As you might expect I am subscribed to various online Nichiren forums. Most of them are civil as I tend to avoid the most contentious and combative forums - the ones where Buddhists slug it out for their own specific sect. However someone posted something just recently that completely took me by surprise.
Please observe that I am not mentioning his name (actually I don’t know his name), or his e-mail, or the exact name of the forum and I will ask anyone reading to respect his privacy as well, in case they too are on this forum. I do not intend to use my blog to attack individuals.
At first glance the reader may think that I am just holding this post up to show the supremacy of the Soka Gakkai in contrast to Nichiren Shoshu. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is something about this posts and this individual’s beliefs that deeply disturb me, especially in light of my previous blog entitled “Animal Farm”.
In my supportive opinion Soka Gakkai International continues to behave recklessly, the way people and organizations do when they really don’t think anyone’s watching. Some of what SGI does and says is careless and to a large degree I feel that people like the fellow who wrote what I am about to share are the fallout victims of careless cultish behavior.
In my opinion if Soka Gakkai Internation continues to coddle Japanese culture, we will eventually totally polorize ourselves from the International Community.
I do not believe in my heart the Soka Gakkai outside of Japan is a cult, however I believe there’s plenty of cultish behavior. Whether or not I believe the Soka Gakkai in JAPAN is a cult is irrelevant to me since I basically see Japan as one huge cultural cult in and of itself. I don't even mean that in a bad way - it just is.
The dialog in which the response appeared was a typical sectarian discussion of Nichiren Buddhism. In the ongoing thread such issues were raised politely by myself and others in regards to the historical likelihood that Nikko Shonin only stayed at Taisekiji for a year, and the validity of the Daigohonzon as the supreme mandala over all others and other issues of a historical nature.
This is what followed, as cut and pasted directly from my e-mail account;
This is my reply to irritablegosho - 'scholar'.
It's just an energy taking thing to continue, I really have no
concept of what you people seem to be 'debating' about.
What "Scholarly" community did you refer to? What I found amusing is
that Ikeda ranted for so long about his "Historic" meeting with the
now deceased Arnold Tornybee,[and now deceased Carl Sagan, and new
deceased.....etc. Everyone who ever met him is 'now deceased'.] -
that the biographer hardly gives Ikeda a paragraph of a 900 plus page
authentic biography - which is a completely different concept to
former NSA believers who simply gobbled up Ikedaisms through book
sales and memorized them until nothing else would fit into their
heads. My practice of over 25 years has helped me to see the forest
for the trees. After the 1992 split, America has had nothing but
hardships, we owe nothing to those people of the SGI. We can thank
them for Katrina, flooding all throughout the mid-west, Missouri
Flooding, Tennesse Tornadoes, including the unprecidented flooding in
England, where virtually everyone gave up their practice to follow
that person, and so forth. Everywhere where there are temple members
as well as correct Gohonzon, is relative calm, normal weather while
elsewhere is a mess. The inability for Ikeda to accept "Guidance"
from the High Priest, while they so quickly dispensed same to
thousands of people daily without regard to personal circumstances
tells me, and others, that he felt he was above listening to anyone
else but himself. One of the first great splits in Nichiren Shoshu
was when the Five Senior Priests left Minobu to do their own thing.
They established their own school and wore purple robes, whereas,
Nikko decided to stay and carry out the Daishonin's written will.
It's really a question of choice to follow one creed over another.
For decades fanatics defended Ikeda's every word and movement;
running around wearing little two-way radios - taking care
of 'traffic control' calling him Sensai and bowing and scraping at
the mere mention of his words. Members were encouraged to 'memorize'
President Ikeda's words and quote him, we watched as male and female
members of NSA stumbled over his concepts using pidgin to talk to one
another until finally, after all of that crap and almost having to
sing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - a completely Christian performance -
it was time to say so long. In the 10 years that I practiced with
NSA I had gone on nearly every major Convention, but was never
allowed to go on a Tozan as all seats were reserved for the so-
called "Leaders". When the leaders of the 21st Century in NSA
stumbled and fell; I was able to attend all temple activities and
interesting was finally able to attend Tozan on several occassions.
If you want to sit at your stupid computer and call Taisekiji names,
while at the same time calling yourself a scholar then I'm sorry, you
will have to find a different audience for your outpourings.
Hi Brian - welcome to my blog.
Thanks for reading. Please seek guidance from a senior leader.
RG
Posted by: Rev.Greg at November 26, 2007 10:12 PMI'm a friend of D.W. Shimoda who's also on fraufhtwithperil.com and he said to check out your blog, Rev. Greg, because I've been practicing Buddhism with the SGI for the last couple of years. I had mentioned to Don that there seemed to be a cult around Pres. Ikeda and I wasn't sure that I liked it. I agree with an above comment that we should be focussing on the Lotus Sutra and on the Daishonin's writings. But I'll probably continue with my SGI activities because I think a lay organiztion is best. Take care!
Posted by: Brian at November 26, 2007 09:08 PMI find it very sad that president Ikeda has to refer to his freinds as being deceased. Its very tough on an older person who loses their friends over time. President Ikeada is old now and a lot of his friends are dead. I reallly feel bad for the man. That is very tough to face.
Posted by: tool at November 2, 2007 04:48 AMsfdg
Posted by: daf at October 30, 2007 06:11 PMNo big deal, Greg. I've heard comments just like this from SGI members as well, ascribing disasters and diseases to NST members. It's to be expected in that culture, and anyone who thinks there is much difference between True Believer Gakkai culture and True Believer NST culture is either deluded or not paying attention.
