits from being
able to say that he has profound influence over millions of people across the globe, including more than 300,000
people in America? Who benefits from a billion dollars worth of real estate in the United States? Whose name is
on buildings and auditoriums and monuments built with SGI money?
SGI members have been trained to dismiss these questions as destructive innuendo. They’ve been programmed
to think that any criticism of Daisaku Ikeda is unfair and motivated by anger or jealousy.
It’s not unreasonable to hold the leader of an organization responsible for its failings. Even the Pope takes heat
from Catholics. It’s not unconscionable to suggest that a Chief Executive Officer has a self-interested
involvement in his own corporation. In fact, it’s common and customary for shareholders or members to demand
accountability from the top dog of an organization. Dictatorships and cults are the exceptions.
Posted by Mark Rogow at 11:58 AM
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273 comments:
1.
Mark RogowDecember 8, 2013 at 10:23 PM

I wish I could write like her!
Reply
2.
Andy HanlenDecember 9, 2013 at 1:53 PM
Lisa speaks from personal experience and thorough research. Well written (as is all of her work).
Reply
3.
greg romeroDecember 10, 2013 at 1:03 PM
nst and sgi don't really study the teachings and both have made up much erroneous buddhism. this article
above is very good and all true. however, she has left out the most damaging and tragic part of it all which is
slander of the lotus sutra and using buddhism for personal and selfish gain. no one in the sgi or nst will attain
buddhahood. they only compound their karma. sad and tragic.
Reply
Replies
1.
ohgeeMarch 25, 2014 at 9:49 AM
You may be referring to comments like "We receive the benefits of 6 Paramitas without having to
practice them." SGI is guilty now of 'stealing precepts' which Nichiren warned against. The 'cult'
word could be applied to all who proclaim Nichirenism!
2.
Ashley HartmanJanuary 11, 2016 at 7:49 AM
Hello! First, I'd like to point out, I have no desire to defend or argue with your views as you are
entitled to express your own
experiences and opinions. I simply felt the need to share mine as well...which happen to be different
than yours! My Mother has practiced SGI my entire life while my Father practiced Southern Baptist
avidly. There was never a conflict in our home and we (myself and my siblings) were exposed to
both but never pressured into one or the other. They always told us if we were good people and if
we did good things our after lif would be fruitful. I did end up years later practicing SGI as well
although, I had then, and still do have an interest in other practices around the world. You stated in
this article: "they may look less cartoonishly cult-like. But the goal remains the same: to make
members believe that they will suffer without the group" this has me questioning your view on
religion as a whole. Is it not the teaching of all Christianity, with out the faith and belief in "God"
specifically THEIR God you will also suffer eternity in Hell when you pass? Also you stated: "Those
who leave come crawling back to SGI begging for forgiveness...." This, while in your experience is
true, sound fairly identical to Catholicism. Do they not repent and confess their sins followed by
begging for forgives to save their spot in heaven....sins that go against the teachings of THEIR
religious group? Another here that has me confused (I'm almost done. ..I swear!) "SGI used to be a
cult but is no longer. People point to the fact that inane songs are no longer (routinely) sung at
meetings, and SGI members no longer stand on street corners trying to recruit new members."
Inane songs sound extremely similar to the Church Hymns in every church I have experienced, and
recruiting members seams familiar as LDS members walk door to door to share their beliefs with
their communities,it also could be compaired to Christian Missionaries traveling the world sharing
their beliefs and while I really dislike this word "recruiting" people to their religion so they don't suffer
eternally. The greatest aspect of religious freedom is just that the freedom to choose what makes
you happy. Clearly, with these points, organized religion in general could be considered a "cult".
The reality is, in my opinion if being an SGI member makes you happy, and pushes you to fight to
better yourself and your morals then allow that happiness and positivity to radiate and share it. If it
doesn't keep searching until you find it else where. Reguardless of what religion, if any you choose,
it seams wrong and imoral to me to label something that works for so many negatively because it
didn't work for you. I suppose this is why we are each entitled to our own opinions...Thank you
freedom of speach!
3.
Before I end my rant, I've read thousands of views like this one on the internet and I know this
wasn't in your article but it is brought up on the subject so I feel I need to address it as well (selfish,
I know): SGI members belive simply chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo will magically grant them
wealth, great health, materialistic things...each in their own words but you get the gist. My mother
always taught me, when I meditate to use that calming highly focused time to place the negatives in
and around my life in an order that makes sense to me and allow myself to see the solutions.
Meditating doesn't give you material possessions, although it is important to you're health to allow
yourself that time, it allows you the opportunity to see solutions to your typically stressful issues in a
non stressful state. You are able to see the finish line and after your goals are set and you go for
them. Of course that is just what I was taught! I am very happy with the path I've chosen and I wish
you the best of luck on yours. I felt your article was very well written and well thought. I also want to
say that I appreciate the research and time you must have put into not only the writing, but the
fourteen years you spent practicing. I just feel as I said before, what works for one may not work for
another....this should mean that it's wrong, just that the chosen path was wrong for that individual.
There are plenty of others to walk down.
Thank you for your time,

Ashleigh Nikolakakis
Hot Springs, AR
Reply
4.

Fantastic point!
Reply
5.
Anirban ShawApril 24, 2014 at 6:18 AM
Hello author. I started reading this post looking for a fresh perspective but I did not have to reach 10
sentences to figure out that you are grossly misled. I would not waste my time invalidating your ridiculous
post, but I would say this. SGI DOES NOT allow any kind of monetary transaction to be taken place between
members or leaders.
The SGIs mission is to spread and propagate the Lotus Sutra. Now, understand this. You are a leader. You
are given the responsibility to propagate Nichiren Buddhhism as you are very well fond of it. Can you explain
a valid, free, self-sustaining method? If you can I would suggest, you contact Dr. Daisaku Ikeda for he's in
need of a successor.
As far as I have understood, the model of the SGI is the best possible model to propagate the Lotus Sutra as
nowadays people have lost all forms of faith. And if SGI is paving the pathway towards it, I don't understand
your deep dissatisfaction with it.
You are right in what you say about SGI but they are wrongly interpreted. for example when you say "chanting
becomes nothing more than a thought-stopping technique", you are right. But do you realize that at the core
of the Lotus Sutra, this is what it says. You cannot be worried. But nobody can ever tell you to not think good
things. Do you do that. Do we all think good good things all the time? I'm sure of that answer and I know so
are you. I hope you understand what I'm saying even if its a fraction.
I can go on and on commenting on this infuriating post, but I would stop here as I can understand that you are
grossly cruely misled. I would suggest you chant and chant your life away.You have been taken advantage of
and I would tell you to reach out and try to understand the true motive behind SGI.
Thanks
With Regards
Anirban Shaw
India
Reply
Replies
1.
I was taught, when I pray, to pray for others happiness and poitivity...whether friend or foe because
when the people around you are happy you will be too. I don't care what you follow, practice or
believe in, I'm actually dissapoinTed in the majority of these responses aND yours has dearly hit
home. Does it matter that someone doesn't believe what you do? I strongly believe in
accountability, you read something you felt to be negative...because you can't relate, but it didn't
infuriate you, you had a choice to walk away, meditate, and be thankful that you are no longer
searching for your happiness. Instead you chose to bash someone for simply expressing their
rightful opinion based on their own personal years of experience. I guess I am just having a hard
time understanding, either way when I pray this evening I'm going to include you for a more positive
outlook. You have no power to judge another...you're only in control of your own peace. Im not
perfect and I do get upset, I have a TON of learning left to do but I do know two wrongs don't make
a right....this is still taught right?
2.
Mark RogowJanuary 24, 2016 at 5:35 AM

Ashley Haratman, you write: "I don't care what you follow, practice or believe in,..."
This too is not Nichiren Daishonin's Lotus Sutra Buddhism. i suggest you cease and desist calling
yourself a Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist along with your other SGI heretics.
Reply
6.
Mark RogowApril 25, 2014 at 6:50 AM

Hi Anirban. I understand your perspective and I appreciate your courage coming here. We who have left the
SGI and who continue to chant the Daimoku, worship the Gohonzon, and revere the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren,
and the Eternal Buddha, have tens of thousands of man/years in the Soka Gakkai. There is little you can tell
us about the Soka Gakkai. The Soka Gakkai spreads Ikedaism, not Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism.
You tell us to chant "our lives away". Is this the behavior of a Buddha or is this proof of the depraved life
conditions of the members of the Ikeda cult? You have no mirror. Your Nichikan no-Honzon has no power to
transform people into Buddhas. The Lotus Sutra transforms one thousand out of one thousand people into
Buddhas. This is proof that what you spread is not the Lotus Sutra but the machinations of a warped teacher.
.
Reply
Replies
1.
AnonymousMarch 27, 2015 at 10:12 AM
Mark -
I have been attending sgi meetings for about 4 months in the Detroit, MI area. As a result of issues I
was having re receiving the Gohonzon (intrusive over-site by "leaders"
trying to convince me that they needed to meet my wife - to assure that she was "ok"
with having the Gohonzon in our house - and their needing to determine the best site
for the Gohonzon. My argument is that I'm not 5 years old and I'm not concerned about
"the wind blowing out a window where the Gohonzon is placed" or my wife "getting
angry and vandalizing the Gohonzon" (their words) - "I don't really know you people
and I'm not sure I want you in my house". I have determined that it would be hypocritical to accept a
Gohonzon from the sgi because I don't believe in, or necessarily
agree with it's agenda and some of the practices.
My question is based on a post of yours that I read. What, or, where does a person do/go who
wants to chant to the Gohonzon and maintain a butsudan and have connections with other like-
minded, non -Ikeada oriented Buddhist want-to-be's? I really like chanting because it allows me to
create my own little corner of the multiverse, and I want to continue it.
Thanks for your response.
mark r.
mreynolds08@wowway.com
2.
Mark RogowMarch 30, 2015 at 8:55 AM

I am on vacation. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you Anonymous. E-mail me and I will send
you a high definition copy of The Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma. You may print it
out on fine acid free paper or parchment paper and place it in a hard acrylic "indestructible frame"
or mount it on a blank wall scroll. Or, if you send me a blankwall scroll, I will mount it for you. I have
14 already printed copies. I can send you one of them and if you send me $20 dollars I will frame it
for you in a nearly indestructible and protective frame from Hobby Lobby. If you don't have the
money, don't worry about it. Let me know and keep chanting.
3.
Rio VenturaMay 10, 2015 at 7:29 AM
Response [Pt. 1]
So...Mark. Let me get this straight. You:
- publish a nail-biting critique of the SGI as an organization, the points [many of which I agree
wholeheartedly with] made by use of employing really some very impressively astute psycho-babble
and fear-speak,
- you rail against many of your commenters with accusations of being summarily deluded, even
commenters who have either identified themselves as ALSO having parted ways with the
organization, or acknowledge your grievances but disagree with you on various points of how this is
"occurring" to you [because context is created in language, of course, and yours, as is similarly
throughout the duration of this article and subsequent comments, is increasingly suspicious and
(perhaps) justifiably yet unapologetically hostile],
- and NOW you yourself are taking personal, fiscal, and karmic responsibility for the transmisson of
the True Object of Devotion for Observing One's Mind, the most sacred of objects, the
GOHONZON [!!], and making it available for digital download?????????????? :-o Are you going to
make up your own Buddhism while you're on a roll, because you're already behaving so insidiously
shockingly that it seems like the next and most obvious outcropping? :-/
I GET why, in so very many instances, you are put off by the organization and I AGREE WITH YOU
on many of these points. I am not one to pursue blind faith; if I was, I'd have never have strayed
from my mother, the Jehovah's Witness MINISTER. :-(
I have always maintained that I would only ever continue this practice if it MADE SENSE, and I
have many years of actual proof of how this practice WORKS, even from a quantum physical
perspective. There is absolutely something to the claim that this is the ULTIMATE practice, religion,
etc., and there is doctrinal directive to seek out actual proof on one's own.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that I am not talking about the SGI as having this ultimate power, the
practice does, the gohonzon does, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO DOES, but who is exactly in a
position to steer newcomers in the most "correct" method of the 3 ways of
faith/practice/study...you???
Mostly because of my odd schedule [I work nights], I rarely attend group meetings anymore when I
USED TO host them in my home, great ones, moving one, transformative ones! NEVER have I
been told that I was not going to "receive benefit" for having missed these meetings. NEVER have I
been told that I was "going to the hell of eternal suffering" for missing gongyo, not paying zaimu,
voicing my concerns/opinions/disdain regarding Pres. Ikeda, or any of the other myriad things "good
SGI Buddhist kiddies" are supposed to do or not do. I have been in this organization for 28years. I
have heard the George M. Williams-era horror stories. I [by choice] never took part in street
shakubuku, although I can absolutely understand and appreciate the character building that sort of
undertaking is bound to produce. Only someone so far out of their comfort zone can crash their
inner mechanisms so fundamentally and open up a space for newfound ways of self-expression.
Good on them, (although I spent a fair amount of time laughing at them when I was a teenager). My
mother [aforementioned JH MINISTER!!) sent my brother to "look for me" at this "culture center"
place to make sure I wasn't “joining a cult”. Oh, the irony. He got shakubuku'd and came home with
a gohonzon. More. Beautiful. Irony.
4.
Response [Pt. 2]
I am mentioning all of this because what you are doing, saying and experiencing is the product of
YOUR OWN very specific and fingerprint-like karmic equation. Your experiences with the SGI,
whereas not unique, do not express the organization as a whole and I would not trade my history
with them for anything. I have a very clear picture in my mind's eye about where my life would be if
it had not intersected with the SGI, then NSA. The author got 'indoctrinated'. I got a deeply
ingrained sense of personal responsibility. The author got a paid position. I got flack for criticizing
the "old vibe" of organization activities as 'the young Hitler youth movement". No one EVER
ostracized me, criticized me, insulted me, forced me in any way/shape/form or, heavens forbid,
asked for my gohonzon back [!!!], which (by the way) you could not pry from my cold, dead hands.
How laughable and sad that someone would suggest such a thing. I am sincerely and profoundly
disturbed by the notion that there might be leaders so misguided as to infer that someone should
return their gohonzon under any circumstance except maybe the fear that they were liable to do it
damage in some drug-fueled rage or something. But I am equally floored and horrified that you
have developed your own system for the wholesale distribution for the ‘True Object of Devotion’ via
online order/request. The irony that you are throwing around the term “no-honzon” for anyone
possessing of a Nichikan gohonzon and then procuring an acrylic protective shell for it from
[Christian organization] ’Hobby Lobby’ is not lost on me for one moment. That is sheer comedic
brilliance, right there, btw.
I am not programmed. I am not brainwashed. I already said I agreed about much of the feudalistic-
style herding tactics and training. It's very old-world Asian. It doesn't work in a Western culture; I get
it. It feels insidious. We resent it. Culturally, it's incongruous with our nature. But what you are also
doing is equally as damaging as the movement for street-shakubuku in the 80’s. They made that
into a numbers game and that was just awful. Know why? WHO could possibly mentor all of those
people in simple faith, in the correct ways of practice, on accurate understanding of authentic
doctrine. There was so much misinformation, so much member care not happening, so much fury
and flurry and spinning of the non-stop activity wheel, that you know who REALLY suffered? All of
the people who had this precious new jewel [the gohonzon] in their lives and NO IDEA what to do
with it. Sooooooo many stopped practicing. Sooooooooooo many made terrible causes to mistreat
or neglect their gohonzon. The gohonzon is the mirror of one’s life, one’s enlightenment. What
happens if you “smash the mirror”, do you think? I’m speaking metaphorically, of course, but my
point is simple: a gohonzon conferral ceremony is a beautiful rite-of-passage into this practice, and
you do NOT have the authority - not karmically, not doctrinally, nor spiritually, and essentially what
you are offering is the equivalent of wanting a Rolex but attaining a cheap Asian knock-off on eBay
and expecting your experience with it to be anything remotely the same. So misguided, and I really
hope anyone [else] who doesn’t know any better doesn’t take you up on your offer.
5.
Response [Pt. 3]
From a doctrinal standpoint, you may want to closely reflect on the gosho, “On Omens”, and the
revelation of ‘esho funi’, or ‘the oneness of life and its environment. While life and its environment
may seem to be two independent phenomena, but fundamentally they are one and inseparable, you
could stand to chant to unravel why your experiences with the SGI have been what they are and
what internal darkness you are manifesting that led this to be so. This is not a pissing contest, my
dad cannot beat yours up in the schoolyard, and I’m not ‘better than you’. I’m saying that even
though I’ve made similar observations about the org, my experiences have taken a very different
path and you have forgotten that EVERYTHING possesses the “10 worlds”. The same knife that
can stab you to death in an alley can be used surgically to save your life. The same organization
you blanketly demonize is responsible for some of the dearest lifelong friends that I hold dear, and
for imparting to me much of the most profound knowledge and wisdom I have to offer. Nothing in
and of itself is possessed of good or evil, per se. That’s for Christianity to sort out endlessly. Your
experiences with the SGI, everyone’s experience with EVERYTHING, is a product of whatever
karma they are here to sort out. Why does a 2yrs old get leukemia and die? Is it a tragedy? Is it
unfair? No, it is KARMA. Is it profoundly sad for the parents? YES. IT IS THEIR KARMA to suffer
the loss of a child in this lifetime. The child lived quickly and died because it is something THEY
CHOSE to come here to do; IT WAS THEIR KARMA. The parents suffer the loss because that
experience is SOMETHING THEY [collectively] CAME HERE TO DO. They are not being punished;
again, that is a Judeo-Christian world view. If you understand this principle at its most fundamental
core, it is immensely and profoundly comforting. Nichiren Daishonin himself in the Gosho,
“Happiness in This World” said, “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard
both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what
happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your
power of faith more than ever.” EVERY circumstance of one’s life, everyone they know, the era in
which their life has manifest, every talent, impediment, minutiae of their lives is what they CAME
HERE TO DO. THAT is the definition of karma. Karma is mutable; even CHANGING IT is what you
came here to do. EVERYTHING in life is unfolding PRECISELY as it was meant to. If you have
forgotten that, then you’re not actually practicing Buddhism, but perhaps that self-made
philosophical creation I suggested you might be constructing for your own purposes.
6.
Response [Pt. 4, and final]
Buddhism 101, so to speak - “On Attaining Buddhahood” [N.D., Major Writings] - ”If you wish to free
yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and
to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth
that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-
kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.”
Perhaps start chanting for SINCERE appreciation for every single facet and wonderful, awe-
inspired, gut-wrenching, horrendous, elated, disillusioned, mountain-moving, etc., moment of your
life and chant to stop complaining about the experience you chose to have with the SGI to the point
where you are using it to make excuses for taking Buddhism into your own hands and delivering a
watered down experience to others new in faith. It is their karma to choose to chant the true
experience of the gohonzon into their own lives. Perhaps you can to manifest your own karma that
chooses not to deliver this counterfeit experience for your own reasons of bitterness and self
aggrandized authority. Anyone can say “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”, but still take actions to lead
someone down the incorrect path. It’s astounding to me that you could possibly not see that. I
believe it is the EXACT thing you are accusing the SGI of. Are all of their actions, tactics,
‘strategies’, etc. “value-creating” even though it supposedly their intention to be? Not at all, IMHO. Is
their execution on various matters seemingly mis-guided, perhaps even begging of criticism?
Absolutely. Can all of those things be said of causes YOU, YOURSELF are making, actions YOU
are taking as well? Undoubtedly and positively. See? No difference. Esho funi…oneness of life and
its environment.
I will chant for your happiness. (Gosh, how you must hate it when people say that now. That’s kind
of a shame, given the immense generosity and Bodhisatva cause implied.)
Study up, chant harder, and re-think it.
7.
Mark RogowMay 10, 2015 at 4:47 PM

