A Byrd's Eye View

Queen Lolo -

I won't address your bottomline question, as it is no longer appropriate for me to do so, since I am no longer a member of SGI. I will leave this to SGI members.

I will say that SGI (and it's philosophical parent Nichiren Shoshu) are outside the norm of Nichiren Buddhism as a whole in this regard. I believe it comes from their doctrine that Nichiren is "the Buddha of the Latter Day" who replaces Shakyamuni, rather than the more mainstream interpretation of Nichiren as an avatar of Boddhisatva Superior Practice (Jogyo), with Sakyamuni as the avatar of the Eternal Buddha. Shakyamuni's teachings and the basics of Buddhism ARE emphasized and taught in other Nichiren schools.

I will let someone else go into the Three Dharma Bodies.......

Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett

Hi Queen Lolo,
Recently I have been reading the Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra books put out by SGI. They are "transcripts" of dialogus between Daisaku Ikeda and some of the chiefs of the study department. What I find fascinating about them is that they not only relate Buddhism to thinkers and artists and others throughout the history of the entire world (no one drops names like Daisaku Ikeda and Co.) but they also don't hesitate to discuss stories from the Pali Canon when such would be illuminating. If the average SGI member approached Buddhism the way Daisaku Ikeda is presented as approaching it, they would all be extremely urbane and well-read in the entire canon. Strangely, however, my impression is that the average SGI member is either totally in the dark about and/or dismissive of the very material that Daisaku Ikeda is show to be so conversant with.

Furthermore, these dialogues constantly emphasize the oneness of master and disciple, which at first struck me as extremely self-serving. I still think there is a large element of that. But there is something else as well. Ikeda seems to be saying that the disciple shouldn't just follow the mentor or master, but to emulate them as much as possible. In other words, he seems to be encouraging the members to be just as urbane and conversant in general Buddhism and worldly art and philosophy and science and history as he himself is presented to be. My suspicion, however, is that most senior leaders would not know how to handle members who aspired or actually accomplished this kind of thing. They would no longer be able to lord it over people or tell others what to think or be in a position to approve or disapprove of the thoughts and reflections of their subordinates. In other words, I think the presentation in Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra is either a sham or something too demanding for most people in positions of authority as well as most people who do not want to think for themselves and who would rather be guided through life by others.

Now for some other thoughts - I think that if SGI members took their charter seriously, read the Lotus Sutra for themselves (it's in their bookstores for Buddha's sake), read the gosho for themselves (again, its in their bookstores as well as the Ongi Kuden), used their Dictionary to figure out all the references and allusions to general Buddhism in the sutra and gosho, and weeded out the remaining Taisekiji misinformation and sectarian slams, and really took the example of the urbane and well-read Daisaku Ikeda to heart (putting aside his poetry and anti-Nikken polemics), then SGI might become much more genuinely Buddhist than it is.

I would also add that none of the other schools of Japanese Buddhism, until recently, emphasized the eightfold path or other teachings of general Buddhism. I can't overemphasize how anemic Japanese Buddhism became under the Tokugawa and then the Imperialist rule. In general, Japanese Buddhism consisted of either Zen intuitionism or Pure Land's emphasis on automatically becoming a buddha in the pure land after death. Even the other schools went in for one of those themes, including Nichiren Buddhism which tended to go the pure land route though they used daimoku instead of nembutsu and spoke of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha rather than Amitabha Buddha. So the idea of contemplation, mental cultivation, mindfulness, or compassionate aspirations to transform this world into a pure land was not something the bureaucratized and otherworldly religion of Tokugawa and later Imperial Way Buddhism wanted to emphasize.

I think, however, that there are signs of a Buddhist revival in Japanese Buddhism at least in some sectors. The impact of the Pali Canon (first brought to Japan in the Meiji era), and encountering other forms of Buddhism and other more active religions like Christianity, and the renewed interest in the writings of people like Nichiren, Dogen, and Shinran is causing many Japanese Buddhists to reexamine and reevaluate the Dharma to find a way to bring its resources to bear on modern problems and challenges. At least that is my impression, and one that was strongly reinforced by the attitudes and work of the Nichiren Shu ministers I have met and especially the general tone of Shingyo Dojo and the attitudes and aspirations of both the teachers and students there.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

The four noble truths and the eightfold path are mentioned in several SGI books, although I can't quote you which ones. These are just formulas and not the teaching itself anyway. I'm not sure that senior leaders wouldn't know them but even if so I can't see where not being familiar with those formulations would make any difference. On the subject of non-attachment you may have more of a point but non-attachment is provisional. It may be true that SGI looks less buddhist but in actuality it is the most accessable way to expirience the truth of buddhism in my opinion. I used to sit in zendos, I took precepts in Pure Land,and studied at Tibet House in NYC and recieved Medicine Buddha empowerment from the Dali Lama. None of that makes my opinion valid for anyone else but just to head off the charge that I know nothing other than what I learned from SGI.

What does "provisional" really mean? Who decided which of Buddha's teachings are relevant and which are not? Personally the teachings on non-attachment hold great value to me.

