By John Fletcher
When I was in the sixth grade, a bunch of us white, middle-class kids decided we needed to form gangs. I guess we wanted to imitate inner-city gangs. We wanted to look cool. We formed two gangs: the Jets and the Sharks. We would get together and make up silly songs about the other gang. We even had a spy in the other gang. The culmination of the whole thing was a huge water balloon fight. That's right, a water balloon fight. That was as violent as we got. We took it seriously, too.
Sometimes that's how I see this in-fighting among Nichiren believers. We form gangs. Then we decide we don't like how the leader, or some other member of the gang is behaving. In righteous indignation, we leave in a huff (or a minute-and-a-huff, as Groucho would say). "He betrayed us! He committed doctrinal errors!" But really, what's at stake? Money? Pride? Is anyone's life on the line? In great social movements of the past, people's lives were at stake. Maybe it's a sign of progress that that isn't the case here. Or maybe it's sign we're all being just a bit silly.
I have to wonder how this all looks to someone from outside. I think they would laugh at how seriously we take ourselves (especially considering we are Buddhists; we are supposed to be laid back). They might think, "Why would I want to join that group? So I can partake of all the petty bickering? No thanks!" Everyone involved in the bickering looks bad, even if they think they have a just complaint. I recall a psychological study that found that when someone criticizes someone else to a third person, the third person will often take a more negative view of the criticizer than the criticizee.
When I first joined SGI, I was dismayed at all the interpersonal strife that went on. We even had a name for it - "Human Bullshit." I was about to go to college, and I enrolled at one where the nearest member was 300 miles away (or so I thought. Turns out there was a Japanese woman living nearby that was a member.) Anyway, I had grand dreams of establishing a district from scratch, without all the Human Bullshit. Needless to say, it didn't work out that way. People are people and they take their bullshit with them wherever they go.
I miss the days when SGI was allied with Nichiren Shoshu. There's comfort in tradition, and Nichiren Shoshu provided that. In the 80s a study was done of NSA members' religious backgrounds. Many members were Roman Catholics, another religion with a rich history and tradition. Small wonder. Now SGI must create its own traditions in a world that is already changing too fast for any of us too keep up with. The split with NS caused a dislocation that many of us older members are still dealing with, 18 years later. When Mr. WIlliams was General Director, he kept activities at a fast pace. In events like conventions, things were constantly changing. We called this training. But even that didn't prepare us for the biggest change of all.
I know I sound like Rodney King. "Can't we all just get along?" In truth I'm somewhat of a fundamentalist myself. It's easier to live in a black-and-white world, where you're sure you're right and everyone else is wrong. I can understand where people like Bruce and Mark are coming from. Their approach to Shakyamuni is a bit too Christian-like for me, but I understand the spirit. Mr Williams used to try to infuse us with the same spirit.
Don't get me wrong, I believe there is value in a diversity of views in the Nichiren community. A religion with such diversity is growing. But I'm always hoping we can disagree and discuss views without all the Human Bullshit.
John (or Vanya?) -
You wrote:
"Then we decide we don't like how the leader, or some other member of the gang is behaving. In righteous indignation, we leave in a huff (or a minute-and-a-huff, as Groucho would say). "He betrayed us! He committed doctrinal errors!" "
This may be true of some folks who have changed their organizational affiliation within Nichiren Buddhism. It certainly isn't true of all of us.
I'm also curious as to how we define righteous indignation, as opposed to a sincere disagreement on ideological grounds, or ethical grounds, or idealistic ones. Is it a matter of time? If someone takes years to decide to leave, rather than "a minute and a huff", is that different? If they agonized over their choice rather than riding an emotional wave and making a snap decision, does that change things?
I know that some folks feel that there is *no* valid reason to change organizational affiliation. I'm curious about the spectrum of viewpoints on this issue.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at April 28, 2008 01:18 PMMike- I did not intend to minimize your struggle with this issue, or your sincerity. I too have struggled with it, and still struggle with it. Some aren't satisfied with just changing affiliations, but trash their former one, and that's where I see a lot of righteous indignation. Maybe it's all part of the process of letting go of former affiliations.
I have no problem with people changing affiliations, for what ever reason.
Posted by: Vanya at April 28, 2008 04:57 PMHi again, John -
I didn't take it personally.
In my experience, both my own family and a number of other folk, it takes some decompression time before one can let go of SGI and embrace their new affiliation. Of course, this varies by individual, but for people who were deeply involved for several years, it seems to take a minimum of a year before everything isn't filtered through their past experience. This has held true for the group that I was part of, as well as for numerous individuals I have encountered since.
We were fortunate, I feel, in that we had well over a year of non-affiliation with any specific Nichiren school before we encountered Nichiren Shu. A lot of our decompression happened without another target to transfer attitudes and so on over to; I think this helped me at least to be more dispassionate when evaluating what I wanted to do, what sort of practice and sangha I wanted to be a part of.
We learned another lesson as well; we didn't all want the same thing from our sanghas. We knew what we *didn't* want, but that isn't enough to build a sangha on. I also got a real understanding of the concept that there is no single way to practice Nichiren's Buddhism; there are many ways that Nichiren's teachings can be put into practice in today's world.
I don't try to say that any one of those ways is right or wrong; I may have disagreements with specific doctrinal stances or organizational attitudes, but I have come to believe that if someone is practicing this Buddhism at all, that's wonderful. My choices aren't right for everyone, and I won't push anyone else to practice my way, just as I would resist them doing so to me.