Rio Ventura: Response [Pt. 1]
So...Mark. Let me get this straight. You:
- publish a nail-biting critique of the SGI as an organization, the points [many of which I agree
wholeheartedly with] made by use of employing really some very impressively astute psycho-babble
and fear-speak,
Mark R.: Which of course, you never cite nor address [Lisa Jone's "psycho-babble and fear
mongering"
Rio Ventura: - you rail against many of your commenters with accusations of being summarily
deluded, even commenters who have either identified themselves as ALSO having parted ways
with the organization, or acknowledge your grievances but disagree with you on various points of
how this is "occurring" to you [because context is created in language, of course, and yours, as is
similarly throughout the duration of this article and subsequent comments, is increasingly
suspicious and (perhaps) justifiably yet unapologetically hostile],
Mark R.: If my criticisms are justifiable, it goes without saying, they are unapologetic. As to being
hostile, many said the same exact thing about Nichiren Daishonin.
Rio Ventura: - and NOW you yourself are taking personal, fiscal, and karmic responsibility for the
transmisson of the True Object of Devotion for Observing One's Mind, the most sacred of objects,
the GOHONZON [!!], and making it available for digital download?????????????? :-o Are you
going to make up your own Buddhism while you're on a roll, because you're already behaving so
insidiously shockingly that it seems like the next and most obvious outcropping? :-/
Mark R.: Exactly as did Nichiren. Were you too a Bodhisattva of the Earth, you could also take
responsibility for the Transmission of the True Object of Worship. What do you think, Ikeda himself
transcribes the Nichikan Gohonzon for the thousands of converts to the SGI every year? They too
are digital downloads [as I bite my tongue in order to refrain from calling you a moron].
Rio Ventura: I GET why, in so very many instances, you are put off by the organization and I
AGREE WITH YOU on many of these points. I am not one to pursue blind faith; if I was, I'd have
never have strayed from my mother, the Jehovah's Witness MINISTER. :-(
I have always maintained that I would only ever continue this practice if it MADE SENSE, and I
have many years of actual proof of how this practice WORKS, even from a quantum physical
perspective. There is absolutely something to the claim that this is the ULTIMATE practice, religion,
etc., and there is doctrinal directive to seek out actual proof on one's own.
Mark R.: Were that true, then you would have no qualms about entering into a rain challenge,
debate, or similar actual proof challenge with me. By all means, you may bring along, Danny
Nagashima, Ted Morino, and Linda Johnson to help you. Nichiren teaches that many make such
claims but who is actually encountering the Three Obstacles and Four Devils? I am and this is
another reason that I can take responsibility for transmitting the Gohonzon.
cont...
8.
Rio Ventura: PLEASE UNDERSTAND that I am not talking about the SGI as having this ultimate
power, the practice does, the gohonzon does, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO DOES, but who is
exactly in a position to steer newcomers in the most "correct" method of the 3 ways of
faith/practice/study...you???
Mark R.: Me and all those who have the same mind as Nichiren.
Rio Ventura: Mostly because of my odd schedule [I work nights], I rarely attend group meetings
anymore when I USED TO host them in my home, great ones, moving one, transformative ones!
NEVER have I been told that I was not going to "receive benefit" for having missed these meetings.
NEVER have I been told that I was "going to the hell of eternal suffering" for missing gongyo, not
paying zaimu, voicing my concerns/opinions/disdain regarding Pres. Ikeda, or any of the other
myriad things "good SGI Buddhist kiddies" are supposed to do or not do.
Mark R.: Were you in the SGI YMD? If you were, you are lying. The other possibility is that you are
one of those rare individuals like David Aoyama who are not exhorted to attend the countless SGI
meetings and activities. David Aoyama was the top SGI senior leader who died in one of the planes
that crashed into the World Trade Center.
Rio Ventura: I have been in this organization for 28years. I have heard the George M. Williams-era
horror stories. I [by choice] never took part in street shakubuku, although I can absolutely
understand and appreciate the character building that sort of undertaking is bound to produce. Only
someone so far out of their comfort zone can crash their inner mechanisms so fundamentally and
open up a space for newfound ways of self-expression. Good on them, (although I spent a fair
amount of time laughing at them when I was a teenager). My mother [aforementioned JH
MINISTER!!) sent my brother to "look for me" at this "culture center" place to make sure I wasn't
“joining a cult”. Oh, the irony. He got shakubuku'd and came home with a gohonzon. More.
Beautiful. Irony.
Mark R.: I suggest you go the George M. Williams memorial facebook page and see the accounts
of the George Williams "horror stories" for yourself and the top SGI leaders like Dave Baldshun,
Mike Kikamura, and Ted Morino who were all teary eyed at the departure of Ikeda's most faithful
disciple EVER!.
Rio Ventura: I am mentioning all of this because what you are doing, saying and experiencing is the
product of YOUR OWN very specific and fingerprint-like karmic equation. Your experiences with the
SGI, whereas not unique, do not express the organization as a whole and I would not trade my
history with them for anything. I have a very clear picture in my mind's eye about where my life
would be if it had not intersected with the SGI, then NSA. The author [of The definitive analysis of
why SGI is a cult] got 'indoctrinated'. I got a deeply ingrained sense of personal responsibility.
Mark R.: Your viewpoints belie your assertion. You reek of SGI indoctrination ["George Williams
Horror Stories"].
Rio Ventura: The author got a paid position. I got flack for criticizing the "old vibe" of organization
activities as 'the young Hitler youth movement". No one EVER ostracized me, criticized me, insulted
me, forced me in any way/shape/form or, heavens forbid, asked for my gohonzon back [!!!], which
(by the way) you could not pry from my cold, dead hands. How laughable and sad that someone
would suggest such a thing. I am sincerely and profoundly disturbed by the notion that there might
be leaders so misguided as to infer that someone should return their gohonzon under any
circumstance except maybe the fear that they were liable to do it damage in some drug-fueled rage
or something.
cont...
9.
Mark R.: Perhaps you were too insignificant to receive an SGI Letter of Excommunication and I
notice, you didn't criticize the mentor or demand financial accountability. Also you never started a
group such as the Independent Reassessment Group [IRG], all of these things actionable offenses
that have lead to excommunication. As far as your cold dead hands, you don't have to wait. You are
already cold and dead in the eyes of Nichiren, a walking dead man destined for hell:
"The other type are people who have slandered the correct teaching in their previous existences,
slander it in their present existence, and for existence after existence go on creating karma that will
condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering. These people, even though they may curse, will
not have their mouths stopped. They are like men who have already been sentenced to execution
and are awaiting their turn in prison. While they are in prison, regardless of what evil acts they may
commit, they will receive no further punishment other than the death sentence already passed upon
them. However, with regard to people who are eventually to be released, if they commit evil acts in
prison, then they will receive warnings.
Rio Ventura: But I am equally floored and horrified that you have developed your own system for
the wholesale distribution for the ‘True Object of Devotion’ via online order/request. The irony that
you are throwing around the term “no-honzon” for anyone possessing of a Nichikan gohonzon and
then procuring an acrylic protective shell for it from [Christian organization] ’Hobby Lobby’ is not lost
on me for one moment. That is sheer comedic brilliance, right there, btw.
Mark R.: Sometimes online, sometimes in person. Always with the greatest respect and due
diligence. You had better throw out your food, shoes, shirts, pants, appliances, pens, books, and
house that were manufactured and assembled by Christians. If it disturbs your sensibilities to
procure a fine protective frame for the Gohonzon from Hobby Lobby, I suggest you procure one
from Michael's.
cont...
10.
Rio Ventura: I am not programmed. I am not brainwashed. I already said I agreed about much of
the feudalistic-style herding tactics and training. It's very old-world Asian. It doesn't work in a
Western culture; I get it. It feels insidious. We resent it. Culturally, it's incongruous with our nature.
But what you are also doing is equally as damaging as the movement for street-shakubuku in the
80’s. They made that into a numbers game and that was just awful. Know why? WHO could
possibly mentor all of those people in simple faith, in the correct ways of practice, on accurate
understanding of authentic doctrine. There was so much misinformation, so much member care not
happening, so much fury and flurry and spinning of the non-stop activity wheel, that you know who
REALLY suffered? All of the people who had this precious new jewel [the gohonzon] in their lives
and NO IDEA what to do with it. Sooooooo many stopped practicing. Sooooooooooo many made
terrible causes to mistreat or neglect their gohonzon. The gohonzon is the mirror of one’s life, one’s
enlightenment. What happens if you “smash the mirror”, do you think? I’m speaking metaphorically,
of course, but my point is simple: a gohonzon conferral ceremony is a beautiful rite-of-passage into
this practice, and you do NOT have the authority - not karmically, not doctrinally, nor spiritually, and
essentially what you are offering is the equivalent of wanting a Rolex but attaining a cheap Asian
knock-off on eBay and expecting your experience with it to be anything remotely the same. So
misguided, and I really hope anyone [else] who doesn’t know any better doesn’t take you up on
your offer.
Mark R.: Little of substance has changed in the SGI. Pure window dressing. As explained earlier, I
do have the authority karmically, doctrinally, and spiritually to bestow Gohonzon because I have the
same mind as Nichiren regarding the Gohonzon. As I have proven a thousand times, it is SGI
whose mind differs from Nichiren. The Gohonzons that I confer all have had their eyes opened by
Nichiren Daishonin. Yours have had their eyes opened by the slanderer Nichikan. The Gohonzon
itself is the Great Ceremony in the Air. What other ceremony is purposeful?
Rio Ventura: From a doctrinal standpoint, you may want to closely reflect on the gosho, “On
Omens”, and the revelation of ‘esho funi’, or ‘the oneness of life and its environment. While life and
its environment may seem to be two independent phenomena, but fundamentally they are one and
inseparable, you could stand to chant to unravel why your experiences with the SGI have been
what they are and what internal darkness you are manifesting that led this to be so.
Mark R.: Talking about omens, the exceptional drought on the doorstep of the SGI headquarters in
Santa Monica and the Great Earthquake in Japan that killed thousands of SGI members tells us all
we need to know about Esho Funi.
Rio Ventura: This is not a pissing contest, my dad cannot beat yours up in the schoolyard, and I’m
not ‘better than you’. I’m saying that even though I’ve made similar observations about the org, my
experiences have taken a very different path and you have forgotten that EVERYTHING possesses
the “10 worlds”. The same knife that can stab you to death in an alley can be used surgically to
save your life. The same organization you blanketly demonize is responsible for some of the
dearest lifelong friends that I hold dear, and for imparting to me much of the most profound
knowledge and wisdom I have to offer.
Mark R.: If this missive is a reflection of the lifelong most profound knowledge and wisdom that you
have accumulated, your SGI faith and practice has been a total failure. I suggest you send me your
Nichikan Gohonzon from your "cold dead hands" and I will send you the beautiful Nichiren
Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma. Myo is to revive. You will be revived with a correct
faith and practice and especially with a correct object of worship.
cont...
11.
Rio Ventura: Nothing in and of itself is possessed of good or evil, per se. That’s for Christianity to
sort out endlessly. Your experiences with the SGI, everyone’s experience with EVERYTHING, is a
product of whatever karma they are here to sort out. Why does a 2yrs old get leukemia and die? Is
it a tragedy? Is it unfair? No, it is KARMA. Is it profoundly sad for the parents? YES. IT IS THEIR
KARMA to suffer the loss of a child in this lifetime. The child lived quickly and died because it is
something THEY CHOSE to come here to do; IT WAS THEIR KARMA. The parents suffer the loss
because that experience is SOMETHING THEY [collectively] CAME HERE TO DO. They are not
being punished; again, that is a Judeo-Christian world view.
Mark R.: Certainly there is tragedy but the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren teaches us how to overcome
tragedy. Writing to a believer who just lost her teenage son. Nichiren teaches, "Now you must shun
and abandon this heartless world, entrusting yourself to the Lotus Sutra..."
In another letter he writes:
"Tien-t’ai Chih-che propagated his teachings for thirty years. During the first twenty-nine years,
expounding the doctrines contained in Profound Meaning, Words and Phrases, and other works, he
explained the five periods and the eight teachings as well as the hundred worlds and thousand
factors. He not only refuted the erroneous doctrines of the preceding more than five hundred years,
but also clarified matters that had not been fully explained by the Buddhist scholars of India.
TheGreat Teacher Chang-an states: “Even the great scholars of India were not in a class with him,
and the Chinese teachers—well, one need hardly mention them. This is no idle boast—the doctrine
he taught was indeed of such excellence.”9 How pitiful that T’ien-t’ai’s successors allowed those
thieves, the founders of the Flower Garland and True Word schools, to steal the priceless gem of
three thousand realms in a single moment of life and then, ironically, became their followers! The
Great Teacher Chang-an was fully aware this would happen when he remarked in sorrow, “If this
teaching should be lost, it would be a tragedy for the future.”
As far as your insipid view of punishment, Nichiren makes more than 200 citations for "punishment,
punish, punished" but you throw out this vital Buddhist principle for expediency and [again] because
it disturbs your fragile sensibilities. God is not the agent of punishment, it is our thoughts, words,
and deeds. Again, as far as "tragedy" is concerned, Nichiren is very clear what is the greatest
tragedy, "if this teaching should be lost".
SGI by throwing out the principles of punishment, slander, and especially Shakyamuni Buddha, for
example, is creating the environment for the teaching to be lost. This is the real tragedy of the SGI
teachings.
Rio Ventura: If you understand this principle at its most fundamental core, it is immensely and
profoundly comforting. Nichiren Daishonin himself in the Gosho, “Happiness in This World” said,
“Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of
life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be
anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever.”
EVERY circumstance of one’s life, everyone they know, the era in which their life has manifest,
every talent, impediment, minutiae of their lives is what they CAME HERE TO DO. THAT is the
definition of karma. Karma is mutable; even CHANGING IT is what you came here to do.
EVERYTHING in life is unfolding PRECISELY as it was meant to. If you have forgotten that, then
you’re not actually practicing Buddhism, but perhaps that self-made philosophical creation I
suggested you might be constructing for your own purposes.
cont...
12.

Mark R.: Was Daisaku Ikeda born into this world to lead people into the evil teachings of the
Nichiren Shoshu? This is what he did for over forty years. Was Nichiren born to recite and
propagate the Nembutsu? This is what he did for more than ten years. Then, they had a revelation,
an epiphany. Unfortunately, Daisaku Ikeda's was a partial revelation, a false epiphany at the
expense of the Law while Nichiren's was a perfect revelation wholly based on the text of the True
Sutra. " It is stated,
"The Nirvana Sutra says: “[World-Honored One, today I have learned the correct view for the first
time. World-Honored One, up till today] we all have been people of mistaken views.” Miao-lo
explains this by saying, “They themselves referred to the three teachings [they had practiced until
that time] as mistaken views.” And Great Concentration and Insight says, “The Nirvana Sutra says,
‘Up till today we all have been people of mistaken views.’ ‘Mistaken’ is bad, is it not?” The
Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” says: “‘Mistaken’ is bad. Therefore, let it be
known that only the perfect teaching is good. There are two meanings involved here. First, what
accords with the truth is to be accounted good, and what goes against the truth is to be accounted
bad. This is the meaning from the relative viewpoint. [Second,] attachment [to this viewpoint] is bad,
and transcending it is good. [This is the meaning from the absolute viewpoint.] From both the
relative and absolute viewpoints, we should abandon all that is bad. To be attached to the perfect
teaching is bad, and to be attached to the other [three] teachings is of course even worse.”
It is only after hearing and continuously recollecting the true Law that we can freely choose to be
born in a particular circumstance. Even the Buddha changed his mind, "In these more than forty
years I have not yet revealed the truth."
Rio Ventura: Buddhism 101, so to speak - “On Attaining Buddhahood” [N.D., Major Writings] - ”If
you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without
beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive
the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo.
Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.”
Mark R.: Certainly this truth is not the oneness of Daisaku Ikeda and disciple.
Rio Ventura: Perhaps start chanting for SINCERE appreciation for every single facet and wonderful,
awe-inspired, gut-wrenching, horrendous, elated, disillusioned, mountain-moving, etc., moment of
your life and chant to stop complaining about the experience you chose to have with the SGI to the
point where you are using it to make excuses for taking Buddhism into your own hands and
delivering a watered down experience to others new in faith.
cont...
13.
Mark R.: Then Nichiren should have continued to praise the Nembutsu. SGI is watered down. It is
not the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren:
"And the ninth volume of the Nirvana Sutra, speaking of the propagation of the Lotus Sutra, states:
'After I have entered nirvana, in the last eighty years before the correct teaching has passed into
extinction, at that time this sutra will be widely propagated throughout Jambudvīpa. In that age there
will be evil monks who will steal this sutra and divide it into many parts, losing the color, scent, and
flavor of the correct teaching that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this sutra, but they
will ignore and put aside the profound and vital principles that the Thus Come One has expounded
in it and replace them with ornate rhetoric and meaningless talk. They will tear off the first part of
the sutra and stick it on at the end, tear off the end and put it at the beginning, put the end and the
beginning in the middle and the middle at the beginning or the end. You must understand that these
evil monks are the companions of the devil....
“For example, milkmaids sometimes add a great deal of water to their milk. And these evil monks
do much the same. They mix in worldly sayings, thus presenting an erroneous version of the sutra
and making it impossible for large numbers of living beings to expound the sutra correctly, copy it
correctly, apprehend it correctly, pay it due honor, praise, offerings, and respect. Because these evil
monks are concerned only in gaining profit and support, they are incapable of widely propagating
this sutra. Few are the places they reach in their various preaching excursions, and these are not
worth mentioning. The impoverished milkmaids go from place to place selling their watered milk, but
although one may make gruel with it, it lacks the real flavor of milk. And this great vehicle scripture,
this Great Nirvana Sutra, is like this. As it is passed from place to place it becomes increasingly thin
and insipid until it has no flavor at all."
SGI pluralism and interfaith is to water down Buddhism. Removing Shakyamuni Buddha and
replacing him with the SGI mentor is to water down Buddhism. Adding and abiding by the
commentaries of Ikeda at the expense of the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren Daishonin is to
water down the Lotus Sutra.
Rio Ventura: It is their karma to choose to chant the true experience of the gohonzon into their own
lives. Perhaps you can to manifest your own karma that chooses not to deliver this counterfeit
experience for your own reasons of bitterness and self aggrandized authority. Anyone can say
“Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”, but still take actions to lead someone down the incorrect path. It’s
astounding to me that you could possibly not see that.
Mark R.: A Freudian slip? Yes, I choose not to deliver a counterfeit SGI experience and to promote
a bodily reading of the Lotus Sutra in the manner of Nichiren.
Rio Ventura: I believe it is the EXACT thing you are accusing the SGI of. Are all of their actions,
tactics, ‘strategies’, etc. “value-creating” even though it supposedly their intention to be? Not at all,
IMHO. Is their execution on various matters seemingly mis-guided, perhaps even begging of
criticism? Absolutely. Can all of those things be said of causes YOU, YOURSELF are making,
actions YOU are taking as well? Undoubtedly and positively. See? No difference. Esho
funi…oneness of life and its environment.
Mark R.: I relay the teachings as the print matches the print block. I am guilty of no fault, hoping to
save people such as yourself from falling into the great citadel of hell. My Esho Funi matches
perfectly the text of the Sutra. Does yours?
cont...
14.
Rio Ventura: I will chant for your happiness. (Gosh, how you must hate it when people say that now.
That’s kind of a shame, given the immense generosity and Bodhisatva cause implied.)
Study up, chant harder, and re-think it.
Mark R.: As long as you made this into a guidance session, here is my guidance to you:
You see what you want to see and believe what you want to believe. You have not delved deeply
into the truth of even your own own teachings. Perhaps I can help you.
Nichikan wrote:
"We recite the Hoben Pon (2nd chapter) to smash the provisional sutras, we recite the Juryo Hon
(16th Chapter) to smash the Hoben Pon, and we recits the daimoku to smash the Lotus Sutra".
Nichiren wrote:
“Nowhere in all the five thousand or seven thousand volumes of sutras listed in the K’ai-yüan era
catalog do we find a single scriptural passage that expresses disapproval of the Lotus Sutra and
advises one to discard it or to cast it aside, nor any passage that says it is to be classified among
the sundry practices and abandoned. If you disagree, you had better find some reliable passage
from the sutras that will support your view, so that you may rescue Shan-tao and Honen from their
torments in the hell of incessant suffering."(Coversations Between a Sage and Unenlightened Man).
Yet you do Gongyo and chant the Daimoku every day to this slanderer's Gohonzon. Why would you
ever think for a moment that you too could escape the torments of hell?
In the "Toke Sanne Sho [On the Three Robes of Nichiren Shoshu]," Nichikan Shonin cites Nikko
Shonin and Nichimoku Shonin as the Treasure of the Priest when revealing the Three Treasures of
Nichiren Shoshu, and then states, "I say that all the Masters, the successive direct successors to
the bestowal of the Law, are in this way included in the Three Treasures." (Seiten, p. 971)
Nichikan's Six Volume Writings" (Rokkan sho) is composed of the following:
1)."The Threefold Secret Teaching" (Sanju hiden sho): In this writing Nichikan exhorts us us to
abandon the Lotus Sutra and only embrace Namu Myoho renge kyo. This is bizarre since Namu
myoho renge kyo means devotion to the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo).
2)."The Meanings Hidden in the Depths" (Montei hichin sho). In this equally bizarre writing he
changes the Great Secret Law of the Object of Worship in terms of the person from the Original
Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni to Nichiren Daishonin.
3)."Interpretations Based on the Law" (Egi hanmon sho). In this equally strange writing, Nichikan
teaches that the Lotus Sutra was preached by Shakyamuni to explain Nichiren Daishonin's
Buddhism rather than Nichiren Daishonin explaining the Lotus Sutra through his commentaries.
4)."Teachings for the Latter Day" (Mappo soo sho). In this writing, Nichikan attempts to overturn the
use of statues as Objects of Worship despite the fact that Nichiren utilized and revered a Statue of
Shakyamuni Buddha as an Object of Worship throughout his life, praised both Dozenbo, Toki Jonin,
and Shijo Kingo for fashioning statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, and wrote about both "wooden and
painted" images.
cont....
15.

5)."The Practice of this School" (Toryu gyoji sho). In this slanderous writing, Nichikan says we chant
the Daimoku to smash the Juryo Chapter and chant the Juryo Chapter to smash the Hobenpon.
(6) The "Toke Sanne Sho" (The Three Robes of this School) explains the origin and significance of
the traditional gray robe, the white surplice and the prayer beads of the Nichiren Shoshu priests.
Here, he also goes on to overturn the Three Treasures of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren by asserting
that Nichiren is the Treasure of the Buddha and that the heritage of the Law, the succession, is
through the bequethal to one sole individual or the successive High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu (the
Treasure of the Sangha). On the Juzu, he wrote:
"The Juzu is a means to guide persons of inferior capacity and force them into ascetic practices."
"Juzu require an eye-opening ceremony before use. This can be done at your local temple." (Six
Volume Writings," Rokkan-sho, p. 225)
The Ryokkan Sho, far from being an Enlightened writing, is a bizarre writing.
Nichiren Daishonin, on the other hand, writes:
"When the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai applied the simile of ghee to the Lotus Sutra, basing himself on
a passage in the Nirvana Sutra, he declared that among all the sutras the Lotus Sutra is worthy to
be compared to ghee. The True Word teaching was introduced to China from India two hundred
years or more after the time of T’ien-t’ai. How then could T’ien-t’ai possibly have stolen the ghee of
the True Word teaching and called it the ghee of the Lotus Sutra? Of all strange events, this would
be the strangest!
What evidence is there then for calling persons who lived two hundred years or more before the
True Word teaching was even introduced to China thieves? Are we to put faith in these writings of
the Great Teacher Kobo? Or are we to put faith in the Nirvana Sutra where the Buddha likens the
Lotus Sutra to ghee?
If we are to regard the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai as a thief, then how are we to interpret this passage
in the Nirvana Sutra? And if we accept the passage in the Nirvana Sutra as reliable and conclude
that the writings of Kobo (Nichikan) are incorrect, then what are we to think of people who put faith
in such erroneous teachings? All I can say is that one should compare the writings of the Great
Teacher Kobo (Nichikan) and the pronouncements of the Buddha, and then put one’s faith in the
one that proves to be correct." (On Prayer).
"But those who follow the teachings of Nichiren honestly discard the mistaken doctrines of the
provisional teachings and the incorrect theories of the mistaken teachers, and, with all sincerity, put
their faith in the correct teaching and the correct doctrines of the correct teacher. Accordingly they
are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of
Eternally Tranquil Light. This is because they put their faith in the golden words of the Buddha
indicated in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching and chant Namu-myoho-renge-
kyo."(Entity of the Mystic Law)
Since the SGI fails, on this one vital criteria of putting "their faith in the golden words of the Buddha
indicated in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching", their land is the land of devils and
hardships and not the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Wherever the teachings of the SGI spread,
the people suffer and more tragedies and calamities occur. On the other hand, even one true
practicer of the Lotus Sutra in a city or a country will bring good fortune and peace to the people.
cont....
16.
Nichikan also wrote:
"The three groups of shomon disciples

accumulated good fortune since sanzen
jintengo [before being guaranteed
enlightenment), and those who received
the seed and reached enlightenment on
hearing the first chapter of the Lotus
Sutra accumulated good fortune since
Gohyaku jintengo. How possibly could
those who first received the seed during
the lifetime of the Buddha all without
exception achieve enlightenment in a
mere two-thousand years? [They
couldn't!] The reason is this: the
effectiveness of Shakyamuni's teachings
begins at Kuon Ganjo, but ends with the
two-thousand years of the Former and
Middle Days of the Law. ... Therefore
the people of the Latter Day of the Law
all innately have yet to possess the seed
and so are of the capacity to receive the
original seed of enlightenment directly."
(Rokkan-sho, p.110)
Who can understand such nonsense? He is like SGI leaders. Nichikan just makes things up out of
thin air. What ever pops into his head he writes and calls it the True Teachings. Nichiren says about
such men who fail to preach with Sutra in hand, even though they be great bodhisattvas, don't listen
to them. Nichikan wasn't even a Bodhisattva. He was a madman and he inscribed the Gohonzon to
which SGI members fuse. How could every last member of the SGI fail to become a madman?
Here is more proof.
Nichikan writes in his Montei Hichin-Sho ["The Teachings Hidden in the Depths of the Text"]:
"Therefore know this: *"One of Perfect Freedom"* is His true state (honchi). Bodhisattva Jogyo is
His transient reflection. And Nichiren is the manifestation of His true state (kenpon).
Nichiren Daishonin never revealed it and he never held back anything. Nichiren Shonin teaches that
his true identity is that of Jogyo and hidden in the depths of the Juryohon is that he, as well as we,
are Three Bodied Tathagatas, one with the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, our original
teacher.
The Juryo (16) and Jinriki Chapters (21) of the Lotus Sutra and the Goshos, the Entity of the Mystic
Law (Totaigi Sho), The Opening of the Eyes, The True Object of Worship, and Repaying Debts of
Gratitude, explain why the Nichikan Gohonzon is a demon infested condition for the ruin of the
individual, the nation, and the world.
'I likewise am the Father of the World,