Queen:

Fascinating blog.

Regarding the four noble truths and the eight sufferings, Phillip wrote: " These are just formulas and not the teaching itself anyway."

The point was that this is basic Buddhism. It could be virtually any concept outside the Gakkai textbook, like, say, "emptiness." In my blog and elsewhere, I made the point that my esteemed friends and leaders in the SGI, as a general rule are not well studied outside of sectarian subjects that sometimes reach outside the sect. Come to think of it, I was troubled by the leaders understanding of Nichiren Buddhism too. Maybe it's regional or maybe I'm just an arrogant snob.

I think Phillip has some good points and some varied experience with different forms of Buddhism. My bottom line is that the SGI is Buddhism, but not by any stretch "true Buddhism."

Charles

sorry, I meant the eightfold path not eight sufferings.

Charles, I kind of liked the idea of "eight sufferings." Let's see... what would they be? How about: 1. Not getting what you want. 2. Getting what you want. 3. Realizing you're not immortal afterall. 4. Teenage acne. 5. Hunger. 6. Poverty. 7. Sickness 8. Rush-hour traffic.

Reina,

First let me say I'm kind of a study wonk, have been accused of being "Sharihotsu" so many times I can't count, but at the end of the day I'm not sure how important "knowing" or memorizing the Buddhist canonical lists is to the practice of Buddhism. I mean it's important that we don't forget, collectively, and it's important that there are those who thrive on study, and I haven't forgotten the three-legged stool of Shin Gyo Gaku, but...

Buddhism is practice. Practice leads to Faith. Study is only worth it if it helps me practice or deepens my faith. That's what I learned in SGI. Those in charge of the study programs, at least the old-school Japanese guys, actually did understand the "provisional teachings" as Philip called them. I don't think they actually considered provisional to be a dismissive term, but to be teachings of limited practical value.

What I have found, now that I've studied outside of SGI for a few years, is that those Basics of Buddhism really were things I already kinda knew, had already learned, but didn't have the "traditional" words for. What I learned through my practice in SGI is not incompatable or different from what I am now learning about mainstream Buddhism. Nichiren's teachings are part of the big river of Buddhism, not something separate. Although this always comes as a surprise to friends in the Gakkai I have discussed this with.

There is an anti-intellectual bent in SGI which used to bother me, but I understand better now. There is a lot of over-intellectualization in the Buddhist community. Many American Sanghas are filled with white people with multiple degrees. SGI wasn't - Nichiren taught for the masses, for the everyday schmuck who was happy to have a job and couldn't afford to worry about "right livelihood."

What Toda and Ikeda have done is to translate the teachings into something that anyone in Japan could relate to, could understand and use in daily life. Most of us (maybe all of us here) got that, at least once in a while. That's why the emphasis is on things like "poison into medicine" "ichinen" "esho funi" and the like - the active principles, not the lists. There is only one buddha that actually matters, that's the one inside my life. Oh, and the one inside everyone else.

I'm still not sure I can rattle off all eight folds of the Path, but I understand where they're coming from, why they're all there. I think I can derive them on the test. But Nichiren did, Ikeda does, and the real question is still how to end suffering, how to be happy in our lives. Same question, same answer, different words.

-Dave

Provisional teachings I would say are like stepping stones towards the truth. I guess anyone could decide I was going by my understanding of what Nichiren said. I would say detachment from desires and material things are provisional whereas detachment from greed and ignorance would not be.

Phillip writes, "Provisional teachings I would say are like stepping stones towards the truth. I guess anyone could decide I was going by my understanding of what Nichiren said. I would say detachment from desires and material things are provisional whereas detachment from greed and ignorance would not be."

Does "provisional" mean they should be disregarded? I have never understood what was meant by that in terms of Buddhism. If something is a "stepping stone" to something higher, I don't think you can just leap over it. Buddha didn't hop straight to the final teaching of his life. He went step by step by step, beginning with that first moment of awakening.

The journey of a thousands miles... begins with that first stepping stone.

If you do the essential you can disreguard the provisional. In some sense you can say the essential contains what is provisional. For example to try to be detached and become an arhat and then eventually attain nirvana as some pure state of existence is actually impossible in my opinion, but you will learn a lot in the process. To actually realize the interelatedness of all phenomenon and thereby become detached is possible. The first may or may not lead to the second. The second surpasses the first and contains all of it that is necessary. This is of course only my opinion and at that quickly dashed off but perhaps gives you something to think about. I believe Nichiren declared all Shakyamuni's teaching up until the second half of the Lotus Sutra to be provisional. I don't know what anyone else may mean by the term.

You should check out Honmon Shoshu. Their understanding is that Mahayana is something other than Gautama's Buddhism -- that the founders in Kusha sort of borrowed the Buddhist tradition to teach something else that goes back to Sumeria.

In the Eclectic Jimon-Tendai of Nichiren's time, Tensho Daijin was seen as a manifestation of Mahavairochana; and other Shinto Kami as various Buddhist Deities. Honmon Shoshu seems to turn that around. And they view Nichiren as an avatar of the Sun God{dess}. Curious!

robin