Just my 2c; YMMV.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at April 28, 2008 05:59 PMWhat I'm upset about, I thought with a name like Vanya you were a hot young Russian woman only to find out you are a Mr. John Fletcher. Keep em coming and I'm sure we will have something to disagree on.
Mark
Posted by: mark Rogow at April 28, 2008 08:40 PMHi, Vanya / John - I, too, am a "lover, not a fighter." My personal hope is that in the future, there will be sufficient self-confidence in the Nichiren community that we can refer others to sanghas which may be more to their liking, or better suited to their ethical considerations. In other words, it won't be about "chanting to change yourself" so that you can fit a square peg in a round hole. I hope we'll get to a point where we all know where the variously shaped holes are, and can direct people to them without any rancor or ill will - in other words, I look forward to true cooperation.
Thanks for the thoughts, Wahzoh
Posted by: Byrd in LA at April 29, 2008 02:24 PMHi Byrd:
Personal preferences or "have it my way" isn't the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. It reminds me of the wishful thinking of the adolescent girls in junior high school. While doing all manner of bust excercizes, hoping it would increase the size of their breasts, they chanted, "I must, I must, I must increase the size of my bust"; or hoping that somehow, the gentle approach will change the minds of the majority of the islamic fundementalists.
Likewise, the Buddha rejected the Three vehicles for the One. Do you really think that I or anyone like me, anyone holding my views, would ever refer anyone to the SGI? Would I as a physician ever refer anyone to a new age quack just because his method of using crystals somehow accorded with my patients beliefs?
Mark
Posted by: Mark Rogow at April 30, 2008 09:17 PMHi, Mark -
I have a question: Do you allow for the possibility that someone may not be ready for the way you practice in the beginning, and may need to take some intermediate steps in order to be able to appreciate the truth you are teaching?
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at May 1, 2008 05:21 AMThere are several ways to view the Middle Way. Here are two of them:
1). Neither the extreme of nihilism nor self-indulgence.
2). Right smack dab in the middle (that narrow path and one door described in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra).
There is no compromising certain features of Buddhism. Embracing the correct Three Treasures and Three Great Secret Laws, for example. Without a correct faith all is for naught. Only chanting Daimoku with a correct faith is enough. I do shakabuku the way that I do because I can. I have chanted millions of Daimoku in my lifetime, recited the Sutra more than 18,000 times, have read the Kaimoku Sho and the body of english Gosho dozens of times and various commentaries from the Nichiren Shoshu, Nichiren Shu, SGI, Rissho Kosekai, Honmon Butsuryu Sho, Nipponzan Myohoji, Kempon Hokke, zen masters like Dogen and Thich Nat Han, pure Land masters, and various scholars. For a person not so inclined, just chanting the Daimoku with a correct faith is enough. I must highlight "correct faith." I don't really care if they are Nichiren Shu, Kempon Hokke, or Independents. Not having a correct faith obviates the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu.
Mark
Posted by: Mark Rogow at May 2, 2008 01:49 AMWhile now there is no Burger King Buddhism, having it your way, there is absolutely no middle way. The whole way is available, that was the purpose of the Lotus Sutra teaching, and if you don't grasp that, you just don't understand the Lotus Sutra. Every person, man or woman can remember being at the Ceremony in the Air, and receiving merits from the Original Buddha Shakyamuni. I don't know what the big deal is. You are getting too picky with theory, trying to score points over each other, just remember.....
Maltz
Posted by: Bruce Maltz at May 5, 2008 07:46 PMThe whole way is like the plate of food they serve up here in Rochester called the garbage plate. The put in a little macarony slad, some beans, some hashed browns, some chopped steak, some cheese, some gravy and its all mixed together. Actually, it's quite disgusting. To build a beautiful pagoda one needs discipline and a plan as well as all the materials.To reacha certain destination here on earth or in the heavens you just don't randomly fly off into space and hope you will find your destination.
Mark
Posted by: Mark Rogow at May 18, 2008 03:01 PMJohn,
I think you hit on a real issue in the current SGI. Although there were many problems when SGI was the lay organization with Nichiren Shoshu, members had some idea of what true Buddhism is. We knew the basic fundamentals. Although I am currently with SGI, I too am a fundamentalist in this practice. Sad part is that SGI is splintering off in faith with members like me and members that know very little. They are allowing too many members to place their own ideas of the interpretation of writings and "least effort" practice. This leads to faith as nothing more than shallow idealism. Thus, you lose "Itai Doshin".
As far a Mark Rogow, anything he says is just the ranting of an angry obsessive with nothing on his mind. He is non-person in this debate because he has nothing but anger towards the True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. He is in the stream of thought with an inferior sect so it goes without saying that he can offer nothing but angry shallow responses to anything members of the true sect can argue. He loves to tout that he with some orthodox faith. Orthodox only in his freakin’ mind! Nikko Shonin left Mt. Minobu because of the very same rhetoric being spread. It still lives through people like him. A freakin' HEE HAW who needs to go back to the Ozarks!
I denounce anything he argues as nothing short of lacking faith in the true Nichiren Sect. Simply because we are not with the current Nikken Fuji School, SGI is still a Nikko Fuji School organization based on the teachings of the Gosho.
Note that it is rumored that the other Nichiren Sects (i.e. Nichiren Shu) had plagiarized the Gosho writings from Taiseki-ji rewording them for their sorry ass schools. Saying Nichiren Daishonin was not the "True Buddha" in the age of Mappo is like saying George W. Bush is the best President we ever had. Both are blatantly false!
If you still practice John, and if you are still with SGI, please assert your feelings in every meeting or discussion. It gives the leadership a chance to understand the problems within the SGI. Hang in there my friend!
Moe Williams
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