The One who saves
from the various sufferings and travails" (Lotus Sutra Chapter 16)
"At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of
bodhisattvas, saying: "The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are
immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra to others I were to
employ these supernatural powers for a immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten
thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish
doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all
the secret essentials of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly
expounded in this sutra. (Lotus Sutra Chapter 21)
cont....
17.
Nichiren comments on this passage:
"Answer: In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting to the Bodhisattvas of
the Earth, his original disciples, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the essence of the
Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, says
elsewhere, "By now the original vows that I made have already been fulfilled. I have converted all
living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way." Thus, he has already fulfilled his earlier
vow. Then, intending to charge his disciples with the task of accomplishing widespread propagation
in the fifth five hundred years after his death," he called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and
entrusted them with the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching. This
passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the
secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation. It is this passage that gives proof of the lotus
of the entity that, for those of us who live in the Latter Day of the Law, assures the attainment of
Buddhahood in both the present and future."
Accordingly, at the present time in the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus
Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the lotus
of the entity. Truly it is a passage of secret meaning. Truly it is a matter of great concern. Truly it is
to be honored and admired. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, Namu-myoho-renge-kyo!" (Entity of the
Mystic Law)
"Answer: 'One: Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of
teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship." (Repaying Debts of
Gratitude)
"Now, when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world
of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three
calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It
transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction
and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past,
nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those
who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha." (Opening of the Eyes)
"In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the
practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time
stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva realm within our minds. The
bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’
who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000
worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." (The True
Object of Worship)
Nichikan asked us to abandon Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra. This is the purport of his
Object of Worship. The Nichikan Gohonzon is neither based on the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo)
nor on Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It is not based on the
teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Chanting to this Gohonzon is as if you were to take and revere the
offering of a sumptuous meal from the murderer of your parents or praising the one who has
kidnapped your child. You along with the offender (Nichikan) will both fall into the Lower Realms
and the Sutra's promise of peace and security in this life and a fortunate birth in the next will allude
you.
cont....
18.
Further Proof of my assertion is the fact that SGI would take up this Gohonzon as their banner of
propagation in the first place; the bizarre worldview of the SGI where Daisaku Ikeda is revered and
praised at the expense of the Sutra, the Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin; the misfortune that
invariably befalls its leaders; and the lack of insight of the general members.
If you send me your Nichikan gohonzon, we will see to it that it is burned respectfully as an offering
to Devedatta, the Ten Demon Daughters, the Lotus Sutra, and Shakyamuni Buddha or you may
burn it yourself while reciting the Daimoku and the Jiga-ge for the repose of Nichikan, the greatest
destroyer of Buddhism in human history.
19.
Mark,
My issue is not with the SGI; I have already AGREED that I do not fall in line with their tactics nor
their business model, so using my come-uppance to you as a thinly-veiled opportunity to spew
more of your vitriolic diatribe is pointless and transparent. Also, debating me in matters of doctrine
is useless and not at all impressive; I have access to all of the same texts as you do and have a
nearly 30 year practice in them to draw from.
My response had NOTHING to do with the SGI. It had to do with YOU, and by your own hand you
have helped to prove my point. You have:
1. vaguely admitted that you would see nothing shocking or slanderous in starting your ‘own’ brand
of Buddhism because you have the “same mind as the Buddha [Nichiren]”, so the presumption (I
suppose) is that everyone who asserts that they also do gets to make up it up as they go along
(which justifies your gohonzon sideline), even though “some people” are not Bodhisattvas of the
Earth [which is nonsense, as ANYONE who chants daimoku IS],
2. passive-aggressively called me a “moron” in words you ‘held at your tongue’ (very enlightened of
you…mind of Nichiren meets schoolyard),
3. taken your less-than-thimbleful of knowledge about my life and experience as a YWD AND
WOMEN’S DIVISION LEADER [thank you very much], and dismissed it out of hand calling me [and
I quote] “insignificant” and “a liar”, simply and I suppose because my experiences don’t support your
position, (very calculated, btw), and
4. positioned yourself as a high priest of this faith instead of even directing members to one of the
myriad Nichiren Shosho temples across the United States, thus masquerading yourself as some
self-imposed authority figure with the power to confer gohonzon, as if you know what that
responsibility even means. I have at times regarded that avenue as the most unfortunate path I
could imagine, intersecting with this incredible faith through a lineage of Japanese High Priests who
assert themselves as intermediaries between a believer and the gohonzon, which ultimately lies in
the core of one’s life and not in “a piece of paper”. I was wrong; this is far worse. Due diligence?
Laughable. Oh, the terrifying arrogance.
I think you have fought so hard to discredit my position, not because in some Bodhisattva
manifestation you actually are moved to ‘protect’ me from some programming you are espousing
the evils of. I think you just cannot grasp that anyone with a clearly higher life-condition than yours
of Anger could ‘escape the grasp of the “evil empire”’ and yet look upon it with grace and deep
appreciation for the opportunity and training it has given them to practice in this lifetime. I think you
are just angry with me, railing against the notion that I didn’t “fall for it”, that I never let the SGI tell
me how to act or who to be, buy publications I didn’t want, or take part in drives for membership or
financial support that I wasn’t motivated to get behind. I HAVE NO “mentor-aka-Ikeda/disciple
relationship”, nor have I ever, and publicly so. I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid. No one harassed me; no
one “cut me out”. I am sincerely sorry these things sound like they happened to you and it’s
currently driving your behavior, but this is your path and all I can do is chant for your happiness and
hope you don’t do too much damage whilst continuing to tumble into this abyss of bitterness and
self loathing. For someone making the claims you are, even in our dialogue you have taken some
pretty cheap shots, been simply caustic and nasty, unbecoming of the ‘enlightenment’ you
supposedly possess. (I realize that I am just fueling your technique for the ‘next time’ you get into
this with someone, helping you to ‘sharpen your tools’, so to speak, but after all, I AM NOT the one
claiming to have “the same mind as Nichiren”, worthy of being a priest of this faith, which is what
you’re essentially doing. I am certain this will not even live on the page long enough for the masses
to read and decide for themselves, but if it reaches even one person, I will consider that enough.)
20.
The words that were removed from the original Nichikan gohonzon were simply “Daigyo Ajari
Honshobo Nissho”, which was the language of conferral to one specific individual. In order to make
it more universal, the name of the intended recipient for THAT SPECIFIC PIECE OF PAPER was
omitted. That is the grievous slander the SGI is guilty of, thus rendering them “no-honzon” in your
quippy and cleverly disparaging language? *rolling eyes* By your definition, these recipients could
not chant to these Gohonzon and attain benefit because they weren't 'intended' for anyone besides
the original recipient? Nonsense. On the other hand, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood has asserted
that gohonzon transcription is a ‘secret transmission based on the bequeathal of the lifeblood
received by only a single person’, in other words, only the high priest has the authority, by right of
lineage. (I guess he forgot to check with you first.)
Whereas this is ALL superstitious nonsense, of course, and no more in my opinion than a doctrinal
tug-of-war between the SGI and the priesthood, my problem is simply with [now PAY ATTENTION]
your decision to make gohonzon available to anyone for any reason, regardless of your ability to
mentor them in continued faith. You have no bounds. I doubt you have the ability, the commitment,
hell, even the infrastructure it would involve to make a lifelong commitment to mentoring each one
of these individuals you are granting this solemn privilege to, regardless of their lack of
understanding of the significance. If someone wants “to create [their] own little corner of the
multiverse”, they don’t need a gohonzon to do it, because that’s not the solemn, lifelong oath they
are taking to protect and propagate this faith in receiving one of your Hobby Lobby knock-offs. This
is a grave slander and you should know better. What do you think will happen to these individuals,
never taught how not to slander the gohonzon, never supported when their practice gets tough and
inevitable challenges arise, when you have helped to facilitate Nichiren’s gravest [and as you said,
“punishable”] fear, that this practice might be LOST because the bonus gift they receive by
shopping at your gohonzon store is the mere cliff notes version of this practice?? What you are
doing is tantamount to gifting them a lucky rabbit’s foot and wishing them good-luck-and-godspeed.
You, nor any support of ANY organization or community of believers, regardless of which we decide
to align ourselves OR take exception with, will not be on deck to help them not abandon their faith
at their crucial moments. They’re on their own with YOUR “object of worship”, not Nichiren’s. That is
the difference I have a problem with.
21.

As Nichiren Daishonin put it, “…since the Law is respectworthy, the Person who spreads the Law is
also worthy of respect.” In that, I have the deepest respect for your efforts in expounding the True
Law far and wide. In the 26th Admonition of Nikko Shonin, he states: “You should treasure those
practitioners who are skilled in difficult debate, just as the late master did.” We are both treasured in
the eyes of Nikko Shonin, who is ALONE, ‘the Treasure of the Priest’. But in Article #1 of those
same Admonitions, he states: “The doctrines of the Fuji school must not differ in the least from the
teachings of the late master.” To that end, NO WHERE in Nichiren’s teachings have I ever read that
one should just go ahead and inscribe their own gohonzon, or just have a friend provide them with
one… I would be [rhetorically] interested in knowing where you got the notion that it would be ok for
YOU to start doing it, for all the reasons I have previously stated and that Nichiren Daishonin
himself intended. You are simply not qualified, and either dangerously deluded if you believe
yourself to be or willfully distorting the teachings for your own purposes, which is even worse if you
ask me…but no one was asking, really, so I will say this in closing:
Arguing with someone who is clearly not of sound mind is tantamount to being oneself insane. I will
simply leave THIS here for you in case you perhaps one day experience a moment of lucidity:
Your delusions of grandeur and megalomania are out of control. I implore you to seek the guidance
of a medical professional. Mostly, I will chant for the people whose karma led them to you as an
access point for this beautiful and profound practice, and for the happiness of those you might infect
in the future. You spoke of there indeed being “tragedy” in this world; in this I stand corrected. Your
adept distortion of the sutra and the Major Writings for your own gain in the pursuit of that warm
feeling of self-righteousness is indeed tragic. You and your counterfeiting are the worse type of
charlatanism, even more alarming because I think you actually BELIEVE IT, and that actually
trumps the priesthood and their atrocities towards the practice in my book. I never even considered
it could get worse than that; there I go, being wrong again. You are your very own Devil King of the
Sixth Heaven, and that’s impressive in the most unfortunate of ways. I wish you better things.
Sincerely,
Ms. Rio Ventura
22.
Pedro Miguel RamosMay 11, 2015 at 9:59 AM
Ms. Ventura, do you realize you are quoting from apocryphal writings of no study value whatsoever
outside your sect, and that puts you in a really sticky position?
First you quote from "On Attaining Buddhahood", not a Nichiren text by any credible scholarship
standards and now from the 26th Admonition of Nikko Shonin?
Sorry, but you could chant less and get some facts straighten up before entering a discussion like
this.
Yours, P.
23.

Part 2a of my response to you Rio. Please refrain from rebuttal until I post part 2b, later tonight or
tomorrow.
Rio Ventura: Mark, My issue is not with the SGI; I have already AGREED that I do not fall in line
with their tactics nor their business model, so using my come-uppance to you as a thinly-veiled
opportunity to spew more of your vitriolic diatribe is pointless and transparent. Also, debating me in
matters of doctrine is useless and not at all impressive; I have access to all of the same texts as
you do and have a nearly 30 year practice in them to draw from.
Mark R.: Good luck Rio but all the texts or years of SGI practice at your disposal will not help you in
the least.
Rio Ventura: My response had NOTHING to do with the SGI. It had to do with YOU, and by your
own hand you have helped to prove my point. You have:
1. vaguely admitted that you would see nothing shocking or slanderous in starting your ‘own’ brand
of Buddhism because you have the “same mind as the Buddha [Nichiren]”, so the presumption (I
suppose) is that everyone who asserts that they also do gets to make up it up as they go along
(which justifies your gohonzon sideline), even though “some people” are not Bodhisattvas of the
Earth [which is nonsense, as ANYONE who chants daimoku IS],
Mark R.: My brand is Shakyamuni Buddha's and Nichiren Daishonin's brand. "My teaching" is
Shakyamuni Buddha's and Nichiren Daishonin's teachings without adding or subtracting a dot.
From the writing, The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings, I am the third type of messenger, the
extremely foolish one who would not think of adding or subtracting even a dot of the teachings
because of my foolishness.
"The third type, being extremely foolish, will not presume to insert his own words and, being honest,
will relay his lord’s message without deviating from it. Thus he is a better messenger than the
second type, and occasionally may be even better than the first."
In another writing of Nichiren we read:
"In the same way, one who chants the daimoku as the Lotus Sutra teaches will never have a
twisted mind. For one should know that, unless the mind of the Buddha enters into our bodies, we
cannot in fact chant the daimoku."
The Buddha has entered my mind because I ceaselessly chant the Daimoku. Similarly, the term
"Buddha's mind" signifies the Lotus Sutra itself or the Gohonzon. Since the Gohonzon I embrace
not only has the physical aspect of a Nichiren Gohonzon but the nature or spiritual aspect of a
Nichiren Gohonzon [Nichiren's abiding reverence for Shakyamuni Buddha for example], how can I
possess anything less than the mind of the Buddha? On the other hand, the Gohonzon you
embrace, its spiritual aspect, does not accord with the mind of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren. It
accords with the mind of the great slanderers Nichikan and Daisaku Ikeda who reject The Master of
Teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine,
cont....
24.

Part 2a continued...
Rio Ventura: 2. passive-aggressively called me a “moron” in words you ‘held at your tongue’ (very
enlightened of you…mind of Nichiren meets schoolyard).
Mark R.: Why don't you address the point? Let me refresh your memory:
Rio Ventura: - and NOW you yourself are taking personal, fiscal, and karmic responsibility for the
transmisson of the True Object of Devotion for Observing One's Mind, the most sacred of objects,
the GOHONZON [!!], and making it available for digital download?????????????? :-o Are you
going to make up your own Buddhism while you're on a roll, because you're already behaving so
insidiously shockingly that it seems like the next and most obvious outcropping? :-/
Mark R.: Exactly as did Nichiren. Were you too a Bodhisattva of the Earth, you could also take
responsibility for the Transmission of the True Object of Worship. What do you think, Ikeda himself
transcribes the Nichikan Gohonzon for the thousands of converts to the SGI every year? They too
are digital downloads [as I bite my tongue in order to refrain from calling you a moron].
“This great portent [great earthquake] is a sign that our country is about to be destroyed by some
other country. This will happen because the priests of the Zen, Nembutsu, and other schools are
attempting to destroy the Lotus Sutra. Unless the heads of these priests are cut off and cast away
at Yui Beach in Kamakura, the nation will surely be destroyed.”
Today the Great Earthquake is a portent that it is the priests and leaders of the Nichiren Shoshu
and Soka Gakkai who are attempting to destroy the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren had many choice words for his abusers and ignorant critics and how about the choice
words your mentor and his leaders have for Nikken and those "Taiten" critics of the SGI? You are
very selective and you are very hypocritical. Your argument about digital downloads is moronic.
Rio Ventura: 3. taken your less-than-thimbleful of knowledge about my life and experience as a
YWD AND WOMEN’S DIVISION LEADER [thank you very much], and dismissed it out of hand
calling me [and I quote] “insignificant” and “a liar”, simply and I suppose because my experiences
don’t support your position, (very calculated, btw), and
Mark R: If you say so.
Rio Ventura: 4. positioned yourself as a high priest of this faith instead of even directing members to
one of the myriad Nichiren Shosho temples across the United States, thus masquerading yourself
as some self-imposed authority figure with the power to confer gohonzon, as if you know what that
responsibility even means. I have at times regarded that avenue as the most unfortunate path I
could imagine, intersecting with this incredible faith through a lineage of Japanese High Priests who
assert themselves as intermediaries between a believer and the gohonzon, which ultimately lies in
the core of one’s life and not in “a piece of paper”. I was wrong; this is far worse. Due diligence?
Laughable. Oh, the terrifying arrogance.
Mark R.: Au Contrair mon ami. I am saying that anyone can bestow a Gohonzon on another or
bestow a Gohonzon on oneself. It all depends on thinness or thickness of one's faith. It is the
opposite of authoritarian, something I believe you can not understand being so enmeshed in the
authoritarian Soka Gakkai. I also believe in diversity, unlike the SGI which only allows for the
distribution of one sole Gohonzon and not even a Nichiren Gohonzon I might add. Any Nichiren
Gohonzon is a valid object of worship and even any Gohonzon inscribed by a disciple of Nichiren
who shares the same faith as Nichiren is a valid object of worship. A Nin-Honzon [statue
arrangement Gohonzon] too is a valid object of worship since the Gohonzon exists in [correct] faith
alone.
cont....
25.

Rio Ventura: I think you have fought so hard to discredit my position, not because in some
Bodhisattva manifestation you actually are moved to ‘protect’ me from some programming you are
espousing the evils of. I think you just cannot grasp that anyone with a clearly higher life-condition
than yours of Anger could ‘escape the grasp of the “evil empire”’ and yet look upon it with grace and
deep appreciation for the opportunity and training it has given them to practice in this lifetime.
Mark R.: I think you discredit your own position. Since you lack a mirror [a valid object of worship]
you fail to see yourself. You apparently aren't even aware of your Sensei's guidance on "righteous
anger", let alone the Buddha's and Nichiren's. Rather than praise the SGI, have gratitude for the
SGI, you should rather censure the SGI for leading you down the path of delusion and your inability
to see yourself and to see clearly.
Rio Ventura; I think you are just angry with me, railing against the notion that I didn’t “fall for it”, that
I never let the SGI tell me how to act or who to be, buy publications I didn’t want, or take part in
drives for membership or financial support that I wasn’t motivated to get behind. I HAVE NO
“mentor-aka-Ikeda/disciple relationship”, nor have I ever, and publicly so. I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid.
No one harassed me; no one “cut me out”. I am sincerely sorry these things sound like they
happened to you and it’s currently driving your behavior, but this is your path and all I can do is
chant for your happiness and hope you don’t do too much damage whilst continuing to tumble into
this abyss of bitterness and self loathing. For someone making the claims you are, even in our
dialogue you have taken some pretty cheap shots, been simply caustic and nasty, unbecoming of
the ‘enlightenment’ you supposedly possess. (I realize that I am just fueling your technique for the
‘next time’ you get into this with someone, helping you to ‘sharpen your tools’, so to speak, but after
all, I AM NOT the one claiming to have “the same mind as Nichiren”, worthy of being a priest of this
faith, which is what you’re essentially doing. I am certain this will not even live on the page long
enough for the masses to read and decide for themselves, but if it reaches even one person, I will
consider that enough.)
Mark R.: You offer more proof that by abandoning Shakyamuni Buddha you can not distinguish
black from white. I am not angry at you in the least and no life could be fortunate than mine. I just
don't believe you but if it were true, you will never be an SGI leader and therefore, you will never
have the ability to influence others within the SGI. Perhaps for this reason, you are left to your own
devices. I also believe that you are treading on dangerous grounds for excommunication. Just don't
be too vocal if you wish to remain SGI. One need only see, read, and hear the SGI guidances,
videos, and lectures to know that you are not in the mainstream of SGI thought, let alone the
thinking of the SGI mentor and his leaders. In fact, were you to blog or widely disseminate your
beliefs about the SGI, you had better boldly declare that they are not the views of the SGI [a
disclaimer] if you wish to remain SGI. Let me say something about SGI financials. Go to the SGI
USA official website [http://www.sgi-usa.org/] and at the bottom of every page there is a bold
exhortation, Financial Contributions Support our Buddhist Movement for Peace, not an exhortation
to deepen one's faith, study the Lotus Sutra or the teachings of Nichiren, nor an exhortation to
demonstrate against Nuclear Weapons. Burying your head in the sand won't change the reality of
SGI, their partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industrials and the LDP, for example.
Cont....
26.

Rio Ventura: The words that were removed from the original Nichikan gohonzon were simply
“Daigyo Ajari Honshobo Nissho”, which was the language of conferral to one specific individual. In
order to make it more universal, the name of the intended recipient for THAT SPECIFIC PIECE OF
PAPER was omitted. That is the grievous slander the SGI is guilty of, thus rendering them “no-
honzon” in your quippy and cleverly disparaging language? *rolling eyes* By your definition, these
recipients could not chant to these Gohonzon and attain benefit because they weren't 'intended' for
anyone besides the original recipient? Nonsense. On the other hand, the Nichiren Shoshu
priesthood has asserted that gohonzon transcription is a ‘secret transmission based on the
bequeathal of the lifeblood received by only a single person’, in other words, only the high priest
has the authority, by right of lineage. (I guess he forgot to check with you first.)
Mark R.: You are so off the mark that I believe you have not read one thing I wrote about Nichikan
or the Nichikan Gohonzon. This is the weak Nichiren Shoshu argument, not our argument. I could
give a rat's patootie that SGI removed the specific conferral on the slanderer Nichikan's Gohonzon.
It is the heart of Nichikan that is rotten and by the principles of Esho Funi [Oneness of Person and
the Environment] and Shiki Shin Funi [Oneness of Body and Mind], so is the Nichikan Gohonzon.
27.

