I don't even remember when I started reading "mainstream" Nichiren academic writing and research (i.e., non-sectarian writing, not "our denomination is cooler than your denomination, so nyah nyah nyah"). It must have been at least seven years years ago. I've also read a lot of the material that other schools have published, and some of that material has been very interesting and very encouraging to me (see my April 18, 2007 entry entitled "I Love These Guys!", in which I talk about the Nipponzan Myohoji group). I also adore Ryuei Michael McCormick's book, "Lotus World" which explains all about what's on the mandala Gohonzon and why it's there. That's right, guys...those squiggles actually mean something! In fact, I'm so accustomed to discussing Buddhism with people who read more broadly than the SGI-USA publications that I forget that I have to explain some basics to people. For example, please let me explain:
THE NICHIREN SHOSHU AND THE NICHIREN SHU ARE NOT THE SAME THING!!!
I understand that from the official SGI point of view, everybody who chants Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo who isn't "one of us" is automatically misguided, if not downright poisonous. And people like me who associate with them are in danger of "disrupting the unity of believers".
However, if you want to "lead" people in our culture, it helps if you know something about the topic you're leading on. Otherwise, you lose your credibility. I'm lucky that way, I'm not purporting to be anybody's study leader - I'm just a gal with a keyboard who also likes to read.
The ignorance on the part of SGI members and leaders about other schools of Buddhism can be truly alarming. For example, about five months ago, I received the most recent in a line of concerned home visits from my chapter leaders. These concerned visits began about the time I started expressing my opinions about various SGI-USA policies online. One of these truly good souls (my leader) expressed heartfelt worry that my associations with members of the Nichiren Shu could be "like poison". Moments later she admitted she didn't know anything about the Nichiren Shu. Except, of course, that although they chant Nam-Myoho-renge-Kyo, they might be "like poison". I honestly didn't know what to say to that. Maybe something like, "my German ancestors said the same thing about the Jews....that didn't exactly lead to world peace"? That would have been terribly harsh, though - My leader didn't mean badly by what she said. She doesn't have a bigoted bone in her body. I'd bet my life on that. She just didn't know any better or have any source of information other than official SGI publications. As a result, she couldn't engage in the "dialogue" we tout so highly, and her attempts at "being my leader" were awkward, uncomfortable, and unsuccessful.
My wonderful leaders had come to "sound me out" - but how can you sound someone out on a topic you yourself are ignorant on? It would be like me officially "sounding someone out" on the most recent "Survivor" television series. Since I don't watch TV (and if I did, I wouldn't watch "Survivor"), I would have no way of discussing the matter intelligently with anyone. And I hope I wouldn't pretend to provide any insight into "Survivor" when I didn't have a clue. Anyway, as a result of my leaders' lack of independently-motivated study, the home visit ended up being a pleasant, diverting gesture - there wasn't much of anything we could talk about -- except, of course, the importance of the Mentor/Disciple relationship and whether I had written any letters to Daisaku Ikeda about these matters.
I have had similar conversations with numerous SGI members - people who honestly have no clue about any other perspective on Buddhist history and Nichiren history other than that presented in Nichiren Shoshu and SGI materials (fasten your seat belts...for the most part, the two are the same thing). I have been denounced as "ungrateful" because I chant with Michael McCormick - and these denunciations by people who refused to have materials in their home by Nichidatsu Fujii, the man who taught Mahatma Gandhi to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo (to read Fujii's writings on the theme of world peace would have been an arrogant betrayal of President Ikeda). It's weird. Truly weird. And this behavior is based, I am convinced, on nothing other than a lack of knowledge - and as we all know, the three poisons are greed, anger, and ignorance.
Therefore, for your entertainment and edification, I will attempt to provide what limited blathering perspective I can (a Byrd's-eye view), as supported by the works of Professor Jaqueline Stone of Princeton University and sundry other sources (including the SGI). If you've got different info, please send it in.
To be continued later this week......
Posted by wahzoh at May 14, 2007 04:38 PMByrd -
Interestingly enough, we had an illustration of this same thing just yesterday. Lynda (my wife) was invited to lunch by an old acquaintenance (currently Soka Spirit leader for Houston) who had attended one of our services recently.
Lynda was quite amused to find out that she was lunching not only with her acquaintenance but with another lady from Houston, as well as Mrs. H. from Dallas, and Mrs. Z. from LA (both families in high SGI leadership positions). It was cordial on the whole, but there were a number of points where the ladies were nonplussed if not dismayed to learn that the information in the "SGI box" is not the whole of Nichiren Buddhism. Things like the history of Nichiren Buddhism in North America, that most other Nichiren groups don't support Taisekiji claims of Nichiren as True Buddha, that most Nichiren groups outside of SGI and Nichiren Shoshu work together and consider each other a colleagues rather than adversaries, and so on.
Just thought you might find it interesting....
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Mike Barrett at May 16, 2007 10:36 AMHi, Mike - that is interesting. I really admire you and Lynda for your willingness to stick with the practice and study and learn and grow. I've never been to Texas, but the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha there gives me a good impression of the state! I also remember you writing about this lady's visit to your temple on one of the yahoo boards.
I am hopeful that once the level of informed individuals in the SGI reaches a sort of "critical mass", that we will be able to move into an era of detente. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Best regards to you and to Myojkei.
Byrd in LA
Posted by: Byrd at May 16, 2007 11:05 AMEngyo Barrett,
This last weekend I had an interfaith dialog with a Christian Woman who didn't know of the fall of Russian Communism.
Sort of obscures the fine points of Nichiren Buddhism in SGI, neh?
Rev. Greg
Posted by: Rev. Greg at May 16, 2007 10:09 PMRev. Greg -
I guess it all depends on the dialogue you are having.......but it does seem to be a bit head-in-the-sand.
Was she just uninterested in secular issues, or did she have some doctrinal or other reason for not knowing?
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at May 17, 2007 05:37 AMHi, Greg and Mike - not to butt in here, but a lot of fundamentalist Christians embrace the whole apocalyptic end-days rapture theology (where all the Christians are going to disappear and be "raptured'" into heaven directly from their earthly activities, and then the Anti-Christ will take over the world and mess everything up and then Jesus will come back - flying through the atmosphere without even slightly burning his white garment and fight the Battle of Armageddon, after which he will sit in judgement of everybody and kill all the non-christians and establish a peaceful kingdom for a thousand years). For decades, this world view was supported by books like Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth", which were written during the Cold War. These books predicted that the Antichrist was going to come out of Godless Russia, and the readers of these books (as well as the readers of the hugely popular "Left Behind" novels on the same theme) are not known for their political sophistication. They do, however, vote in a large block. In states like Florida and Ohio.
The lady Greg spoke with may have been one of these Christians - people who get their news in church. The fall of Russian Communism would have made the prophecies of Daniel and John as interpreted by her church look bad, and so that piece of news got edited out. That's my offering of a possible explanation. FWIW.
Actually, come to think of it, it kind of makes our salvation through a sacred plank of wood in Japan look pretty benign in comparison.
Thanks for reading, anyway.
Best, Byrd in LA
Posted by: Byrd at May 17, 2007 10:05 AM