Cheers!
Andy
Posted by: Andy Hanlen at October 25, 2007 10:49 PMByrd,
Blame the SGI for how an in dividual acts. individual karma is at work both in the poster and those posting in response, i would think.
President Ikeda speaks about Nichiren Daishonin and Nichiren's Gohonzon. The SGI is people-based, all people working towards their own Vow to accomplish Kosen-Rufu, in a manner befitting each of them.
Listening to president Ikeda speak about his training from Jose Toda and how to practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism correctly, is always enjoyable to read.
Daisaku Ikeda is not the focus but Nichiren's Gohonzon; Nichiren's Lotus Sutra; is the focus of the SGI's practice from my observation of the Living Buddhism and The World Tribune.
But of course you have your opinion on these things Byrd just as the rest of us have our opinions on these things, as well.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at October 23, 2007 08:23 PMHi, everyone - it seems to me that this outburst is a natural by-product of the "person-based" religion we have been developing over the past decade or so.
I am reminded of an old dispute I had with a somewhat crooked landlord of mine - he probably thought he was just a smart businessman.
Anyway, this fellow would continually make promises. He was very grandiose about his own commitments to his tenants. "Don't worry,I'll definitely..." etc. And then when he didn't perform, I (and a few others) ended up denouncing him personally He seemed astonished that anyone would stoop to ad hominem attacks against his character, but what he didn't realize was that,f rom thebeginning, he had made his character an issue.
As long as Dqaisaku Ikeda is the prime pont of the SGI's focus (as opposed to, say, the Lotus Sutra), people will respond in kind. As long as we constantly point to him, so will others who are less than friendly. If we want this stuff to stop, then we have to change our own focus and bring it to bear on Buddhism and the Losuts Sutra.
YMMV,
Thanks for the interesting and thought-provokingpiece, Greg.
Best, Byrd in LA
Greg,
Blaming the SGI for Hurricane's Katrina and Rita is over the top, I would think.
American karma is not Japan's fault, it is our own fault. To blame others for our karma is being irresponsible, I think. We dropped the Nuclear Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and not the other way around, nbut yet the japanese people still offered Nichiren's teachings to us in 1960. Cause and Effect.
Perhaps Katrina and Rita are a redsponse to our actions in The Middle east. Whom knows?
Nichiren says, "if you want to understand the present observe the past from the perspective of Cause and Effect and nothing else. the future is the same, as well. It is what is done today that determines tomorrow, and what was done yesterday that creates today. Cause and Effect.
Our karma is based on our past actions and not the SGI's actions, just as Nichiren speaks about in the Gosho "On Securing the Peace of the Land."
As a child in the NSA I was allowed to go on tozan, only I did not want to visit Taisekiji, even after donating monies to build the Sho Hondo. Personal reasons.
An interesting point. Whenever I read President Ikeda, I am always looking for the connection between what he is saying and what he is noting from the Gosho or President Toda.
Just my observations.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at October 19, 2007 05:42 PMOh, dear. As a Buddhist observer and NeoPagan with Buddhist leanings, I have to say this kind of diatribe sometimes surfaces in Pagan communities, sometimes as obviously as this example. We ascribe it to what we call Crypto-Christians - those who were indoctrinated in Christian (esp evangelical and fundie) traditions who are struggling to reconcile their former Christian identities with adopted Pagan concepts. They so often blame, rail at the gods and ascribe natural calamity to wrath of god(s) as the result of human trespass. We also think they are deluded and commend them to the gods' care. It's hard to resist majority attitude, and this, to my Pagan way of thinking, is a (mis)step on the path.There is always another chance to step rightly.
Posted by: erizabesu at October 19, 2007 03:07 PMThis is some major foolishness...
I would expect this line of thought from the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons of the world about the situation the US has been in since 1990.
I think there are quite a few factors that have nothing to do with the SGI/NShoshu split.
This kind of insular thinking (that us Nichiren Buddhists are the center of the universe and all good and bad emanates from our actions) is just the kind of cultish behavior I am so wary of.
At times I would like to see us (meaning all of us in the really big Nichiren spectrum) become more "right sized." Our sectarian conflicts and drama are not the stuff that most of the world gives a rat's ass about.
Less arguing about minutiae and a bit more attention to the real world.
Engaged Buddhism anyone?
You gotta love a good diatribe. It's like slowing down to see a car wreck. It has always disturbed me - made me very uncomfortable, when people refer to president Ikeda a "Ikeda." To my sensibilities, referring to him in that way feels like an insult. While I find a smattering of half-truths in this outburst, the invective is chilling and hateful. If that's what one gets out of their Buddhist experience, they've veered way off course. I always loved a good remonstration - I've even got my nose bloodied a few times, but my experience or differences have never provoked demonesque ravings that are both merciless or necrotic.
What does one say to someone so direspectful? Kiss my white ass is the first thing that comes to mind. Pondering a moment longer, I would say, "may peace be with you, my son."
Charles
Posted by: Charles at October 16, 2007 09:19 PMHi Rev. Greg -
I wanted to comment on thsi, since I was part of the conversation leading up to this amazing diatribe. Unfortunately I haven't find much of anything constructive to say about it.
I do find some of the conjecture here amazing. I find it sad that someone can practice this Buddhism for so long and still exhibit what seems to me to be such deluded behavior. I find it sadder that organizations which propound this Buddhism teach their practitioners what seem to me to be such limited viewpoints and such edited history.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at October 16, 2007 04:28 PM