Part 2b....
Rio Ventura: Whereas this is ALL superstitious nonsense, of course, and no more in my opinion
than a doctrinal tug-of-war between the SGI and the priesthood, my problem is simply with [now
PAY ATTENTION] your decision to make gohonzon available to anyone for any reason, regardless
of your ability to mentor them in continued faith.
Mark R.: Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin are the only mentors. Perhaps you are not
aware that Nichiren was a scriptural Buddhist? Here is what Nichiren teaches:
“Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world
of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three
calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It
transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction
and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past,
nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those
who receive His GUIDANCE are one with this Eternal Buddha.” -- The True Object of Worship
“Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are his manifestations,
then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord
Sakyamuni Buddha. If the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter had not been expounded, it would be
like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems,
or a man without a soul. nevertheless, seemingly knowledgeable men of such provisional schools of
Buddhism as Ch’eng-kuan of the Hua-yen, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun, Tz’u-en of the Fa-hsiang,
and Kobo of the shingon tried to extoltheir own canons by stating: “The Lord of the Flower Garland
Sutra represents the reward-body (hojin) of the Buddha wheras that of the Lotus Sutra the
accomodative body (ojin);” or “the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus is an Illusion; it is
the great Sun Buddha who is enlightened.” clouds cover the moon and slanderers hide wise men.
When people slander, ordinary yellow rocks appear to be of gold and slanderers seem to be wise.
Scholars in this age of decay, blinded by slanderous words, do not see the value of a gold in the
“Lifespan of the Buddha” chapter. Even among men of the Tendai school some are fooled into
taking a yellow rock for gold. They should know that if Sakyamuni had not been the Eternal Buddha,
there could not have been so many who received GUIDANCE from Him.” -- The Opening of the
Eyes
I too am a scriptural Buddhist.
Rio Ventura: You have no bounds. I doubt you have the ability, the commitment, hell, even the
infrastructure it would involve to make a lifelong commitment to mentoring each one of these
individuals you are granting this solemn privilege to, regardless of their lack of understanding of the
significance. If someone wants “to create [their] own little corner of the multiverse”, they don’t need
a gohonzon to do it, because that’s not the solemn, lifelong oath they are taking to protect and
propagate this faith in receiving one of your Hobby Lobby knock-offs.
Mark R.: It is a great slander to call the Nichiren Gohonzon a "Hobby Lobby knock off". Perhaps it is
because you are a slanderer that you diminish the Nichiren Gohonzon or perhaps you don't really
believe the teachings that "I am Myoho renge kyo" or "I am a Buddha". Were you to really believe
these teachings, of course you would KNOW that you too are eminently capable of bestowing
Gohonzon.
part 2b continued....
28.

Part 2b continued...
Rio Ventura: This is a grave slander and you should know better. What do you think will happen to
these individuals, never taught how not to slander the gohonzon, never supported when their
practice gets tough and inevitable challenges arise, when you have helped to facilitate Nichiren’s
gravest [and as you said, “punishable”] fear, that this practice might be LOST because the bonus
gift they receive by shopping at your gohonzon store is the mere cliff notes version of this
practice??
Mark R.: And you accuse me of being presumptive! SGI gives out Gohonzon like Las Vegas escort
fliers. I have given out fourteen Gohonzon in the last three years and mounted several more. The
average length of time that these believers have practiced is SEVEN YEARS with the SGI, the
Nichiren Shu, or as an independent and I insist that the new new member practices for at least 90
days, day and night and that he or she demonstrates a faith of "Not sparing their bodily lives" and
all must sign one or both of the following oaths:
A DECLARATION OF FAITH IN THE HOKKE SECT
I, __________________________________, declare my faith in the doctrine of the Hokke sect:

1. I believe and accept the Hokkekyo or Lotus Sutra to be the Supreme Teaching of Buddha (The
Jewel of the Dharma).
2. I believe the Eternal Buddha, Shakyamuni, revealed in the sixteenth Chapter of the Hokekyo, to
be the True Object of Worship (The Jewel of the Buddha).
3. I accept the teachings of the Messenger of the Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, the Earthly
Manifestation of the Bodhisattva Jogyo, just as they are stated in his own writings (Jewel of the
Sangha).
4. I accept the Direct Succession of the Dharma through the Scrolls of the Sutra. Having sincere
faith in these teachings, I request that a Gohonzon Mandala be bestowed on me and I solemnly
undertake to treat it always with proper reverence and, should it become damaged or worn, I will
return it to a priest for burning in the proper way.
Date: ___________________ Signed: __________________________
A DECLARATION OF FAITH IN THE HOKKE SECT
I, ______________, do hereby affirm the following:

“I am a member of Hokke Sect of Buddhism, I am chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra (the
Primary Practice), as well as, chapters 2 and 16 of the Lotus Sutra (Secondary Practice) on a
regular basis (daily).”
“I believe that the Mandala Gohonzon represents the land of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Eternally
Enlightened Original Buddha, at the time of His transmission of the Law of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth (Ceremony in the Air).”
“I also make the following renunciations:”
“I hereby completely reject the teachings of all non-Buddhist religions. I hereby reject the teachings
of non-Hokke Buddhist religions.”
“I hereby also reject all heretical teachings that have infiltrated Nichiren’s Buddhism, such as the
belief that Nichiren is the Eternally Enlightened Original Buddha; belief in the so-called Dai
Gohonzon; worship of various supernatural entities as independent beings, etc.”
Signed and dated:
part 2b continued...
29.

Rio Ventura: What you are doing is tantamount to gifting them a lucky rabbit’s foot and wishing
them good-luck-and-godspeed. You, nor any support of ANY organization or community of
believers, regardless of which we decide to align ourselves OR take exception with, will not be on
deck to help them not abandon their faith at their crucial moments. They’re on their own with YOUR
“object of worship”, not Nichiren’s. That is the difference I have a problem with.
Mark R.: SGI has done such a fantastic job. Of the nearly 600,000 people who received the
SGI/NSA Gohonzon, at most 40,000 continue to practice [according to the inflated World Tribune
circulation figures]. Not one of the people to whom we [not I alone] have bestowed Gohonzon have
stopped chanting. You are wrong. You are deluded and blind [to the truth].
Rio Ventura: As Nichiren Daishonin put it, “…since the Law is respectworthy, the Person who
spreads the Law is also worthy of respect.” In that, I have the deepest respect for your efforts in
expounding the True Law far and wide. In the 26th Admonition of Nikko Shonin, he states: “You
should treasure those practitioners who are skilled in difficult debate, just as the late master did.”
We are both treasured in the eyes of Nikko Shonin, who is ALONE, ‘the Treasure of the Priest’.
But in Article #1 of those same Admonitions, he states: “The doctrines of the Fuji school must not
differ in the least from the teachings of the late master.” To that end, NO WHERE in Nichiren’s
teachings have I ever read that one should just go ahead and inscribe their own gohonzon, or just
have a friend provide them with one… I would be [rhetorically] interested in knowing where you got
the notion that it would be ok for YOU to start doing it, for all the reasons I have previously stated
and that Nichiren Daishonin himself intended. You are simply not qualified, and either dangerously
deluded if you believe yourself to be or willfully distorting the teachings for your own purposes,
which is even worse if you ask me…but no one was asking, really, so I will say this in closing:
continued
30.

Mark R.: You would do well to read Pedro Ramo's criticism:
Ms. Ventura, do you realize you are quoting from apocryphal writings of no study value whatsoever
outside your sect, and that puts you in a really sticky position?
First you quote from "On Attaining Buddhahood", not a Nichiren text by any credible scholarship
standards and now from the 26th Admonition of Nikko Shonin?
Sorry, but you could chant less and get some facts straighten up before entering a discussion like
this.
and Dr. Jacqueline Stone's Thesis, Some disputed writings in the Nichiren corpus:
http://www.princeton.edu/~jstone/dissertation.html
More importantly, the transmission is through the scrolls of the Sutra and authentic writings of
Nichiren Daishonin. not the edicts of the corrupt preists of Taisekeji.
Rio Ventura: Arguing with someone who is clearly not of sound mind is tantamount to being oneself
insane. I will simply leave THIS here for you in case you perhaps one day experience a moment of
lucidity:
Your delusions of grandeur and megalomania are out of control. I implore you to seek the guidance
of a medical professional. Mostly, I will chant for the people whose karma led them to you as an
access point for this beautiful and profound practice, and for the happiness of those you might infect
in the future. You spoke of there indeed being “tragedy” in this world; in this I stand corrected. Your
adept distortion of the sutra and the Major Writings for your own gain in the pursuit of that warm
feeling of self-righteousness is indeed tragic. You and your counterfeiting are the worse type of
charlatanism, even more alarming because I think you actually BELIEVE IT, and that actually
trumps the priesthood and their atrocities towards the practice in my book. I never even considered
it could get worse than that; there I go, being wrong again. You are your very own Devil King of the
Sixth Heaven, and that’s impressive in the most unfortunate of ways. I wish you better things.
Sincerely,
Mark R.: Your SGI cult nature is coming out. Bull baiting a votary of the Lotus Sutra is cause for
regret.
31.
Prabir HaldarOctober 22, 2015 at 11:15 PM
Mark you are a opportunist. Even Vivekananda and other philosophies emerging from the land of
Gautam Buddha says when you pint at someone, you point three fingers towards yourself.
Why don't you do 1% of what Mr. ikeda, did with a war atmosphere during his childhood to
tuberculosis in those days, and do not follow SGI.
That should be enough to lead you to a great life... Without Ikedaism.
Would love to see your name in wlkipedia with 1% PhD. As that of Mr. Ikeda's 340! From round the
world..
32.
Mark RogowOctober 23, 2015 at 7:41 AM

Honorary degrees are often rubber stamped. For example, never has the City College of New York
tabled any honorary degree. It is well known that benefactors are often awarded honorary degrees,
people like your mentor who donate thousands of books to the various university libraries. It has
been rumored that many of Ikeda’s degrees have been bought and sold for a lot more than books.
Here is another example:
“The PM News of Sunday, 19 June 2011 also reported that President Goodluck Jonathan had
approved N3 billion for the development of the University of Port Harcourt. The news was
announced by Vice President Namadi Sambo who represented Jonathan at the 27th graduation
ceremony of the university. The news came on the same day and in the same event in which Mrs
Jonathan received the honorary doctorate degree awarded by the institution. Formally, Jonathan
serves as the official visitor to the University of Port Harcourt.”
Some examples of evil men, monsters, tyrants, and dictators who have received honorary degrees:
“The most morally grotesque academic elevation was perpetrated in Spain, in 2005, when the
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid conferred a doctorate honoris causa on Santiago Carrillo, former
leader of the Spanish Communist Party. As chief of police in Madrid in 1936, he had presided over
Cheka death squads that murdered huge numbers of people (2,800 in one weekend) for the crime
of being ‘bourgeois’. Benigno Aquino; Robert Mugabe; President Sukarno; Adolph Hitler, Robert M.
Gates; Billy Graham; Sonia Ghandi, Jessie Jackson, Harry Laughlin eugenicist, the list goes on and
on…
“The free distribution of honorary degrees, always a possible source of evil, is especially dangerous
in the case of professional degrees, since the latter indicates the completion of an apprenticeship
rather than the attainment of learning and confer priveleges of practical commercial value and
subject to abuse.” — A.L. Benedict MD
“…in these days when men are angling for titles, pulling wires for “honorary degrees,” — George
Kulp from the Calloused Knees
33.

By the way, Vivekenanda's head split into seven pieces as has Ikeda's.
34.
Pedro M. RamosOctober 23, 2015 at 7:50 AM
http://study.com/articles/Whats_the_Value_of_an_Honorary_Degree.html
"Long Island University's Southampton College. In 1996, the school awarded an honorary Doctor of
Amphibious Letters to Kermit the Frog for his work in education and in raising environmental
awareness."
Reply
7.
Pedro RamosMay 2, 2014 at 5:20 AM
To Mark and Lisa with deep respect.
http://pramos76.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/reply-to-unknown-author/
Reply
8.
LambchopsueyMay 22, 2014 at 3:23 PM
I have popped in on the BuddhaJones website over the years, and was recently dismayed to find it no longer
exists. This is indeed a terrible loss to the world of dialogue and open discourse. (I like to throw as many SGI
buzz words in as possible, but I think you catch my drift.)
I left the SGI-USA in 2008 after 21 years of practice, doing leadership to the point of being a YWD HQ leader
in one headquarters - that means I got to see it all. Now I wear an anti-cult activist hat some of the time, with
the SGI as my target. Time to bring down the house of cards.
So thank you, Anonymous, for your wonderful article - every point rang true for me, except perhaps for the
SGI-owns-your-gohonzon thing. I never had any awareness of that - at what point did it enter into the picture?
Everybody should be aware that, as soon as you deliver your WRITTEN resignation to the org, from that
moment forward (heh heh), NONE of their rules or regulations apply to you. US legal precedent has
established that members can resign unilaterally - they don't need anyone's approval, they owe no one an
explanation, and they don't have to return their god damn gohonzons! If anybody had had the nerve to
demand MY gohonzon "back", I would have told them they were welcome to buy it back from me for $40. But
nobody brought it up :/
Look up "GUINN V THE CHURCH OF CHRIST OF COLLINSVILLE" and "THE NORMAN HANCOCK
LAWSUIT (Mesa AZ 1985)".
I can really relate to the whole "fear" angle - in one of the gosho, Nichiren says to not visit any other religion's
shrines (of course he focused on "heretical Buddhism" - meaning "not his sect"), not even to sightsee!
Because if you do, DEMONS WILL FOLLOW YOU HOME!!
IamSOnotkidding.
Aha - it's from the "26 Admonitions of Nikko" - that's Nikko Shonin, Nichiren's truest and onlyest real disciple
(according to the Nichiren Shoshu school):
Article 6: “Lay believers should be strictly prohibited from visiting (heretical) temples and shrines. Moreover,
priests should not visit slanderous temples and shrines, which are inhabited by demons, even if only to have a
look around. To do so would be a pitiful violation (of the Daishonin’s Buddhism.) This is not my own personal
view; it wholly derives from the sutras (of Shakyamuni) and the writings (of Nichiren Daishonin).”
Reply
9.
LambchopsueyMay 22, 2014 at 4:57 PM
I joined the SGI-USA (then known as "NSA") back in 1987, well before the excommunication by Nichiren
Shoshu. I was a YWD HQ leader when Nichiren Shoshu excommunicated Ikeda and the Gakkai.
What happened was that, at that point, the Soka Gakkai and affiliates were in deep doo-doo. Because
Nichiren Shoshu held the copyright to the religion, essentially, Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai had to scramble to
change things enough to not be charged with violating Nichiren Shoshu's copyright. See, as a lay
organization, SG/SGI could claim religious exemption on the basis of being an arm of established religion
Nichiren Shoshu. When NS excommunicated SG/SGI, NS yanked SG/SGI's basis for claiming to be a religion
and thus getting all those meaty tax and oversight breaks.
This was kept very much under wraps, but now that I look back, I can see its genesis: The "master and
disciple" relationship became the "teacher and disciple" relationship until it finally evolved into the "mentor and
disciple" relationship. That, plus the Three Presidents, as a new focus. Now, hatin' on the priesthood is a
permanent SGI doctrine, no doubt because Ikeda was publicly embarrassed and humiliated by the
excommunication.
Before the excommunication, much was made within SGI of how chummy Ikeda and the SG were with High
Priest Nikken and the NS priesthood. But after the excommunication, Ikeda and the SG did an about-face so
drastic that they probably all got whiplash.
Ikeda and the SG used to say that the SG's rapid growth and spread was the "actual proof" that Nichiren
Shoshu was the correct stream of the Nichiren school. That sure went away quickly!
I collected some of the doctrinal differences over here at

http://www.reddit.com/r/sgiwhistleblowers/comments/21k712/when_ikeda_sgsgi_got_excommunicated_by_th
e_temple/
Anonymous mentioned the change to the silent prayers; the SGI also whittled the recitation of the sutra
("gongyo") down from 4 short recitations and one long to just a single short recitation. We'd been asking for
that for YEARS, but had consistently been told that shortening it would be wrong. Until the excommunication -
then the time was right, obviously! Perhaps you guys can add some more.
Reply
10.
Noel PantonDecember 11, 2014 at 3:32 PM
I was at an SGI friendship meeting in a hall packed full of SGI members on October 13th 2013 (the
anniversary of Nichiren's death) he didn't even get a mention but instead they were singing songs praising the
three presidents and raving about self development, friendship, courage, Joy etc. Their state of mind is so
obvious, judging from their thoughts and actions, it doesn't get much clearer than that. Really sad to see what
the Gakkai has become when you consider what it could of been if it had based it's faith on the Writings of
Nichiren Daishonin and the 28 chapter Lotus Sutra revealed by Shakyamuni Buddha. This same behavior is a
Pandemic sweeping throughout the SGI throughout the globe and the epicenter is the Sokka Gakkai - Japan.
It is like it has become the Fukushima of Nichiren Buddhism
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11.
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Reply
12.
Since the excommunication of SGI by the Priesthood in 1991 they have been following the person Daisaku
Ikeda and not the Law, although it been happening for a long time before the excommunication.
Nichiren Buddhism follows the Law and the person that is one with the Law such as Shakyamuni and
Nichiren. In becoming aware of SGI's problem I learnt to distinguish between the SGI cult and Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism. Before I couldn't distinguish forest for the trees as I was in the thicket, thinking that I
could change things rather than just seeing it for what it is 'Ikeda Forest'
Because this cult mentality has become so serious and growing by the day I have had to cancel my 25 year
membership registration with the SGI and download a complete Nichiren Gohonzon for the transmission of
the Dharma. Nichikans Gohonzon is incomplete, in that it doesn't contain the worlds of Hell(Devadatta),
Anger(Asura) and Learning(Sharihotsu) which is another serious matter concerning faith
Hell (Devadatta)
+ Really understanding what the state of hell feels like can lead to the desire and wisdom to help others.
- Ultimately is a life state of suffering, illustrated by depression, despair and self-destructive tendencies.
Anger (Asura)
+ Passion to fight injustice and create a better world; a creative force for change.
- A state of egotism and self-righteousness, in which we cannot bear to lose. This will inevitably result in
conflict.
Learning (Sharihotsu)
+ Striving for self-improvement by learning new concepts through studying the teachings of others. This is the
basis for realization.
- The tendency to become self-centred, to cut off from the daily realities of life or develop a dismissive attitude
towards others with less knowledge.
Reply
13.

Fantastic! Congratulations and best wishes, You made my day, no month!!!!
Reply
Replies
1.
Noel PantonJune 11, 2015 at 3:07 AM

2.
Noel PantonJune 11, 2015 at 3:17 AM
Because the cult mentality had become so serious I had to cancel my 25 year membership
registration with the SGIA 6 months ago.
one month later we enshrined the Denpo Gohonzon ,after taking down SGI's Nichikan Gohonzon.
After we did that a serene atmosphere has pervaded throughout the house hold and in our daily life
and many benefits have been flowing like what the SGI Gohonzon was supposed to do.
The 3 great secret laws is definitely working through this Gohonzon. I told this to 2 senior SGIA
leaders today who came to our house to take back their SGI Gohonzon before excommunicating
my wife that had been a member for 55 years. The first half was in Okinawa the 2nd here in the
land down under Australia
Mark, you were right when you said this would happen.
Fancy being excommunicated over having an authentic complete Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon,
how bizarre is that
They were insistent that it is more important to have faith in the Ten world Gohonzon that is within
than the outward image of Gohonzon and that the other worlds that are missing in the Gohonzon
exist in the worlds that are there in the Gohonzon. Mutual possession of the ten worlds kind of thing
but with a few of the worlds missing, if you know what I mean
They said Nichikan was a great Priest who made right the wrongs of the Nichiren Shoshu
priesthood that's why they chose his Gohonzon
They did sansho before the Denpo Gohozon when they arrived and before they left, they said all
Gohonzon's are equal.
We have faith in the ten world Gohonzon within but not in their Gohonzon without, If they say all
Gohonzon's are equal why should it matter to them what Gohonzon we have. This would have to be
the height of their hypocrisy.
It's really all about the flag of the organisation not Nichiren and Shakyamuni
Nichiren said on first day of the tenth month of the second year of Kōan (1279) "Buddha fulfilled the
purpose of his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years,
and the Great Teacher Dengyō, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of the indescribable
persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great
persecutions I faced during this period are well known to you all." (On Persecutions Befalling the
Sage)
If you look at the charts of the progression of the Gohonzon there was a significant change on the
second year of Kōan (1279) , in that for the first time Devadatta appeared in the Gohonzon. The
true presentation of the oneness of good and evil is now complete and ready for transformation by
Myoho Renge Kyo
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14.
Tamara JacobsJanuary 11, 2015 at 10:43 AM
Good job, author!

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15.
AnonymousFebruary 2, 2015 at 11:52 AM

Very interesting points both in the main article and responses. A minor quibble; I think the initial definition of a
cult needs to be refined, because I think the Roman Catholic Church falls within that definition.
Reading the article, I felt that I must live in a different country - then realised that I do! SGI-UK has not asked
me for any money, has not insisted that I follow any rules, has not told me how much chanting I must do, has
not kept a record of meetings I attend, has not told me I cannot leave now I have joined, and has not
mentioned ownersip of my Gohonzon. I have been told that the answers to my life issues lie within myself,
and can be found by chanting, with faith, in front of the Gohonzon. I have also found truth, to date, in the
assertion that the purpose of a religion is to serve the people, and not for the people to serve the religion; I
have been in many workplaces and religions in my life to know the difference, and am happy to state that SGI
serves and supports me.
There are, of course, aspects of SGI religion which I find hard to take - largely that Japanese culture does not
travel well. However, disagreements are not uncommon where I practice, even amongst experienced leaders.
Is this a case of different countries interpreting the philosophy differently, or something more sinister?
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16.
Mark RogowFebruary 2, 2015 at 9:57 PM

"A devout believer in the Buddha's Law who is also a wise man is truly obliged to point out to his students any
false doctrines, even though they be principles of his own sect. He must not lead the students astray. If, on
the other hand, he finds a correct doctrine, even though it is a principle of another sect he should adopt and
transmit it." -- Dengyo the Great
SGI has been teaching distorted doctrines since its inception and leading others astray. Even if SGI-UK
leaders and members are all touchy feely sweet, sincere, nice, and kind, one can't get around SGI's false
teachings.
"Men shall make the right religion prosperous, but the right religion shall not make men prosperous." --
Dengyo the Great
Is it because SGI has replaced "truth" with "gain" that seek benefit from the religion and sangha rather than
benefiting the manifest truth [Namu Myoho renge kyo and sangha of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth?]. If that is
the case, you are nothing more than a beggar at the gate. Also, would you like to hear some experiences of
ex-SGI-UK members which mirror the authors observations? Are your observations valid and their's
illegitimate?
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17.

Meeting on August 1, 1999:
On August 1 a meeting was held for headquarters level leaders and above from throughout the SGI-UK. Mr.
Kaneda from Italy was appointed "special advisor to UK." During the meeting there was no mention of the
practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism. The overall theme was "back to basics; you naughty children, you have
gone off the rails." "Back to basics," in this case, means fight the Nikken sect, contribute to the kosen-rufu
fund, and get more members.
Mr. Kitano (SGI advisor to the SGI-UK, similar to Mr. Wada for the SGI-USA) talked for one-and-a-half hours
about the temple issue. It was, according to one Reassessment Group attendee,
"…dismal, depressing, uninspiring, and with no talk of vision, future, and joy. He kept on repeating that it was
always people from within the organisation that tried to destroy it, which I realized he was aiming at all of us in
who took part in the Reassessment Process (which is well over 500 people!)"
There has been no mention of Focus Groups since. It is like it never happened. It was announced that a
restructuring of the SGI-UK leadership would take place, with another level of leadership to be added at the
top, including the re-appointment of many older leaders, some who had previously resigned. It many cases
those against the Focus Groups have been rewarded with Directorships. Ricky Baynes, who had been
supportive of the process all along, was silent, as were Kazuo Fuji and Sue Thornton.
No one has contacted those involved in the process. Since then, various members have asked questions and
received the following answers:
Question to Mr. Kitano: Why did he come to England and only meet with and listen to those who complained
about and opposed the Reassessment?
Answer: I was not swayed by what they said, because I already had made up my mind before I came.
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18.

Kosen Rufu is the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra. It is not spreading Ikedaism, unshakable
happiness, social or political activism, or even world peace. The Lotus Sutra chapter 16 teaches, “It is not as
the Three Worlds [the people of the past, present, and future] see the Three Worlds. In such a matter of this
the Tathagata sees clearly and is without error.” This is the Eternal Pure Land of the Buddha where the
Buddha goes about spreading the Lotus Sutra. Unshakable happiness is the Buddhism of the True Effect
[Buddhism of the Harvest]. We practice the Buddhism of the True Cause, sowing the seed of Buddhahood
whether we are happy or sad. Only a Buddha with a Buddha can exhaustively penetrate the reality of Namu
Myoho renge kyo.
Accordig to SGI-UK, kosen rufu is spreading anything and everything other than the Lotus Sutra:
The Kosen-rufu Movement -Soka Gakkai International:
“Daisaku Ikeda became the third President on 3rd May 1960 when he was 32. Under his leadership the
organization grew rapidly and expanded abroad. In 1975 Soka Gakkai International was established and he
became its first president. There are now more than 12 million members in 188 countries and territories, and
Daisaku Ikeda has conducted dialogues with scholars, cultural and political leaders around the world. He also
founded the Soka University and the Soka Schools, the Min-On Concert Association, the Tokyo Fuji Art
Museum and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The SGI continues its development as the organization of
‘human revolution,’ the individual’s inner reformation, and establishment of Buddhahood as the core life state,
based on Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings.”
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19.

"Ok, first, and I dont care how this sounds... but I'm not interested in any replies, "advice", quotes or
"guidance" from SGI members that may follow this post.
SGI have become a very real problem in my life.
I am not a member of any other sect.
I have no experience of any other form of Buddhism but this one, that of Nichiren, and that only via SGI (UK).
After being part of SGI for three years, I only managed to distance myself from them by moving away,
geographically, from the SGI circles I knew. Where it not for this happening, I might not have seen what it was
doing to me.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to see this.
I will not pass comment on whether they are a cult or not, because society is full of cults, the cult of the car,
christianity, sports fan groups, all could be said to have some elements of cult-like activity at some stage or
other, so the label is not important.
To anyone who can't decide in the face of so many conflicting viewpoints are valid or not, I will offer my
opinion, but it is an opinion based on direct experience from within the SGI organisation. Be very wary of this
group.
In my experience, there is no evil agenda practiced in private that makes SGI a subversive sect. The danger
lies with the very subtle and gradual brainwashing that takes place, I do not know if this is due to decisions
made by the high leadership, or if because it has become a self perpetuating ideal. Whatever the ideal is, it is
not open minded, it does not tolerate members thinking for themselves and not towing the Ikeda party line,
and it alienates those that do. I see the org. as a very cynical sect now, oh so ready to re-mold itself to
whatever culture it is in purely in order to increase its membership. I have wasted three years with SGI. These
are my feelings and my experiences. It is dangerous to manipulate people who have chosen to trust and base
their spiritual goals on such an organisation. It gets under your skin. I am so very glad I have left, all that
remains is a near-Catholic guilt for having left - after being told by a Japanese member I will definately "go to
hell" if I return my Gohonzon. To those that might say "oh but there are idiots in every organisation", I would
just reply that this Japanese sentiment is merely repackaged to suit the English members, but the pressure
remains the same. I agree with France, who have had great distrust of SGI, they are a subtle, subversive and
insidious group whose methods are becoming more cunning. Stay clear, is my closing advice." -- Former SGI
cult member
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20.

When you squeeze it, in the United States, in England, in Italy, in Ghana or in Japan, it whispers cult:
"Vibrant gongyo and daimoku gave the SGI-UK Student Division kick-off meeting a great start, writes Tarun
Khetarpal. Sensei’s response via his message and gift of refreshments were received within a day of us
informing him of the meeting, showing the concern he has for each of us. The new Student Division members
were welcomed and we sang the European Student Division song, Shining Stars of Hope. New appointments
were announced for Student Division representatives across the UK and the theme for the meeting, Youth,
Let’s Open a Great Road to Victory, was introduced. The 42nd Headquarters Leaders Meeting was screened;
Sensei did not attend, indicating the importance of his disciples taking full responsibility for Kosen-rufu from
this moment on. It is now time to live true to the guidance that he has given us all his life and make his dream
of achieving world-wide Kosen-rufu come true. The two experiences shared at our kickoff showed the true
spirit of a disciple, the spirit of being a lion’s cub. The perseverance shown by members in their academic
lives moved the hearts of one and all. A group photo was also taken to be sent to Sensei. Lisa Cowan, SGI-
UK Young Women’s Division leader, lectured on The Three Kinds of Treasure. We learned that the heart of
the Buddha or the mentor, is the heart that constantly seeks the happiness of self and others. We were all
encouraged to report magnificent victories. The kick-off ended with a lion’s roar gongyo. Straight after the
meeting, we reported to Sensei on its success."
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21.

"You are SGI" -- SGI-UK leader...
http://www.vocaleyes.org/vocaleyes/group/view/id/10247
Of 117 proposals ["ideas"] offered by SGI-UK members, 2 [TWO] were adopted.

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22.

"In the November 9, 1992 World Tribune (WT) p. 5, the late Richard Causton, former general director of the
SGI-UK, stated,
"We must deeply understand that the heritage of the Universal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can only be
transmitted through organizations joined in unity, based on faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and the
principle of the oneness of master and disciple." (emphasis added). Mr. Causton also explains his reference
to "the oneness of master and disciple" as follows:
"All of us who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which our ultimate master, Nichiren Daishonin, taught us, can
develop the eyes of the Buddha; but it is President Ikeda, our master in life, who guides us through the rocks
and shoals of this life, with pride and gratitude. President Ikeda has taught me everything. "The article also
states: "Hence, the master gives his guidance based on his interpretations of the Gosho in contemporary
terms and his
experience of action, both for his own human revolution and for guiding the movement for kosen-rufu. We as
disciples, must then set out to prove its validity for ourselves . .
An editorial in the WT of November 16, 1992, p. 2, stated:
"One way [of making 'sincerity' real in our lives] is to constantly renew our determination to live with sincerity
by putting President Ikeda's guidance into action every day . . . It's important to study Nichiren Daishonin's
writings and the guidance of President Ikeda, but unless we put all these words into action, they are
meaningless."
In the January 11, 1993 WT, p. 4, Mr. Ikeda stated:
"Since the Buddhist way of mentor and disciple is the ultimate way for
humanity, it is impossible to grasp even the tiniest fragment of it if your efforts are only half-hearted. How
faithfully did Mr. Toda follow and protect Mr. Makiguchi? And how faithfully did I follow and protect Mr. Toda?
To a degree nearly unimaginable by people today. I could not hope to serve that great leader of Buddhism,
Mr. Toda, without a determination to give up my own life if necessary. In that fierce determination we find the
very essence of what it is to be human."
In the November 16, 1992 WT, p. 5, Mr. Ikeda stated:
"Those who think that the times when the SGI is facing terrible persecutions has nothing to do with
themselves will receive no benefits.
They have nothing to commend themselves; they have no faith. But those who fight with the conviction that
they are personally being persecuted possess truly great faith. Those who can maintain their faith until the last
moment of their lives --even if they are thrown in jail because of their faith for 20 or 30 years -- are true
Buddhists, true 'revolutionaries' directly linked to the Daishonin."
In the September 12, 1994 WT, p. 5, Senior Vice General Director David
Kasahara stated:
" . . . The more we strictly follow the Law, including, in my mind, President Ikeda's guidance, the more capable
we become at being flexible in our awareness of what others need for their happiness. . . ."
In the May 3, 1996 WT, p. 10, Mr. Ikeda stated:
"Ultimately, Buddhism comes down to the person. I did not wait to place my trust in President Toda until I had
learned about the Daishonin's teachings. Rather, I came to trust Buddhism because I first believed in the
person, Josei Toda."
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23.

SGI-UK/SGI-USA... 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Who are you trying to kid anonymous? You are a
brainwashed cult member who will say ANYTHING and I mean anything to deflect criticism of the Soka
Gakkai. No one believes you because the manifest reality of SGI is not as you would have us believe. We are
wide awake from chanting 10, 20, 30 or more years of Daimoku, the correct Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, We
listen with the ears of Shih K’uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou.
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24.

Here anonymous is another experience from a former SGI-UK cult member. Enjoy!
"My goodness you have put my feelings so much more clearly than I can, thank you Spamster. I too have
about 20 years of practice in the UK (more recently as a leader in London), but unlike you can no longer
sustain my leadership responsibility. I tried for sometime, but am unlucky that my 'superior' leaders are so
completely sucked-in to the closed-loop of Ikeda worship that I couldn't stomach meetings where they were
present any longer. Maybe I'm a wimp, but they seem so brainwashed about 'Sensei' that it feels pointless,
even cruel, to try to debate this with them. I also found it impossible to bring guests to meetings and then keep
a straight face as all the rubbish about the mentor and disciple stuff is relentlessly spewed out. Was it better
when they attempted to hide this from 'guests'- no, just an example of how underhand the whole SGI-UK
thing/think can be.
Like you, I had quite kind feelings towards SGI-UK because most of the people I have met (including Robert
Samuels the UK general director) are undoubtedly sincere in their thinking that they are practicing and
teaching others Buddhism and that SGI-UK exists as a benign organisation to support this practice. Sure
there is a diverse range of people and some I didn't get on with, but that will happen in any area of life - so
this didn't put me off being a part of the organisation. The pointers you give to your members are along the
lines that i tried to encourage members too.
However, my attitude changed after I started researching into SGI in Japan and talking to people who had
practiced recently in the USA (shocking stuff). My eyes were opened to the fact that our 'parent' organisation
in Japan is nothing less than a multi-billion dollar money making business cleverly using (parts of) a genuine
Buddhist practice as a front. This business also seems to successfully use incredibly sophisticated mind-
control techniques to keep the whole multi-level scam going. Encouraging the use of chanting to put people
into a trance state so that they uncritically accept whatever rubbish you tell them (however ludicrous) is
actually a nasty and evil tactic. Hence the increasing number of what Spamster refers to as gakkai-addicts -
and yes there are more Ikeda-bots in the youth divisions because the youth division are persuaded to give
most of their lives and free time to gakkai activities (where these mind control techniques are continually
refined and reinforced).
continued...
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25.

Former SGI-UK cult member experience continued:
"Also the realization of Ikeda's almost psychotic egomania makes me almost nauseous. There is no question
that he knows and even encourages his 'disciples' to lobby for all those fake degrees and naming of
monuments after him (while he is still alive!). After all he could easily ask those "disciples" to stop lobbying for
these things if he wanted to demonstrate what an enlightened, modest and non-egotistical human being he is.
But does he ask for this to stop - not on your nelly!
So however much I respect the leaders of SGI-UK as sincere human beings who have had the wool pulled
over their eyes for many years (as had I), I cannot be part of an organisation (SGI-UK) that supports this
manipulative and hypocritical cult from Japan, however innocent those in charge in the UK organisation may
be. I just can't turn a blind eye any more to the 'bad' bits, because the 'bad' bits are too awful and ignoring
them is in effect supporting and encouraging this awful behavior. And if you think about it, taking something as
beautiful and valuable as Shakyamuni's and Nichiren's teachings and twisting them and USING them to
perpetuate a marketing scam is just truly disgusting - I can't be any part of that!
I am reeling from the realization that I have been a member of a cult (and even worse have introduced others
to it!), so am still processing my feelings about the whole thing. However I do know the difference between
Ikedaism (or SGIsm) and Nichiren Buddhism and am trying my best to continue with as untainted a practice
as I can. I do miss the exhilaration of chanting with a group, but hopefully that will pass. Joining in with SGI
activities is too high a price to pay just for a momentary feeling of exhilaration!
I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to this forum for the support I have felt whilst becoming aware of all
this. Thank you so much!. I did post a few pages back but then disappeared to read the whole thread (300+
pages) from the beginning, so have been quiet during that time. I can't express how much this thread has
helped me keep my strength whilst being 'home visited' (and undergoing other unwelcome consequences of
withdrawing from SGI). I would recommend any newcomer to the forum to go to the beginning of the thread
and read as much as they can!"
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26.
AnonymousFebruary 3, 2015 at 4:43 AM

I became a member in the 80's and thought it was great at first, then I saw how the Shakabuku system
worked and poor families buying four of the same book and getting a daily paper for each member of the
family...in 1992 I had had enough and quit, but my wife was worried she would be disowned if she did, so she
acted as if she still believed for the sake of keeping her family close. Her mother would offer to take her to a
restaurant for lunch or a trip to the spa only to be fooled into going to the kaikan. My wife was diagnosed with
cancer a little over a year ago and all my in-laws told my daughter she had to get a Gohozan or she would be
killing her mother, my wife died two months later. My wife told me at the end she did not really believe in any
religion and to have a small Soka Gakai type ceremony with a twist , only flowers in her coffin and no SGI
flag, she was only doing it for her mother.
This past week we had her Ishuki and our family did it the way my wife wanted which upset my in-laws and I
called the next day and told them next year they could hold their ceremony someplace else and we would do
ours at home where my wife passed and where her urn rest. My daughter who also dislikes Soka Gakai, told
them she is returning the Gohozan, because she was pressured into it in a time of despair, only to be told that
they would now be disowning our whole family!
What my wife feared the most happen, and over what? A difference of opinion!
Reply
27.

There is no benefit in the Soka Gakkai cult, only deception.
Reply
28.

Namu Myoho renge kyo for your wife.
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29.
Maya LeónFebruary 15, 2015 at 3:30 PM
As a former member, I will have to disagree about there being no benefit. People who have had bad
experiences in the Soka Gakkai can't speak for everyone. I've had both good and bad experiences, just like
I've had both good and bad relationships in life, and there are millions of people who seem to be benefiting
from the organization significantly. Since I was born into the practice, the members in my area are my family,
however, as an artists, I'm not as conservative as the organization asks for and I'm trained to think outside the
box.
Further, as a Nichiren Buddhist, I'm trained to think outside the box. This is the key. Knowledge is power, but
the truth will set you free. SGI is made up of human beings that have unfortunately created a machine that is
not always well oiled but if we shoot missiles at our fellow human beings, we're missing the point of the
philosophy completely. Nichiren Buddhism is meant to empower us and so long as we feel trapped inside the
mindset that SGI is some kind of evil, we're merely victimizing ourselves. I don't know how Nichiren would feel
about the organization, but personally, for my own human revolution, I realized that I needed Soka Gakkai in
order to overcome my victim mindset, and that's when I decided that my co-dependency on almost every
relationship in my life, including that with Soka Gakkai's, was holding me back, and all I had to do was lift the
lid. Nobody was holding it down. That's the beauty of the organization. And the beauty of this practice is that it
has been realized and handed down by brave men who have either died or risked their lives for the
betterment of mankind through the ages. That's so amazing to me.
I recently came to this personal philosophy and I'm only 26 so my views will inevitably change. But the reason
for me coming to this breaking point and "human revolution" was because of how little support I was receiving
due to the lack of training from my fellow leaders, which in turn was the reason why I needed to find the
answers within myself. I overcame some of the worst suffering out of any of the youth in my region. That's
what accomplished this "transformation" if you will. Currently, a lot of members think that I'm riding on the
back of the Devil King Six right now, but I see things differently. I like to think of DK6 as a comrade. Nam-
Myoho-Renge-Kyo is found in everything, including the bad, yet the transformations are what are important.
Think of the miraculous story of Devadatta. His enlightenment wasn't because of the workings of God or some
kind of destiny set in stone. It was because Shakyamuni never gave up on him and took action. And we must
never give up on ourselves or our fellow practitioners (including practitioners-to-be, others will join whether or
not you have anything to with the practice), even if we have to separate for self-preservation. That being said,
I don't think anyone who's left should feel bad about sponsoring anyone. You didn't do anything wrong. The
Gohonzon is awesome! But just like the organization, it's a stepping stone. The true Gohonzon is inside you,
not to make this sound like Buddhist pedagogy.
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30.
Maya LeónFebruary 15, 2015 at 3:32 PM
Also, I know what it's like to feel bitter about not getting anywhere but the benefit that I gained from being
what I like to call a now 'alumni' is the realization that we can't be students forever. Ikeda as our mentor, is
looked up to the way he is because in this day-and-age it's uncommon for people, especially in Western
culture to place high importance on our teachers or parents and when that changes society too will change
drastically. Look at their salaries. Cable installers get paid more than teachers. We live in a backwards society
and that's why an organization like SGI exists in the first place, which is to set a moral Law through the direct
access to Nichiren Buddhism and if we're smart, we'll remember individually that Ikeda still sh*ts and feels
depression and will someday die just like the rest of us. Of course Ikeda can do wrong, and he has. It would
be foolish to think that he's never in his life committed an error. But he respected his mother and is kind to his
wife. But he's also a senior, Japanese man so of course, conservative and from a different culture. So as you
can see, SGI is there to help break down these barriers and if we fail to see this, we're not getting it and
perhaps it is best to move on. Now it's our duty to be kind and considerate to those in front of us.
Reply
Replies
1.
yosmany mairataFebruary 22, 2015 at 10:06 PM

Reply
31.

Hi Maya. All well and [not so] good Maya but what does the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren say? As far as the
Gohonzon being "only" within, Ichinen Sanzen teaches that there are Three Realms and one realm is the
Realm of the Environment.
From my perspective and experience, the reason SGI members are nice to you, possibly even your own
family members, is because they believe that you will return to the fold. If you tell them that you will not return
under any circumstance, I am certain their true nature will come out and their Worlds of Animality and Anger
will manifest, especially if you care enough about them to correct their wrong thinking, practice, and behavior.
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32.
AnonymousFebruary 18, 2015 at 11:57 PM

'No honour was left for the gods, when Augustus chose to be himself worshipped with temples and statues,
like those of the deities, and with flamens and priests.'
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33.

This was thought out but there are many other things that are left out. I had the opportunity to obtain guidance
and did not realize that SGI was a cult because I was young and not thinking much about tit. I had never been
raised in a religious way to not accept other religions that call themselves such. I read much material
interacted between members and such. I watched my mother be forced away from me as well as other family
members in order to increase my dependence on the other members. from 1993-2001. Really after my
mother passed I received on last guidance from my a nameless wd leader. In this guidance I was basically
told my family were a bunch of cowards and that it was up to me to change this karma.
I never thought of myself as a coward for not standing up for myself or those that I love. However, I see that
many others may have thought differently. To me this ment that I spent a life time pleasing others and that it
was deserving of me to be radically emotionally verbalized roughly, agressively and emotionally harshly which
made me fear that I needed to leave quietly for safety reason. .
In thinking about their prescription to health from where I sit and study multiple religions . I don't understand
the nature of the karma that they prescribe or perceive in this land. I have forgotten about the people. It is a
shame and particularly thoughtless that Sokka Gakki spends time breaking down the religions beliefs that one
comes in with and not really seeing the bigger picture of the importance of this group of people. I have heard
many of soka gakkai friends laugh and poke fun of and even hold lectures on the wrongness of Christianity.
Ive seen and heard other religions described as a cancer. In this vein the Soka Gakkai has become no more
than a cancer itself. It is a shame and an embarrassment to know that there is no true sanctity of life unless
you kill it as it appears from their perspective I guess.
It is much like an eco system in which we have multiple religious beliefs in people.The world denomination
theme.
I believe that in my hardest of hearts the lack of desire to be worldly and truly embrace the diversity in this
world stems from people who have had little power in their life.By taking away that interaction one tends to fail
to thrive as a way for that person to gain power over another. It is no different than all of the blood being
splattered today between our youth who are being recruited for isis and our youth who are being recruited for
the united states army. It is thoughtless mind control of the people that are involved in and out of this religion.
I know and remember much of Ikedas guidance about psychics and other healing properties and wonder if
you find for some reason when they lack of ability to THINK before going to these places to control people
because they have why do they not just let people go on. They will never be anything more than a cult . Every
cult lacks the ability to discern and discriminate truth when they infringe on others ability to think for
themselves. It is important to use words that thoughtful, intelligent, necessary, and kind when discussing this
with those who feel differently and have been programmed to believe the way that they do. The group as a
whole is sick, I cant control it I cant cure it, and I didn't cause it. Therefore I go back to the root cause of my
pain and suffering and say that when and if I ever speak about them or think about them I do not feel
freedome or know peace without conflicted feelings.
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34.
FreeAsABirdMarch 21, 2015 at 5:59 PM

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35.

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36.

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37.

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39.
As a former member of SGI-UK for almost nine years, I can recognize both negative and positive aspects of
being a member as outlined by many contributors on this thread. However, in the long run, the negative far
out-weighs the positive. Here I have outlined some of the reasons why I have chosen to liberate myself from
SGI.
I can confirm that members are endlessly encouraged to be fearful in many ways, especially fearful of not
chanting. It’s typical to hear members say: “If I don’t chant today, bad sh*t is going to happen!”, and this
negatively charged and fear-full attitude is routinely being celebrated and encouraged at events. No-one
seems to take any notice of Nichiren’s words about chanting, about being honest with oneself, that chanting is
personal, and that comparison is meaningless: “Chant to your heart’s content. Sometimes one Daimoku is
enough, other times ten thousand is not enough.”
Suspension of critical thinking combined with self-censorship is a requirement, and one quickly learns that
using a normal functioning enquiring mind is viewed as “negativity” and “disrupting the unity”. Fear of spiritual
retribution caused by “slander” is used to keep members in line.
The wrathful demonization of the priesthood is ongoing and much is being made out of how far the priesthood
have gone astray with “perversion of Nichiren Buddhism”. The priesthood excommunicated SG/SGI mainly for
two reasons: SG/SGI’s inclusion of apocryphal texts, which the priesthood would never allow; and not
upholding the admonition to “Follow the law, not the person.” Members are being strongly discouraged to hear
both sides of the story.
When you move to a different area, do not expect ever to be contacted. SGI’s definition of “friends” only
reaches as far as you being an active and local member. In fact, friendships (as understood the normal way)
between members is actively discouraged.
Members with mental health issues or emotional problems are routinely given the highly irresponsible
“Guidance” to chant more and to do more activities, instead of seeking professional help. This is contrary to
Ikeda’s advice that: “If you’re sick, go see a doctor” and “Taking good care of your health is an important part
of correct practice.” Surely, that extends to mental health and emotional issues!
Supreme importance is given to studying Ikeda’s writings, the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin as a close
second, and as a distant third, the Lotus Sutra itself. This is reinforced with a relentless barrage of emphasis
on the so-called “Mentor-Disciple relationship”, which is not mentioned in the Lotus Sutra and barely (if at all)
touched upon by Nichiren.
An important doctrinal text Nichiren often refer to is T’ien Tai’s “Great Concentrations and Insights”, which is
regarded as little more than legend by SGI. It is not made available to members and because SGI is not using
the commonly used title, it is extremely difficult to track down.
Why the order of importance of the writings? The explanation I have heard from SGI many times is that one
shouldn’t bother with the Lotus Sutra because it is too difficult to understand anyway, and even Nichiren’s
writings are quite difficult, so no need to worry too much about that either. Just stick to Ikeda’s writings,
because as the supreme authority on Buddhism he is, he understands it all to perfection and can explain
everything in the most correct and easy to understand way.
SGI is clearly using a combination of fear and blind allegiance to Ikeda in a number of ways to control
members’ emotional and spiritual lives, and in extension every other aspect of their lives. It is done in subtle
and gentle ways, but eventually creeps in and takes over your life.
Reply
40.
Mark RogowMarch 22, 2015 at 7:27 PM

Hi Free! I agree with 90+% of your observations and analysis. The only thing I would caution is the equal
reliance of the Nichiren Shoshu on apocryphal tests such as the 106 Comparisons, On the True Cause, The
First Bath, and the Ongi Kuden for example.
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41.
Hi Mark, good to know I'm not alone. I saw a statement from Nichiren Shoshu about why they excuminicated
SG/I with those specific reasons, but I have not verified it from other sources. Everything else I wrote is from
my own personal experience.
It is difficult to realize just how much of a cult SGI really is when you're in the middle of it. I feel violated and
betrayed, and I'm still suffering from anxiety from leaving, but at the same time so incredibly relieved.
One great resource I used was the warning signs list on culteducation.com; SGI fails on every single point
and that says it all really.
Thank you again Mark for this thread! :)

Reply
42.

As long as you continue to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo, your future will be bright.
Since the Nichiren Shoshu source is fouled so too the SGI stream.
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43.
anonymousMarch 23, 2015 at 2:47 PM
The chant is so beautiful. And the physiological/mental/emotional/spiritual effects of chanting, (not necessarily
the daimoku) can be phenomenal. This is what drew me.
Virtually all SGI folks I have met are powerful emotional manipulators. They seem to assume that everyone is
in need of spiritual guidance, especially the fatherly kind. They don't seem to realize that they are energy
vampires. They seek to control, not to support and guide.
Maybe "cult" is in the eye and experience of the beholder. My experience with SGI people has involved
feelings in me of wariness, discomfort and a sense that I am considered spiritually inferior because I decline -
politely - invitations to accept Ikeda as my lord and master.
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44.
AnonymousMarch 23, 2015 at 2:55 PM

Evidently, SGI thinks they own the rights to the chant. I wanted to include the chant in an art piece that
involved sound, and was told by a long-time SGI member that I was not allowed to use the chant this way!!
Reply
Replies
1.
Alex CoreaJune 19, 2015 at 3:49 PM
you can do what ever you want to express your self. i really thought they would be happy you were
showing your appreciation with art. again just an ignorant person making Buddhism look bad.
2.
AnonymousOctober 12, 2015 at 10:45 AM

But the member's attitude shows the fear of authority instilled over many years in the Ikeda cult.
3.
UnknownOctober 20, 2015 at 2:40 PM
Acid Mothers Temple used it.......

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45.
anonymousMarch 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM
I am so very grateful for this stunningly clear article, and for the blog. The SGI model of relating with others -
top down - plays out in all relationships, extremely painfully at times.
Reply
46.
Mark RogowMarch 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM

Thank you anonymous. Thank you very much!
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1.
anonymousMarch 24, 2015 at 7:58 AM
Thank-you, Mark Rogow, for this forum. For quite some time, I looked for information online
regarding the cultish aspects of SGI. Finally, this blog appeared and I feel relieved to hear of the
experiences of others who have been spiritually railroaded by SGI members. I am relieved in the
sense that my serious concerns about this organization are confirmed, and I know I am neither the
only one to feel abused by SGI "friends", nor am I crazy.
Trust that feeling of craziness, I say, because there is a good reason for it. I feel it most often when
controlling and manipulative influences are close by.
I have had people I have met for the first time tell me they are Buddhists, then make the SGI pitch.
They do not wish to befriend you personally; they want you as a feather in their recruitment cap.
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47.
FreeAsABirdMarch 30, 2015 at 6:33 AM
I can relate a concrete example of a district leader I know who put the principle learned from Buddha Never
Disparaging on its head, to use against me.
Buddha Never Disparaging would bow to everyone in respect of their Buddhahood, regardless of how much
he would be disrespected, insulted, etc. The lesson to be learned is that every human being is worthy of
respect because they have the potential to become a Buddha.
However, when I arranged to have a dialogue with the district leader about not respecting me, he responded
by using Buddha Never Disparaging’s example to tell me that he could treat me whichever way he wanted,
because I would have to respect him regardless.....
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1.
anonymousApril 1, 2015 at 11:44 AM
A friend of mine in the cult was behaving in what I felt was a disrespectful way towards me. I
communicated this to him and he told me that if I had more confidence, I would not care if he was
disrespecting me.
Hard to argue with this because it is true. However, the relationship suffered as I no longer wanted
to be around him.
It was a painful lesson, and I still mourn the loss of unconditional respect between us. Ironically, I
am more confident about who I choose to be with. And cult members are disqualified.
2.

Nichiren speaks at some length on how and to whom to assign blame. Since you were blameless,
the consequences fall on your friend. That is why I can admonish them with impunity.
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48.

I guess he doesn't care if he passes 1000 kalpas in the Avici Hell as did those who disrespected Bodhisattva
Never Disparaging.
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49.
Pedro Miguel RamosApril 7, 2015 at 6:51 AM
Here's a thing you guys might like!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP2-D0UHPpI
Reply
50.
AnonymousMay 10, 2015 at 10:56 AM

Hiya, as a member of the sgi for nearly 30 years, i have to agree with the cult label, i stepped back from
responsibilities a long time ago and the only reason i have stayed a member is the vain hope that things will
change. Ive come to the conclusion that they are only getting worse lol.
Is there a sort of organised group of independent nichiren buddhists in the uk. I love my practice, but am fed
up of being viewed as the disciple of a japanese businessman, and a member of an organisation that has no
accountability whatsoever. :)
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51.

Thanks for your note Anonymous. In a sense, it is an oxymoron [organized group of independents]. However,
on the deepest level, as Nichiren taught, "If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you are a Bodhisattva of
the Earth." Therefore, having the same mind of Nichiren assures you of belonging to the astoundingly great
organization of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
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52.

This article is dead bang on. I was married to a well respected member of 40 years. I became a member 17
years ago.. Made the big mistake of asking questions about finances..Was told that I would loose all my
fortune if I questions (based on critical thinking) continued. I never let up..to this day! My wife filed for divorice
several years back and that's when the fun began! I went to a National Leader (James Herman) for quidance,
something that is encouraged. Was told that the SGI had be plans for me? I took that as a positive thing ..was
I wrong! After my papers were served to me, I received a call from our district leader..5 minutes after I was
served! This was the beginning of the harassment campaign. They were talking to my neighbors, creating
slander campaigns, ID theft, Vandilsm. Having my tires on my SUC and Motorcycle slashed! Only hitting the
tip in the iceberg but will tell you all this. SGI is first and foremost a Business..a corporation that does nothing
less then take your money . Its become an organization of thiefs, criminals and mindless idiots that have no
sense of right from wrong. DO the research, Organized stalking is part of their business plan... Bunch of
coward lowlifes all trying to get on the payroll..and yes the money goes around..and they will lie about it.
Beware, be well and stay away from SGI.
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1.
Alex CoreaJune 19, 2015 at 3:46 PM
omg this comment is making me sick. and to be honest its so hard to believe. im Buddhist and have
been since i was 9. even after addiction, jail and a teenage pregnancy SGI was there for me. in my
opinion those people you are talking about were in no way Buddhist no matter what organization
they belonged to. they were as you said criminals and lowlifes. and there karma will catch up.
Reply
53.
greg romeroMay 16, 2015 at 10:56 AM
great job mark r. well said.

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54.

Damn, I never thought I'd find someone who I could relate to until I stumbled upon your post. I was a 'fortune
baby' of a very happy SGI family--they are amazing people and I love them-- but around my teenage 'rebel'
years I started questioning my beliefs.
During a retreat where they openly denounced NSA as evil, I stood up and asked why we were not allowed
multiple interpretations of the same text. The speaker could not answer properly.
I tried to reclaim my faith with the SGI despite that disappointment and joined the campus club when I went to
college and became VP. I chanted often to focus on my academic goals. But soon the club goals took a turn.
They wanted us to focus on nuclear abolition. They wanted to set up an exhibit on nuclear abolition and for us
to volunteer to rally for the cause in our school. I told them that firstly, they had just assumed that we were
pro-abolition because we were Gakkai and that should not be the case. We should bring up both sides of the
debate and educate ourselves before we go out and try to rally for a cause. Secondly, shouldn't we *Acutally*
believe in a cause for ourselves, not because our religious leader believes in it? However, I was horrified to
find that my fellow students, who knew jack shit about nuclear abolition, were extremely eager to jump on the
train. I also wondered why nuclear abolition was such a huge issue when there were so many other issues
that were clearly more pressing.
I started researching more on the projects of SGI, and was disgusted to find a Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit. To
think that he would go around putting his name at the end of monumental characters like that, was milking for
attention. People who recognized Ghandi and King would pause and think, 'who is Ikeda'? It was a shameless
marketing plot and make me question his ego. Then I wondered, does anyone know who his successor is?
How long he has been in power? What the process is to elect a new leader? When does he plan to step
down?
No one fucking knew. And no one had a problem with it, either.
Except me. I left the club and renounced the philosophy I'd grown up with. I was scared and uncertain
because it was all I knew. And the community was so welcoming.
But now that I look back, I can *see* it. It's like when you walk out of a messy room for a while, and come
back and notice its stench. The fanaticism, the emphasis on "grinning-it-and-bearing-it" especially amongst
women since "Kaneko is always smiling". Which I always found kind of creepy, since she was this personality-
less figure that appeared and smiled 24/7. The 'just chant' ways of solving issues. The dismissal of legitimate
criticism as 'negativity'. The marching band songs, the vagueness, the hyper-emotional word usage like 'glory'
and 'burning suns' ...
I do believe there is power in chanting the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mantra, but SGI is definitely Ikeda-ism.
Reply
55.
Mark RogowMay 17, 2015 at 1:30 AM

Thanks for sharing anonymous. Nuclear weapons are indeed a major problem but they aren't going away any
time soon. Also the means to rid the world of Nuclear weapons [and pollution, and climate change, and
overpopulation, and hunger] are not strategies to rid the world of them, as laid out in Ikeda's peace and
Sustainable development proposals. It is only the strategy of the Lotus Sutra as outlined by Nichiren.
Reply
Replies
1.
Larry T. DanielsMay 25, 2015 at 2:53 PM
Mark after reading your blog I must say I am confused. I just started attending SGI meetings about
a month ago everyone I met seems great, though I am concearned with all the cult talk I am finding
on the internet. How do I practice chanting and buddhism correctly without SGI?
2.
JonahOctober 12, 2015 at 10:57 AM
Self-produced/ self-generated sound is powerful in shifting brain waves, mood, the whole of you.
We can chant whenever and wherever we like, it does not have to be the daimoku. In fact, many
consider that the Ikeda cult co-opted the daimoku for their own purposes of mind control - and it
works if you accept Ikeda as your guru. Let us chant for the pleasure and benefits of allowing the
body to make sound, and wash the scammer, Ikeda, and his cultish puppets out of our
consciousness.
3.
Mark RogowOctober 12, 2015 at 5:42 PM

Great idea Jonah. However, those in the cult for five, ten, twenty, or even thirty years can be
likened to uncontrolled diabetics for five, ten, twenty or thirty years, Even when they do all the right
things to regain their health, they didn't become sick in an instant and they won't get well in an
instant. It may take years of a proper diet and correct medicine to reverse the ravages of the
disease. Likewise it may take years to regain one's spiritual health after being exposed to the ways
of the noxious cult for many years.
Reply
56.

All cults employ the technique of "love bombing". Everyone "seeming great" is not a valid criteria to ascertain
the correct faith and practice of the Supreme Law. Some of the nicest people in history were among the most
deluded, causing others interminable suffering despite their good intentions. It is said, the road to hell is paved
with good intentions and the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren speak of those who the world looks up to as "Arhats
possessing the six transcendental powers" who are in fact the greatest enemies of the Lotus Sutra.
I suggest that you return your Nichikan Gohonzon, continue to chant the Daimoku and the two chapters of the
Lotus Sutra and seriously study the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Then, if you really
want a Gohonzon, I suggest you either ask someone who is a disciple and believer of Nichiren if they would
bestow upon you a Gohonzon or you can procure one on your own. I as well as others are more than happy
to assist you on your journey of faith.
Reply
57.
Larry T. DanielsMay 25, 2015 at 4:26 PM
Thank You Mark, I do not have a Gohonzon yet I havent even joined SGI I have just been checking it out.
Reply
Replies
1.
Perhaps you already know that according to the dictates of the cult, the gohonzon, even though you
pay the cult for it, never belongs to you. They claim they own it and it is supposed to be returned to
the cult if you dare to leave.
2.
thom priceOctober 20, 2015 at 3:07 PM
I received Gohonzon 3 years ago when I joined Sgi-uk... I didn't have to pay for it. Do they demand
payment in the U.S for one?
3.

Some sponsors in the US shell out the fee for their shakubuku. Still you only possess Gohonzon as
long as you remain in the SGI. Should you leave you will be expected to return it even if you
continue to chant.. Did you have to subscribe to the publications? Maybe the fee was covered in
your subscriptions?
4.
thom priceOctober 21, 2015 at 2:55 PM
I have subscribed to the Art of Living in the past which is the UK's publication but haven't done so
for many, many months now as I don't like to accrue "things" due to lack of space & a desire to try
to live simply (besides, I have copies of the Gosho & Lotus Sutra anyway) Of course we are
encouraged to subscribe & it can be a life line for many who live in the isolated areas out here on
the far flung borders (put it this way; no-one from London seems to know where we are). It is
certainly not mandatory & I don't receive any flak for not doing so. I've always considered myself as
a bit of an "edge worker" in regards to practice & don't like to be fitted into any boxes or labelled in
any way. I will certainly be putting some thoughtful questions to my district leaders about the nature
of Gohonzon ownership but I will not needlessly leave the SGI without perfect reason to do so, nor
without doing some very intense research & even more intense Daimoku first! Not until I am fully
satisfied with the answer. What makes it difficult for me is that I know of many great things that the
SGI do on a daily basis, that without this organisation it would've been highly unlikely that we would
have had the great fortune to encounter the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin here in the West...yet I
also personally know of cases of ignorance & hypocrisy that have angered me over the years.
Fundamentally we are all living human beings & therefore subject to the principle of ichinen sanzen,
as long as we have faith in Nam Myoho Renge Kyo & live by its teachings & take action as a
parent/teacher/sovereign to all living beings, everything else is just ornamentation & mayonnaise (it
disguises the true flavour). . I thank you for provoking such an insightful discussion here, we should
not be scared to ask questions...ESPECIALLY awkward ones (^-^ )... it is the only way for essential
Mahayana Buddhism to progress. I will ask you though: why the deleted comments around here,
surely both sides should be represented without censorship in such an important issue about the
validity of a worldwide organisation. Please, I am not having a go but am merely curious as to the
reasons why.
5.
Mark RogowOctober 21, 2015 at 6:31 PM

They are rarely deleted. Occasionally they are deleted by accident and occasionally for actively
promoting SGI. To my knowledge I nevet deleted any of your posts.
6.
thom priceOctober 22, 2015 at 1:07 AM
Don't worry, i didn't mean it about my posts in particular, sorry if I didn't specify that. I also looked
closer after I posted & realised most had been removed by the authors themselves so please ignore
that last question.
Reply
58.

You would do well to check out all the Nichiren sects, the Nichiren Shoshu, the Nichiren Shu, the HBS, the
Kempon Hokke and compare all of them to the Lotus Sutra itself and the authenticated writings of Nichiren,
particularly, his Five Major Works. It is our contention that all the sects faith and practices deviate from the
teaching of Nichiren to a greater or lesser extent. The reasons for this are myriad but the most important
reason, I believe, is that it is difficult to practice as the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren teach [to accomplish a bodily
reading of the Sutra as did Nichiren]. Very few can practice with the same faith and intensity as Nichiren
knowing that they are sure to encounter The Three Obstacles and Four Devils in this very life, The obstacle of
The King Devil of the Sixth Heaven or the obstacle of persecution by the authorities, is particularly severe. I
am unsure whether I have or continue to encounter this obstacle but I am striving to develop a similar faith
and practice to the Master.
Reply
59.
MOZAIKJune 3, 2015 at 10:44 PM
My name is laurent Boer (laurentfreetheSS@hmamail.com), and I have been harrassed and manipulated by
an unknown hidden cult organization
They drugged me insidiously, hypnotized me, they programmed my mind with hypnosis and several different
kind of drugs, and they didn’t hesitated to do many illegal things including:
- Under hypnosis, mental conditioning to make me feel terror to talk about them and what they do
- use some addiction drugs to enforce the power of the hypnotizer on me
- At work, air spray some kind of GHB drugs to train me to work harder
- Under hypnosis, format my personality to fit their needs
- Follow me in shops and coffee places to make me feel paranoid, harassed and under their control
- Under hypnosys make me watch horror and homo movies every day under addictive drugs to get addicted to
this
- Installed software on my computer so they can remotely send subliminal trigger images
- Under hypnosis make me hear for hours daily their speech teaching me that what they do to me is great and
usefull
How to get rid of this kind of secured powerfull worldwide organizations?
Best Regards,
Laurent
Reply
60.
Mark RogowJune 3, 2015 at 10:52 PM

Hi Laurent. Chant Namu myoho renge kyo and read and study the Lotus Sutra and writings of Nichiren. One
of two things will happen: These human devils will leave you alone immediately or they will change to become
your allies.
Reply
61.
AnonymousJune 9, 2015 at 6:25 PM

shame on you! devdattas trying to kill shakyamuni! biting the hand that fed you!
Reply
62.

"Beside them [Daisaku Ikeda and your leaders, for example], evil men such as Devadatta and Kokālika are as
nothing. In fact they are in a class with Mahādeva and the Great Arrogant Brahman. And those who put faith
in the teachings of such men—they too are a fearful lot indeed."
Please note that your confused mentor Daisaku Ikeda lavishes praise on Mahadeva and his movement in his
book, “Buddhism the First Millenium.”
Reply
63.
Mark RogowJune 10, 2015 at 5:22 AM

As far as killing off Shakyamuni Buddha, why would you care? Nichikan, the transcriber of your Gohonzon
has already killed him off with the words, "Shakyamuni is a cast off husk Buddha." Besides, Nichiren teaches
that one who confuses the general with the specific, even in the slightest, will fail to attain Buddhahood. I
reiterate, send me your Nichikan Gohonzon and I will send you a copy of a Nichiren Gohonzon that will last
for centuries.
Reply
64.
AnonymousJuly 2, 2015 at 7:20 AM

While I do agree with some of your critiques of the SGI-USA, I think you are just being inflammatory by
describing it as a "cult".
I've been a member for 13 years now. The actual practice has been incredibly life changing for me, and I have
no issue with the egalitarian and life affirming philosophy underlying it.
Like you, I have struggled with some aspects of the organization, or perhaps the mind set of some more old
school members who approach the practice in a very superstitious and dogmatic way and try their best to
pass their way of thinking on to newer members.
Well, I've just come to a place of acceptance about all of that. I can agree to disagree with some other
members and have learned to appreciate the diversity within the organization. After all, diversity means
there's going to be people who see things and do things differently and sometimes in ways we don't like. I
have a right to my own opinion and way of practicing and so do they. For example, I don't believe this is the
one true buddhism. I think all practices have their own benefits and this is just the one that works best for me.
I also don't feel like I have to constantly be involved in activities to be a good buddhist and get benefits. I have
a strong practice and faith, which is what matters most and I am constantly showing actual proof of this
practice as a result.
In the past, I thought about leaving because I didn't resonate with the mentality of some other members, but in
actually it's ended up being a growth experience trying to find where I fit in this organization and how much
involvement I want and need. I've learned to hold onto my own ideals in the process while respecting those of
others. In the end, it's really about the practice, which is where most SGI members can find common ground.
Basically, I hear what you are saying and I get it, but I think you might want to reconsider the term "cult"
because it technically doesn't apply. You might want to get really clear on the criteria for what makes an
organization a cult, because I think you'll find it doesn't quite fit and is certainly inflammatory.
As for the SGI being hard to leave, well I can see how it might be on a psychological level, probably as would
be true of leaving any faith you have devoted yourself to, but there are no external barriers to leaving the SGI.
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Mark RogowJuly 2, 2015 at 7:31 PM
Hi anonymous. The SGI is a destructive cult by definition:
1). Destructive cults actively recruit new members, often through deceptive “front” organizations.
The SGI has the Boston Research Center, the Institute for Oriental Philosophy, Human Rights
Education Research association, 7/11 [hehe] and others where their affiliation to SGI is rarely if
ever mentioned.
2).Destructive cults claim to offer absolute Truth. Their teachings are not (to them) mere theory or
speculation. The most effective cult doctrines are those which are unverifiable and unevaluable.
The SGI claims that their believers are the only Nichiren Lotus Sutra believers capable of obtaining
Buddhahood, going so far to claim that all SGI members are Buddhas while those of the Nichiren
Shu and Kempon Hokke, for example, are “deluded Shakyamuni worshippers”.
3).Destructive cults reduce everything to a bi-polar attitude: “for us, or against us.”
Anyone who criticizes the SGI, no matter how wise, is a fool and anyone who praises the SGI, no
matter how foolish, is wise. Daisaku Ikeda writes, for example:
“Seven years have passed since then. The outcome of the struggle of good and evil and the
workings of the law of cause and effect have been strict and uncompromising. The decline of the
crazed and destructive Nichiren Shoshu is clearly apparent. The victims, unfortunately, are the lay
believers who practice with the temple, who are not aware of Nichiren Shoshu’s evil and have been
deceived by the priests.”
4).Destructive cults generate some kind of external “pet devil” with which to threaten their members
if they should doubt, or fail, or ever leave the group.
The SGI has dozens of “pet devils”. Those who leave will have misfortune on their jobs, in their
families, in their social lives, have accidents, fall into hell, etc. President Toda stated: “If you keep
this up, you’re going to come to a pitiful end in life.” and “Betraying the Soka Gakkai is betraying the
Daishonin. In the end, they’ll receive the punishment of the Buddha, you’ll see.” Ikeda says, “To
take action to fight against whatever forces appear as the enemies of the Soka Gakkai is our most
noble mission.” Matilda Buck says, “How tragic it would be for even one person to have found the
great means of bringing forth Buddhahood only to be diverted to another, seemingly similar, path
that is incapable of leading that individual to his or her deepest happiness.” This is the jist of the
Gakkai’s attempt to chain the members to the Gakkai way of life. The Biggest ”pet devil” is Nikken
of the Nichiren Shoshu:
"When Buddhism speaks of “devilish functions,” what does that really mean? These represent
whatever tries to prevent us from advancing in our Buddhist practice. In a sense, they are
frightened when we expand the Buddha’s forces, because the realm they want to control will then
be changed into a pure land. In our case right now, this function is being manifested in the current
high priest of Nichiren Shoshu."
2.

5).Destructive cults lead their members to believe they are somehow superior to all other humans
on the earth.
In many of Daisaku Ikeda’s speeches we see how the SGI members are to view themselves:
“Sons of the Gakkai”,

“Inheritors of Myoho”,
“Lions of the Mystic Law”,
“The sole group of true believers”,
“Truly praiseworthy are you who resolve to work hard for kosen-rufu and the SGI. You are the most
noble of all people.”
6).Destructive cults put the will of the group above the will of the individual. This is often reinforced
with simplistic games or rituals of some type designed to make the individual subservient to the
group.
If you search, you will find such quotes from the eternal Soka Gakkai mentor, “The Soka Gakkai is
more important than my life.” We also see the special Soka Gakkai holidays like May 3rd, day of
mentor and disciple, and such slogans as, “reaffirming the prime point of the Soka Gakkai”
We see inordinate references to Soka Gakkai, SGI, and Ikeda in nearly every experience given by
an SGI member. There used to be dress and hair (short) and beard (none) codes for the SGI Young
Men’s Division and on saturdays everyone had to dress in white pants and white tee-shirts.).
7).Destructive cults teach that the end justifies the means.
How they misuse upaya (expedient means) is a travesty. Flirtatious shakabuku by young women’s
division, telling peoplethey can get new cars and even drugs if the chant, teaching people that they
will immediatelybecome Buddhas if they join the SGI, and the list goes on and on how they utilize
the ends justify the means philosophy of Machiavelli, the antithesis of the Buddha’s teachings.
8).Destructive cults teach strict obedience to superiors and encourage the development of behavior
patterns that are similar to those of the leader.
Is there any doubt why the Soka Gakkai is known throughout the ten directions as the Ikeda cult?
Guidance division, never criticizing leaders, “follow no matter what”, this is so apparent to everyone
but the brainwashed SGI member himself. Lately, the SGI has abandoned any subtle pretense with
such overt youth division guidelines as, “Reveal your true identity as Shinichi Yamamoto” and “I
want to be Shinichi Yamamoto”
9).Destructive cults offer acceptance by the group for good performance, and conversely,withhold it
for poor performance.
Moving up the ladder from Jr Group Chief, to Group Chief, to District Chief, to Chapter Chief, to
Area Chief, to Territory Chief, to Joint Territory Chief and so on.Busting people from their position or
moving them at the leaders will.
10).In destructive cults, fear is a major motivator. Guilt is a close second, and shame is third. Only
the cult leader is perfect, so everyone below is fearful that those above wil lfind out their
shortcomings. Cult members feel constantly guilty for having those real or imagined shortcomings,
and are ashamed that they haven’t worked harder to get rid of them.
“Never talk about your problems to the members until they are resolved.”
“Did you know that so and so got hit by a car and is paralyzed.
"He should have stayed with the Soka Gakkai.”
“She turned in her SGI Gohonzon and lost her job and her house.”
“He committed suicide not soon after joining the Nikken sect.”
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65.

11).Destructive cult members swing from emotional highs, to emotional lows regularly. Lows are not long
tolerated, and result in more indoctrination, or even ejection from the group if they last too long.
Here are some examples of SGI speech used to control their members: “You have weak faith.”. ‘You had
better go for guidance if you want to resolve that problem”. Rumors to stay away from depressed individuals.
Not inviting less than enthusiastic members to certain meetings or not telling them about “important”
meetings. Lectures about “emotionalism”, [unless the emotion is rapture about the SGI and the mentor]. Every
last former SGI cult member will attest to this.
12).Destructive cults tend to re-write their members’ past, manipulate their present, and distort their future.
Disrupting time orientation is an honored technique of all such cults.
Human Revolution, New Human Revolution, New New Human Revolution. Need I say more?
13).And, finally, there is never a legitimate reason for leaving a destructive cult. The only reason members
leave a perfect system, is because they are imperfect in some respect and will be punished for it.
“He was angry.”
“He was jealous.”
"He couldn’t get along with his leader.”
“He had weak faith.”
(even if "he" continues to chant three hours a day and does shakabuku with the Nichiren Shu or the Kempon
Hokke). “No matter which destructive cult you choose, the above 13 items will almost universally apply".
The author of these 13 points [whose name escapes me] then goes on to conclude: Study the methods of est,
LaRouche, Transcendental Meditation, Truth Station, Soka Gakkai, The Way International, Children of God,
Temple of Set, Synanon, Scientology ®, The Peoples Temple, Unification Church, Hare Krishnas, House of
Judah, Ramtha, Garbage Eaters, Rajneesh, ECK, Church Universal and Triumphant, Elan Vital, Posse
Comitatus, or any of the others…. they use the same techniques, even though each of them claims unique
and absolute ownership of the “truth.”
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1.
Thanks for your thoroughness in providing evidence that SGI is a cult. It's methods may vary
slightly from those of other cults, but you have identified the commonalities. Most people claim that
their lives have been changed by being SGI members, and so do members of other cults say the
same. SGI is a destructive cult which preys on members minds and discourages independent
thought.
Members are even encouraged to have Ikeda's picture right by the gohonzon, so they chant to him!
What's that about?
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66.
Greg P.July 12, 2015 at 10:48 AM
I was tricked into joining this cult when I lived in Japan. It was one of the most brainwashing, horrifying
experiences of my life that I endure over many years. http://www.gregpercifield.com/oops-i-joined-a-japanese-
cult/
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67.

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your future installments.
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Priya AhlawatAugust 4, 2015 at 7:36 AM
Hi Mark! Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog. I totally subscribe to your point of view about SGI
being a cultist, closed and deceptive organization. I joined this practice willfully nearly 3 years ago
in India. Though i sincerely believe in the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Gosho's view of
karma/ cause & effect/ esho funi/ ichinen Sanzen & others. But there are a lot of things at
organizational level i totally despise such as:
1) Guilt induction about not chanting enough daimoku / not doing enough home visits / not doing
shakabuku / not connecting with mentor’s heart / not understanding the gakkai spirit etc. I believe
that any spiritual practice you do, should be able to set you free, not bind you. What if you can’nt
chant for longer durations daily, not available for every relay /alliance session in your block, fail to
participate in every meetings due to time constraints or different priorities / don’t share your
experience in meetings either because you are not ready or you fail to see it as an experience yet
but still subscribe wholeheartedly to this philosophy of creating good causes/ overcoming your
negativity / respecting the goodness in every human being.
2.
) Chase for good fortune and Good fortune accounting ~ SGI members tell you often that attending
meeting is good fortune, studying Ikeda’s writing is good fortune, doing home visits is good fortune,
contributing money is good fortune, doing gakkai activities ~ singing / presenting / bringing guests
to meeting is good fortune. And everyone here is playing to increase their good fortune score. Call
/chase people constantly if they are slipping in their practice or not attending zadankai’s to increase
your good fortune & eradicate your karma. What I fail to understand is, in this mad chase for good
fortune, is it ok to derelict your duties & responsibilities as a wife, human being & professional. SGI
members marker “gakkai activities “ as the only authentic source to earn good fortune brownie
points. The whole concept is: more we are struggling to take time out for activities(only sgi), more
we are earning good fortune. Those who are opposing your practice (even if they have valid logical
points) are devilish functions. If your husband wants to spend a Sunday morning with you then this
is your test of Faith to struggle and come to meeting. Is this “good fortune “restricted only to SGI
sphere? What If I am devoting my spare time in bonding with family , developing new skills, doing
workout or yoga for fitness which will bring happiness to me & my family members. Will my good
fortune score decline? And what if instead of contributing to gakkai twice a year , if I am donating
my money/resources towards animal welfare societies/ ngo or sponsoring a meal for old age home
would nt that be a good fortune too? Why are they so insistent on creating an emotional
dependency on the group. In my understanding every good act you do is good fortune whether for
gakkai or outside gakkai. The actual test or proof of Faith is how much your own life is getting better
so that you can influence and happily impact the lives of everyone around you. It begins with
personal effectiveness. It begins with taking control, action & taking responsibility, making tough
choices. True Faith means the courage to take action, make firm decisions and ability to reflect on
our own tendencies. Faith is not about hiding yourself behind the big concepts of kosen rufu and
shakubuku and escaping away from what you need to do right in your life. Why do
members/leaders use faith as escapism, waiting for some mystic phenomenon to happen without
taking the right actions in their life.
3.
3) I find it very strange when people brag about the number of hours they have chanted , the
numbers of home visits done
4) Why practicing members are placed on a higher pedestal than the non-practicing members? We
gain good fortune by showing the other members the same respect as we would show to a Buddha.
Why differentiate between a practicing and non-practicing member? I have stayed and worked in
many different cities in India & abroad. Met people with diverse backgrounds and outlooks in life
which has made me more perceptive of the human nature and its frality. I have known some very
wonderful, humble, pure hearted and kind people in gakkai but at the same time I have been able to
sense the insincerity and vanity in many leaders and members. Some of them see gakkai as a
social club and are trying to fill an emotional gap in their otherwise lonely and vacuous life, for some
gakkai leadership gives them a false sense of superiority or power which eludes them in their real
life. I have known people apart from gakkai circle who exhibit Buddha qualities of compassion,
courage & wisdom while I have also seen leaders who have been technically practicing for 2
decades but are not really very fine people. There are members who are given a mini celebrity
status in the group because of their social standing. I find it all very shallow & repulsive.
4.
Mark & all other erstwhile SGI members, I need your help. Could you please give some clarity /
insights on following :
a) What am I supposed to do with SGI Gohonzon ? Keep it / Return it? And is ok to chant facing a
wall without any organization Gohonzon (SGI / Nichiren Shoshu / Nichiren Shu )?
b) From where can I buy Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings? Is SGI Gosho good to read & follow? Or
is it also diluted like the organization? And what about the Lotus Sutra 6 volumes written by Ikeda?
c) And what has been you personal experience with ND Buddhism after leaving the gakkai ?
Many thanks in advance!!

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70.
Mark RogowAugust 4, 2015 at 5:33 PM

Hello Priya. You may return it or burn it while chanting the Daimoku and the Jiga-ge. Nichiren faced the Sun.
A clean plain wall will do. You may also place the Lotus Sutra on the altar and a statue of Shakyamuni
Buddha [only if you placed a copy of the Lotus Sutra on the altar along with the Statue]. When you are ready
and your faith is strong, I will either bestow upon you a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon or you may
procure one for yourself.
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71.

My personal experience is great exhilaration to be practicing Buddhism as the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren teach.
Nichiren, despite the difficulties declared, "No life could be as fortunate as mine."
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72.
Priya AhlawatAugust 23, 2015 at 9:52 PM
Thanks for your reply Mark.Need to discuss/ understand a few things.I was wondering if would be possible for
you to share your email address.
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73.

illarraza@yahoo.com. Look forward to your your thoughts and queries.
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74.
AnonymousSeptember 8, 2015 at 12:11 PM

I started practicing with this organization a couple of years ago and have recently decided to pull myself away.
While I find no fault with the philosophy itself, I am struggling to accept things within the organization that I
sometimes find to be disturbing. I guess the first thing that raised some red flags for me was when I received
my Gohonzon. Upon receiving it, I was educated about the other Nichiren sects and their "wrong" ways of
practice. I was told to avoid them at all costs. I thought that the discussion was inappropriate for the time (I
had just received my Gohonzon minutes earlier and did not want to pollute this joyous moment by entering
into a discussion disparaging others.) Frankly, I thought that subject being brought up was just plain weird, but
I decided to ignore it and figured I was just being judgmental. Then I started noticing that Ikeda's name was
being brought up A LOT. In meetings, in the World Tribune, Living Buddhism (you literally can not get through
one page in the magazine without his name popping up or him being referenced in some way), having to sit
through 20-minute videos about him during WPG meetings... I started to wonder why it was necessary for
others to bring his name into discussions all the time. In my opinion, it was unnecessay because we were
supposed to be studying Nichiren, NOT the life of Daisaku Ikeda. Initially, I joined SGI to familiarize myself
with the teachings/philosophies of Nichiren. I slowly began to realize though that I had joined an organization
not centered around the philosophy of Nichiren, but centered around Daisaku Ikeda. Once I made this
realization, I was horrified to say the least. I didn't really know who to turn to, so I began reading forums and
experiences of former SGI members which has been very comforting. I was still on the fence until I read about
this supposed King/Gandhi/Ikeda exhibit. I mean, wow... For people to think that Ikeda is even on the same
level as men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi is just ridiculous and honestly, delusional. That really hit
the nail on the head for me and now I am done. I would like to thank Mark and all of the other ex-SGI
contributors for sharing your stories and helping people like me find the courage to leave a disturbing
situation.
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75.
Mark RogowSeptember 8, 2015 at 7:13 PM

Thanks for your comment Anonymous.You are always welcome to share your thoughts here..
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AnonymousSeptember 27, 2015 at 2:03 AM

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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78.
John TateNovember 28, 2015 at 6:11 PM
If you would like to continue with your practice of morning and evening prayers to the Gohonzon, after taking
time away from or completely cutting ties with the SGI or Nichiren Shoshu, please consider adapting the
Silent Prayers available through the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/buddhistrealism/
This site is focused exclusively on "secular" versions of the Silent Prayers. If you are not familiar with "Secular
Buddhism," here is a link to a site that explains the movement:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Buddhism
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79.
Mark RogowNovember 28, 2015 at 7:12 PM

Really John, the DaiGohonzon has been successfully repudiated and why would anyone ever consider
returning the slanderous cult or Nichiren Shoshu? Better to recite some passages of the Gosho and Lotus
Sutra.
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1.
Sorry Mark, there must be some misunderstanding. I don't know what it is about the Secular Silent
Prayers that indicates obliviousness to the arguments against the validity of the Dai-Gohonzon or
furthers fallacious arguments about it. As for the Lotus Sutra, the Silent Prayers are meant to be
read in conjunction with reciting from the 2nd and 16th Chapters. And I have no problem with
reciting from the Gosho, but it has been my understanding that the chanting Nam Myoho Renge
Kyo, reciting from the Lotus Sutra, and focusing on the Gohonzon is a practice that essentially does
that same thing.
Also, I had no idea that the Secular Silent Prayers could be interpreted so as to encourage anyone
to return to the SGI or Nichiren Shoshu. My intention is to help people continue with the practice, if
they choose, so that they might obtain supreme enlightenment. I am practicing independently and
hope others do as well, but everyone is different. There are some people who are very attached to
their respective organizations. It may take them some time to adjust, but I was hoping these prayers
might help them adjust, see their situations more clearly, and overcome their suffering.
Secularization is here to stay and will only expand. If it can expand within the SGI and Nichiren
Shoshu, that would be a good thing. I'm not optimistic, however, about this happening in either
organization anytime soon. But for anyone who would like to begin a more rational approach to their
practice, these Silent Prayers offer an easy fix.
I believe we may be able to come to an understanding about this, but I don't know if posting back
and forth about it here is the best way to do that. Your blog seems pretty focused on the post-SGI
venting stage and, judging from your reaction, I would not want to disrupt it further.
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80.
Unique ManuNovember 28, 2015 at 10:05 PM
you are so wrong and probably so unhappy!

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81.
John TateNovember 29, 2015 at 3:07 AM
I am unhappy and may be wrong, but I do not consider your comment as a refutation of what I have proposed.
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82.

"after taking time away from", indicates a return to. Something I find untenable. As far as silent prayers, no
where does Nichiren advocate such a practice and therefore i suggest all prayers should be recited out loud. I
also suggest that rather than promoting prayers formulated from arbitrary sources [ie: the mind of the common
mortal], our prayers should derive from the Lotus Sutra and Gosho [the mind of the Buddha]. Citing
"DaiGohonzon", referring to the Ita Mandala, in the prayers, for example, immediately discounts the prayers
as valid.
Similarly, by discounting the literal, ie: a bodily reading of the Sutra, you diminish the very real actions and
accomplishments of the founders, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin who lived the very words of
the Sutra. I cite the following as proof:
What are some of the benefits of having faith in the Lotus Sutra? Parking Spaces? No. When we receive
merits from Lord Shakyamuni Buddha we receive the merits needed to become a Buddha. In the Lotus Sutra
Chapter Twenty-five, The Universal Gate of Kanzeon Bosatsu Fumonbon, we learn through fantastic imagery
the promises of benefits that we inherit from Kannon or Kanzeon Bosatsu, literally, He Who Observes the
Sounds of the World Bodhisattva. The Buddha describes the perils from which Avalokitesvara will save the
people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra and these perils are repeated in the verse section [although they do
not exactly match those in the prose section]. Please note how Nichiren Daishonin validates the Lotus Sutra
by living the promises of the Sutra
Those who have faith in the Lotus Sutra and Lord Shakyamuni Buddha, in the following situations will be free
from harm like Nichiren who lived nearly every line of the Lotus Sutra literally:
PROSE SECTION
1. If a man falls into a great fire, he will not burn. [unlike High Priest Nikkyo of the Nichiren Shoshu]
2. If he is carried away by a great wave, he will find a shallow place. [exactly as Nichiren Daishonin during the
Izu exile]
3. If he enters the sea in search of riches and a black wind carries the ship to the realm of the Rakushasa, he
will be saved. [Nichiren Daishonin on his voyage to Sado]
4. If he is about to be murdered, swords and weapons will break. [Nichiren Daishonin at Tatsunokuchi]
5. If hordes of yakshas and Rakushasa try to do him harm, they will not even be able to see him. [Nichiren
Daishonin as he escaped from Seichoji and Matsubagayatsu]
6. Regardless of guilt, if he is in fetters or stocks, they will be broken. [Nichiro in prison]
7. If he is full of lust, he will be cured of it. [Nichiren remained a true celibate priest throughout his life]
8. If bandits find travelers with precious gems on a dangerous road, the travelers will be saved. [Nichiren
Daishonin at Komatsubara]
9. If full of anger, he will lose it. [Nichiren towards his faithful disciples]
10. If full of folly, he will be cured of it. [Nichiren Daishonin having chanted the Nembutsu]
11. If a woman wants a son, she will bear one.
12. If a woman wants a daughter, she will bear one.
continued...
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83.
VERSE SECTION
1. If a man is pushed into a Pit of fire, the pit will turn into a pool. [Nichiren Daishonin's escape from his
burning hut during the persecution at Matsubagayatsu,]
2. If he is afloat on a great sea in which there are fish, dragons, and ghosts, waves will not drown him. [Izu
exile]
3. If he is pushed off the peak of Mount Sumeru, he will dwell in space like the sun. [Nichiren's (Sun Lotus')
repeated exiles and banishments]
4. If he is chased down a diamond mountain by an evil man, he will not be harmed. [Nichiren Daishonin's
escape from Tojo Kagenobu on mount Kiyasumi]
5. If he is surrounded by bandits waving swords, their thoughts will be transformed to kindly ones.
[Tatsunokuchi persecution]
6. If he faces execution, the executioner's sword will break. [Tatsunokuchi]
7. If he is in a pillory with his hands and feet in stocks, he will gain release. [Nichiro]
8. If someone harms him through spells, curses, or poisons, the victim can send them back to plague their
authors. [A). Nichiren was given food laced with poison. Before he ate it, he laid it down on a tree stump. A
dog came by, took a few bites, and became violently ill. B). Those who suffered untoward deaths for
persecuting Nichiren Daishonin]
9. If he encounters Rakushasa, dragons, or ghosts, they will not harm him. [Nichiren encountering evil men on
a daily basis, many of whom became his disciples]
10. If he is surrounded by beasts with sharp claws and teeth, they will flee.
11. If confronted with snakes or insects breathing fire, the sound of one's voice will dispel them.
12. If threatened with thunder, hail, or lightning, he will remain dry. [Nichiren in his many dilapidated huts].
13. If one has misfortunes and troubles, one can be rescued. [Nichiren on a daily basis]
14. If one’s destiny is the world of hells, ghosts, or beasts, it can be changed. [Nichiren, according to Nichiren
himself, in the Opening of the Eyes, The Selection of the Time, and Letter from Sado, for example]
15. The pains of birth, old age, sickness, and death can be alleviated. [Nichiren Daishonin as our example].
16. Darkness will be dispelled by the light of wisdom, which also subdues winds and flames. [Nichiren
Daishonin subduing the Mongols with the Great Wind]
17. The agony of civil disputes on the battlefield will be avoided. [Komatubara persecution]
In the verse section, perils thirteen through sixteen are written in a different form from the earlier ones and are
more comprehensive and general.
The seventeenth peril is written in the same manner as the earlier ones but contains two distinct perils, as
does the sixteenth.
Between the prose and the verse section's lists of dangers, is a question by Aksayamati Bodhisattva about
how Kannon moves within the world. The Buddha replies that the bodhisattva takes many different forms, as
does Fine Sound Bodhisattva, described in chapter twenty-four. Kannon (Avalokitesvara) can appear as a
Buddha, pratyekabuddha, or Sravaka; as Brahma, Indra, Lsvara, Mahesvara, Mahesana, or Vairsavana; as a
minor king, rich man, householder, official, Brahman, bhikshu, Bhikshsuni, upasaka, Upasaka, wife of a
householder, wife of a rich man, wife of an official, wife of a Brahman, boy, or girl; or as a god, dragon,
yaksha, gandharva, Asura, garuda, kinnara, mahoraga; as a human, nonhuman, or Vajrapani. Aksayamati
then presents a necklace to Kannon, who accepts and divides it, giving one part to Prabhutaratna and the
other to Sakyamuni. The chapter ends with a statement that eighty-four thousand of the assembly embarked
on the path to enlightenment.
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84.
Although I disagree with your position, thank you for taking the time to express it.
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85.
AnonymousDecember 5, 2015 at 6:19 AM

I was a victim of the oganization for 7 years. It has taken so much time, money, and my health away from me,
all for the promise of the shining "benefit" that actually never happens because spending your time chanting
doesn't fix any of your daily problems. When I went through their internal "complaint" system, I unfortunately
found out that the victim is considered the criminal and their voice is muzzled.
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86.

So true!
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87.
John TateDecember 7, 2015 at 7:10 PM
Anonymous - I am so sorry to hear you had to go through something like that. If you would like to
communicate with someone on a more personal basis, I'm available.
I'm more interested in your insight on the current condition of the SGI, than advancing my secular perspective
on the practice. My email address is available through the above link to my website.
If I don't hear back from you, please know that I hope you can put this experience behind - as soon as
possible.
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88.
AnonymousDecember 29, 2015 at 8:16 AM

Oy! So much heavy stuff. I have been a member of the SGI for 11 years and have "drunk the kool-aid" a time
or two. What I really want is to be able to breathe. Seriously, take a deep breath and celebrate my life instead
of having to worry about losing my fortune (as I've been told would happen many times). My time with SGI
has been reflective of my time in my own life, reflective of my karma. I have chanted for things that I wanted,
and have gotten them. I have chanted for things I wanted and not gotten them. I have made "friends in faith"
and realized that their devotion and affection in me was as a project, not a person. I have been shown great
compassion by people who I didn't give a shit for. I have been sexually harassed (by an 80 year old woman,
golden stage member!). It took a couple of years but finally "leadership" addressed the issue. I had to fight for
that to happen...but I did it. In my past it has happened before and I was unable to do so, so
that's...um...good. I have been a leader and quit. My mother has died. My brother has died. My beloved friend
in the practice has died. It is all so messy and so very human. I'm still here. I'm still fighting. I'm still laughing.
I'm still me.
Though I tease about things being heavy, I am grateful for all of the things I've read. I've nodded my head at
both the criticisms of the SGI and the support. For me, it's all infinitely more complex than I could ever
articulate. Horrible and beautiful, because it's gotten me here.
Reply
89.

Practicing with the same faith as Nichiren, one encounters the Three Obstacles and Four Devils, naturally as
the shadow follows the body. The faith and practice to realize Supreme and Perfect Enightenment is hard
enough without the construct of a false teaching and bad spiritual friends. My advice is to get out while you
still can in order to realize the fruit of Buddhahood.
Reply
90.

also, there is no need to drink the kool-aid even once.
Reply
91.
gooseJanuary 1, 2016 at 9:22 AM

You all are awesome! 32 yrs.a member. Still chant. No more "activities". Instill guilt. Ikedaism is revolting.
Ikeda teaching instead of Nichren. Sad. It's the best philosophy I still follow but higher ups exploit it for their
own gain and power. Nichren must be screaming...
Reply
92.
Mark RogowJanuary 1, 2016 at 7:17 PM

Good points Goose ikedaism is revolting, Nichiren is turning in his grave.
Reply
93.
Rick KellerJanuary 12, 2016 at 12:15 PM

Interesting set of comments. I joined SGI late in life (47), have been a leader (district through region), have
stepped down from leadership (over policy issues) and continue to see that certain directions the organization
is moving in are likely to be less than constructive. In spite of all that I continue to practice and support local
activities (it is still the only game in town and if I resigned I would need to invent something like it). We are a
lay group and as such are prey to many of the problems that lay groups, no any group, are subject to. We
select our leadership from a pool of human beings frequently not having the background, either in personal
skills, leadership or doctrinal knowledge to accomplish the tasks allocated to them (anyone who thinks Kosen
Rufu is easy hasn't done it). We frequently confuse the culture in which the organization was born with the
"culture" of the organization. We are moving away from that confusion. In my 26 years of membership I have
seen massive changes in this organization, some for good, some not so good. It is hard believe that those
changes will not continue. Makiguchi founded SG on the pragmatism of John Dewey, and as we say "actual
proof is the most important," which I take to mean, "if it is not working, discard it and try something else." I am
sure that as we continue our personal revolutions we will also see that reflected in the SGI, how could it be
otherwise? One last point: I don't recognize the organization some of you describe. I have only practiced here
in the hinter lands. My son moved to a different part of the country for many years and had to give up his
engagement with the organization due to difficulties with local leadership. He has recently moved home and
resumed organizational activities. He tells me the atmosphere here is very different then the one he had
encountered. The "culture" of the local organization is very much dependent on people who lead it. The way
to change that culture is to take ownership, responsibility and work to change it.
Reply
Replies
1.
I suggest that if you feel SGI is the only game in town you have failed to study the depths of the
teachings. Why settle for rubble when you can possess gold? You can spread the teachings in the
same manner as Nichiren Daishonin and join the organization of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth
without the baggage of SGI. It will take courage, insight, and a radical change in your flawed
thinking.
Reply
94.

Ashley Hartman: "They always told us if we were good people and if we did good things our after lif would be
fruitful. I did end up years later practicing SGI as well although, I had then, and still do have an interest in
other practices around the world."
1). This is pure provisional Buddhism...."I have made bad causes since the beginningless past and in order to
secure a bright future I have to make infinite good causes from now until the far distant future.
2). Since you uphold such an erroneous view, I assert that you have little to contribute to the understanding of
Nichiren Daishonin's Lotus Sutra Buddhism and therefore should not call yourself a Nichiren Buddhist.
Reply
95.
AnonymousFebruary 18, 2016 at 8:39 PM

Hi Mark and Lisa. Thank you for publishing this. I have been tentatively trying to practice Buddhism since
2008, and this grew into discovering Nichiren Buddhism and chanting since 2012. My experiences with SGI
have been very limited mostly due to the fact that I have been based in places where they have had limited
presence. I've really only had one direct contact with the organization, and then some interaction with
members. However, after reading this article a lot of small things clicked into place, things that didn't sit quite
right about those past experiences. Most recently, the person who introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism has
been saying that if I don't attend SGI meetings or try to convert people, that I am not really practicing Nichiren
Buddhism correctly, and this could even be the reason for not getting what I might want in life. This really
bothered me on a spiritual level.... Because of your article, I think now that I will stay clear of SGI.
Mark, I started reading through the comments (not too much haha) and noticed that you'd offered to email a
copy of "The Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma" to this other person. Can you please tell me how
to email you so I may also get a copy?
BTW that was another thing that didn't sit right. Receiving the Gohonzon from SGI as a pledge of allegiance...
Reply
96.
Mark RogowFebruary 19, 2016 at 10:02 AM

Please e-mail me @ illarraza@yahoo.com. Tell me about yourself, your practice, your altar, and sign one or
both of the Declarations of Faith and I may send you a beautiful Gohonzon in a virtually indestructible frame.
Reply
97.
Mark RogowFebruary 19, 2016 at 10:03 AM

Please e-mail me @ illarraza@yahoo.com. Tell me about yourself, your practice, your altar, and sign one or
both of the Declarations of Faith and I may send you a beautiful Gohonzon in a virtually indestructible frame.
Reply
98.

Wonderful article and furthermore reading comments from people following their instincts rather than the
group pressure and tricks used to keep people on Ikeda's plantation provides hope that more members will
develop the courage to exit Gakkai.
I was once a member who out of natural curiosity sought out the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren writings and opening
up mainstream Buddhism and the myriad of sects and schools of thought. SGI's Ikedaism cannot withstand
the wealth of information when viewing it from a sincere perspective free of shame or guilt that is drilled into
people's heads. SGI's defense against a member opening up greater understanding is through group
pressure rallying around books and articles that view Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra through the corporate lens
of Ikeda and company.
Reducing the Lotus Sutra to "its about the heart"and other painfully simple abstract concepts..creating a
blocking pass from a trend of discovery free of the Gakkai intellectual leash. They don't want members freely
accessing non organizational publications and research materials, let alone craft different interpretations at
district meetings. Leadership obtained their own private study videos from headquarters to control the study
narrative at meetings in which to control the content.
What's most profound is Nichiren's writings if viewed with a clear head, go directly against the grain of SGI.
Deepening one's understanding of Buddhism will set one naturally on a journey away from the stifling
feudalistic confines of the SGI. The great fear for many beyond punishment and retribution by the law for
leaving the SGI (Absurd nonsense) is losing friends, community and practicing alone. The greater fear is
feeling used and discovering that the network was largely artificial and the result of pressures to conform.
Leaving and ignoring the constant pleas to return, emails and holiday cards going on over 2 years, with
mailed materials after returning the gohonzon, which by the way isn't a kami worship object (shinto practice)
but an object representing the ceremony in air where one can in a timeless way enter and make a vow...not
obtain things like a beggar kicking a vending machine....anyways, SGI knows it's seductive element for
members who have left...the community and will continue to show interest.
Which leads to practicing alone. For some a desperate proposition. Many stay in the SGI for Sangha or
fellowship even if rejecting the ideology. This is no different than a slave remaining on a plantation doing very
little work while knowing of a hole in the fence. Not trying to help others break out or liberating oneself.
In total, there is nothing sweeter than developing a sincere, integrity filled practice with a Nichiren Gohonzon
(google they can be downloaded across the net) and study the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren free from the Ikeda-
esque perspective. A whole world of Buddhist thought opens up and one's practice becomes golden. Not the
frenzied Gakkai Marching fanaticism, but the ageless and serene connection and deepening. Of course once
a personal practice deepens and ripens, it's only natural to share with others in an organic way, purposely
focused on the key content...Buddhism, not all of the noise hammering on about "organization, Ikeda and
legacy of the presidents", things that have little relation to the beauty of the Lotus Sutra.
Have no fear, wonderful things await those that seek the unfiltered and pure relationship of themselves, their
Gohonzon, the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's writings, free to study all of Buddhism to gain greater perspective
and sense of it all...the fears will evaporate in a timely way. Appreciation and patience will deepen. A practice
that has been perfectly crafted for your own pace, in your own organic way. Not some template in which the
speed is dictated by people who want your energy for their purposes.
Reply
Replies
1.
Noel PantonMarch 2, 2016 at 2:38 AM
So true, beautifully said, thanks for sharing
2.
AnonymousMarch 2, 2016 at 8:58 PM

You're Welcome.
Reply
99.

To add: Regarding Ikeda's "hundreds of honorary degrees" google Rev. Moon of the Unification Church and
his hundreds of honorary degrees, many coming from the same South American universities...
Yeah, SGI is the Japanese version of the Unification Church. Both bizarre creations piggy backing on
traditional long standing religious systems, twisted to promote personality worship and grandiose ideology in a
manic footprint based on "save the world only through us" mantras.
Reply
100.
Pensamentos Dos Novos TemposApril 3, 2016 at 10:28 AM
Congratulations, it's very rare we see criticism for his religion on the Web; even it seems that it is really a
positive religion.
But it is not!
It is a religion that expects us to do beautiful things, we pretend to be happy just to converncer others that SGI
is the only hope of mankind.
They wanna Convinced people que only there anyone can find happiness.
They say they know everything about the human being, but it is a lie, they can not cope with the problems if
you tell one to Them.
Reply
101.
Pedro M. RamosApril 3, 2016 at 10:59 AM

Reply
102.
hobodisatvaApril 4, 2016 at 2:09 AM
If you want to become enlightened ,practice Zen! practice mindfulness and become familiar with the writings
of Pema Chodron ! there is a reason all compassionate and serious buddhist refer to SGI and NST as "Mc
Buddhism". A EX MEMBER OF BOTH SIDE OF THE MEANINGLESS CONFLICT!
Reply
103.
Mark RogowApril 4, 2016 at 8:30 PM

you got one thing right, HOBOdisatva. You threw out the baby with the bath water and now cuddle a mutant
called Zen.
Reply
Replies
1.
hobodisatvaApril 8, 2016 at 9:16 PM
Well there you go, it doesn't matter if you are in the SGI or the NST or the Hokeko , ALL and I mean
ALL you nichiren "buddhist are the same , everyone else is wrong , everyone else is going to suffer
in the hell of there karma only you nichiren B. are going to be enlightened . Well Bullshit ! you all
have the arrogance of fucking Catholics and the sense of humor of Jahovah witnesses . you know
nothing about Buddhism, if you did you would quit that awful nichiren sect !
2.
Pedro M. RamosApril 9, 2016 at 7:26 AM
Spot-on mate!
"you all have the arrogance of fucking Catholics and the sense of humor of Jahovah witnesses"
So true!!
Reply
104.
Pensamentos Dos Novos TemposApril 9, 2016 at 12:29 PM
my opinion on these issues are only one; all religions have errors in their doctrines, but not in its essence, is
wrong every religious thread that says that their religion is the only true and that people depend on it for
salvation.
I can create a very different Buddhism, it is not wrong, wrong is if I say that it is only true religion, the only one
that leads to salvation, it is a religion that I may have created.
The same thing happens in Christianity; people say to have the truth and only they will be saved, others will
be condemned; It is a lie.
If they follow what is written in fact, it would be very different, and there is the fact that Buddha or Christ taught
was a bit lost, and some texts may be altered in the past....I think that wrong are those people saying to the
world to obey them no matter what....
Reply
105.
Mark RogowApril 9, 2016 at 5:48 PM

Double sorry. One need only open their eyes and take a look at the state of the world under the predominant
prevailing religions to know that they are false. One need only open their eyes and take a look at the sublime
Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra and its non-violent practitioners to realize its superiority over the Bible and
Q'uran.
Reply
106.
Pensamentos Dos Novos TemposApril 10, 2016 at 4:42 AM
I understood...............
Reply
107.

You can't repeat yourself ad infinitum Anonymous. For anyone interested in responses to Anonymous, see
http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2016/04/sgis-bizarre-meaning-of-
extortion.html?showComment=1460381436626#c7098594679979534153
Reply
108.

In my 3 yrs of Nichiren Buddhism practice, no one has forced me into anything. I got my gohonzon after 1yr
and i initiated it myself, no one told me to. There is no supreme leader here and all are equal. I have attended
numerous discussions meetings, study meetings and only benefited from them. I am not sure what many of
the "critiques" of this practice experienced but its not Nichiren Buddhism.
Reply
109.

We have literally hundreds of man year experiences with the Soka Gakkai. Careful anonymous. Too much
koolad is bad for your health.
Reply
110.
AnonymousMay 7, 2016 at 7:32 PM

OOOOOHHHHHHHH. i'm sooooooooooooo scared..........we are responding to this post and we're going to
break it down piece by piece. coming to a theater near you. There is nothing scholarly about this.
Reply
Replies
1.
Perhaps not scholarly but for the most part true.
Reply
111.

I have written a complete refutation of this article. Your blog doesn't allow me to enter it. Please forward me
an email to send to. thanks
Reply
112.

How come you could enter your above statement but couldn't enter your "complete refutation"? Anyway, I'll
look it over. My email is illarraza@yahoo.com
Reply
113.

"We" are responding to this post. Who is "we", SGi Headquarters? This should be fun.
Reply
114.

Still waiting for your complete refutation. I will post it in full along with [presumably] a rebuttal.
Reply
115.

thank you
Reply
116.

What kind of Buddhism does you friend practice?
Reply
117.
loosing friendMay 21, 2016 at 3:11 PM

Reply
118.

She is Soka Gakkai. She is in a cult. SGI's thought control and brainwashing techniques are formidable. You
can refer yur friend here and on Reddit SGI Whistleblowers... https://www.reddit.com/r/sgiwhistleblowers/
Reply
119.
loosing friendMay 22, 2016 at 5:22 AM

Reply
120.
Mark RogowMay 22, 2016 at 11:32 AM

Nichiren teaches:
"If someone is about to kill your father and mother, shouldn’t you try to warn them? If a bad son who is insane
with drink is threatening to kill his father and mother, shouldn’t you try to stop him? If some evil person is
about to set fire to the temples and pagodas, shouldn’t you try to stop him? If your only child is gravely ill,
shouldn’t you try to cure him or her with moxibustion treatment? To fail to do so is to act like those people who
see but do not try to put a stop to the Zen and Nembutsu followers in Japan. [As Chang-an says,] “If one
befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy.”
Reply
121.
Rich RodriguezMay 26, 2016 at 3:40 PM

Reply
122.
AnonymousJune 9, 2016 at 1:39 PM
SGI is a Cult
CRITERIA in claims of an organization representing the characteristics of a cult - Many academics and
observers of cult phenomena, such as psychologist Philip G.Zimbardo of Stanford, agree on four criteria to
define a cult. The first is BEHAVIORAL CONTROL, i.e., monitoring of where you go and what you do. The
second is INFORMATION CONTROL, such as discouraging members from reading criticism of the group.
The third is THOUGHT CONTROL, placing sharp limits on doctrinal questioning. The fourth is EMOTIONAL
CONTROL -- using humiliation or guilt. Yet at times these traits can also be detected within mainstream faiths.
So I would add two more categories: financial control and extreme leadership.
Authoritarian leadership, deception and destructive mind control

SHOW YOUR EVIDENCE!
are the main ingredients in a cult, and SGI fits the bill. That may strike some as an unkind or unfair assertion,
but I plan to back it up with examples and explanation.
BACK IT UP WITH EVIDENCE NOT EMOTIONAL EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATIONS

Reply
Replies
1.
"Authoritarian leadership, deception and destructive mind control are the main ingredients in a cult,
and SGI fits the bill. That may strike some as an unkind or unfair assertion, but I plan to back it up
with examples and explanation.
"SHOW YOUR EVIDENCE!"
Are you blind?
BACK IT UP WITH EVIDENCE NOT EMOTIONAL EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATIONS
Chanting, one day to the Nikken or Nittatsu Gohonzon and the next day [by authoritarian
proclamation] exchanging these Gohonzons for the Nichikan Gohozon. Reciting the Sutra 5 times in
the morning and 3 times in the evening and the next day [by authoritarian proclamation] everyone
without a single exception, reciting the sutra once in the morning and once in the evening.
Similarly, changing the silent prayers at the President's pleasure.
There was no diialogue or discussions regarding these significant changes to the faith and
practice... They were all changed by the authority vested in Daisaku Ikeda.
In 1966, the SGI by-laws [which remain in effect] were further changed so that:
- The president is also the “official representative” of the Gakkai.
- He is manager of all its affairs.
- He has the power to convoke the Leaders Meeting (of all 21 responsible officials).
- He appoints and dismisses all the other responsible officials.
- He appoints and dismisses all the vice-general directors, the directors and all “other necessary
officials.”
- He holds office for life.
- He chooses his own successor.
RESULTS OF THE SPECIAL ZAIMU CAMPAIGN:

MEMO # CJT-69
DISTRIBUTE TO - TERR/HQ
INFORM TO - HQ CHIEFS
MEMORANDUM TO ALL TERRITORY AND HQ CHIEFS
FROM CHICAGO JOINT TERRITORY OFFICE
DATE: OCTOBER 9, 1989
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION WEEKLY REPORT - AS OF 10-8-89
CHICAGO TERR 1 -------------$106,821.87

" " 2-------------$39,132.89
" " 3-------------$128,991.81
" " 4-------------$240,519.73
Heartland terr.--------------------$111,964.62
Tennessee Terr-------------------$51,102.06
---------------------------------------------------------
$678,514.98
We are at 1/3 of our goal at this point. This month, October is the originally scheduled month for the
Special Contribution, and we have to do our VERY BEST! [sic] The most important point is
"Promotion of Significance." There are so many members to reach and explain this historic
campaign.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The Ikeda auditorium in Chicago was never built.
Chinberg responds: The new Chicago Culture Center was built instead, Craig.
Response:
AT A COST OF 1/5 OF THE 3.5 MILLION COLLECTED. What happened to the other 2.8 Million?
The members who dared ask the question "Where'd all the money go?" were sent personal letters
of expulsion via certified mail. Six in all.
The list goes on and on. Son thoroughly trounced are you on this one point
2.

Anonymous, since you were so easily and thoroughly refuted on the one point, "authoritarian
leadership", why would you think you would fare any better with your other false and irrational
statements defending the indefensible SGI cult? Why should I allow the rest of your shallow and
easily refuted rebuttal to be published.
3.

The bright mirror of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho illuminates the darkness of SGI. SGI members are
the last to know about changes in SGI doctrines and practices. It is very bizarre that when others
have known for years about the direction to which they were going, they denied each and every
change with every fiber of their being. But once the changes are affirmed by their Sensei, they not
only readily accept and laud the changes but state that there are no changes, we have always
believed thus. It is actual proof [that SGI is a cult] their lack of awareness.
Reply
123.

You are a fool Anonymous:
What kind of training????
that made us dependent on the SGI, and we faithfully passed this training on to others.
AGAIN WHAT TRAINING????????????????????
Pick a season fool...Spring, Autumn and Summer training courses, SGI Cambodia-Laos-Thailand Youth
Training Course, SGI Russia Youth Training Course,and dozens more. Al these courses designed to
strengthen the bond of mentor and disciple through thought control and subtle brainwashing.
You either think that we are stupid or you are stupid and uninformed.
Reply
124.

More lies from Anonymous...
INCORRECT, WE’RE ALL SENIORS IN FAITH…. HELLLOOOOOOOO!!!!!
What are you Anonymous, a Group Chief? A YMD District Chief? When you go for guidance do you go to
your Junior Group Chief or to your seniors in faith, a Chapter, Territory, or Zone Chief [more proof of the
authoritarian nature of SGI]?
Reply
125.

Anonymous, you may falsely believe that you can refute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, but this unrealizeable
idea of yours is nothing but a dream within a dream. I don't even really care if this is the definitive analysis on
why the SGI is a cult. Let us debate the following and not only will I publish the results but will post them in the
body of the blog:
1). The identity and significance of the Original Eternal Buddha
2.) The nature of the Master/Disciple relationship in Nichiren Buddhism
3.) The significance of the Gohonzon
4.) The significance of the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo).
5.) The true meaning of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra.
6.) The true meaning of the Nichiren Faith
7.) Shakabuku versus Shoju in the Degenerate Age
Spreading Myoho or The Wonderful Law is the whole purpose of Buddhism. Is that what the SGI spreads?
Nichiren Daishonin writes:
"The Lotus Sutra states, “Medicine King, now I say to you, I have preached various sutras, and among those
sutras the Lotus is the foremost!” Here the Buddha is referring to all the teachings that he has expounded and
stating that among these the Lotus ranks in first place. The Buddha’s preaching and the writings of the Great
Teacher Kobo are as much at variance with each other as are fire and water. We should investigate and
clarify this matter."
Since the SGI's teachings are as much at variance with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren
Daishonin as was Kobo's, that which the SGI spreads can hardly be called Myoho. The real delusion is
denying the importance of a correct faith and doctrine.
Reply

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alt.religion.buddhism.

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The Ongi Kuden is a forgery.

In the Ongi Kuden we read:

and in the Lotus Sutra we read:

The Ongi Kuden continues:

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- mostrar texto citado -

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These war criminals have never been brought to justice.

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

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- mostrar texto citado -

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- mostrar texto citado -

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So the answer to why they attack the SGI?

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Chas shows how "FACT" only confuse him:

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On Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 2:23:19 PM UTC-4, JazzIs TvRicky wrote:

Traducir mensaje al español

Emmanuel Kant wrote of the "Categorical Imperative" in his "Critique of Practical

1. Otherwise, you could steal or murder to obtain an authentic Nichiren Daishonin

Why statues are not to be chanted to -

On Friday, May 27, 2016 at 6:08:49 PM UTC-7, Mark Rogow wrote:

Make a quote, please.

From "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon", WND I, pp. 831-832:

. How wondrous it is that, around two hundred years and more

. When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained

. “When bodhisattvas have in this manner observed the

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<<"Emmanuel Kant wrote of the "Categorical Imperative" in his "Critique of Practical

That pretty much negates this statement of yours:

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Now explain this?

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- mostrar texto citado -

Required reading to post on this thread!!!

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Mark Rogow is a proven LIAR, and NICHIREN GOHONZON BURNER. HOW IN

KATIE THE DEVILS MAIDEN is at it again. She loves PAIN!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

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- mostrar texto citado -

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Wow I pity the patients who have you as a NURSE!

You Katie are truly sick and demented!

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- mostrar texto citado -

On Friday, June 24, 2016 at 5:21:58 PM UTC-7, Mark Rogow wrote:

From "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND I, p. 383-385:

... THEREFORE, THE TWO BUDDHAS, SHAKYAMUNI AND MANY

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

... The “Thus Come One” is explained clearly in T’ien-t’ai’s

'his body neither existing nor not existing,