Who are they? What do they want from us? Why won’t they leave us alone?
Priests have existed since the most ancient times. I believe priests were those members of a tribe who perhaps were just a little smarter than the rest of their fellow tribe members. Priests were those individuals, who could, among other things, understand – perceive – the true nature of things, specifically nature. But also, relationships, both between men, between humans and animals, between living things and the world in which they live, in short the relationship between Heaven Earth and Man or Ten Chi Jin.
I think it is most likely that in primordial ages it was the village elder who knew not to eat pigs because people died from it (trichinosis, worms in pork) and possessed other important knowledge regarding preventative medicine, safety and other procedures that in some part led to a longer life for members of the community. These customs were handed down from father to son, perhaps from mother to daughter, until they became sacred rules and commandments assimilated into superstitions which had long ago become obscured from their functional origin.
I also believe that largely the priesthood became problematic because as the position of village priest, shaman, and minister evolved, the person who held that position didn’t actually do the common work of the rest of the tribe. As the job of priest became, over maybe hundreds of years, a priest hood (a business complete with a chain of management) it had to secure a consistent income, in whatever form that was at the time.
Now in this day and age anyone involved with, or critical of organized religion will immediately imagine “Oh yeah! Those damn greedy priests, those lazy bastards!” but let me share my perspective on this issue with a martial arts analogy;
Many of us in the martial arts are critical of those making big bucks off of the industry. Celebrities such as Chuck Norris have been accused of being “sell outs” and of disgracing their art. Chuck Norris himself was quoted as saying in a martial arts magazine some years ago that if he remained “true to his art” and hadn’t become a martial arts businessman he would have never had the time, the bandwidth, to develop his arts the way he certainly has. Stay true, you need a day job. Focus on your art, you need to make money. It’s a simple law of commerce.
I think this is what has happened with the clergy in modern times (which means any time in history after man lived in caves). For a priest to refine and develop his craft, he needed to be free from the burden of everyday tasks and labor.
The Craft
And what IS the craft the priesthood develops? First in commerce - generally speaking - either one sells a commodity, or some thing, or a service. Religion is neither and is unique in the world of business. Religion and philosophy are just made up out of thin air.
Religion is the tangible product of the intangible human experience.
The Need
Why do we need religion? Is religion the opiate of the masses?
Yes, and No.
Religion became an integral part of our lives the moment humans came into possession of SELF-AWARENESS. Once we asked “Who are we? What are we doing here?” we began searching for ways to explain how our world works and where our place in this grand scheme really was.
It fell upon the priests of our developing society to devise the rituals and ceremonies designed to create a sense of continuity, security and direction both in the community and in the individual. People naturally searched for understanding when things went wrong in the vague hope that they could rearrange their actions, change the order of daily routines, or in some other way fix what’s gone wrong with their world, be it strange weather occurrences, an increase in bear attacks, poor crop yields or whatever.
In Nichiren’s Buddhism the four dictums included Shingon, the arrival of esoteric Buddhism. Shingon Mikkyo rituals had polluted the heart of Buddhist philosophy with the introduction of the same magical rituals and ceremonies that the first historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, worked to dispel. Magical thinking is a primordial function of human life. In a sense, it's the easy way out, much easier than taking responsibility for one's own individual spiritual maturity.
Unfortunately it is these secret rituals that are the mainstay of any Priesthood’s bread and butter. COMMERCE leads any business to naturally seek out a product based on technology that is either proprietary or cannot be duplicated. No one likes competition. The Catholic Church performed mass for centuries in Latin, a language inaccessible to the common people. They set the standard for the creation of the proprietary religious technology.
Supply and Demand
It would be understandable in this age of tremendous human evolution (I’m being sarcastic here, we have barely changed since we were living in caves) that human beings, with their science, medicine and technology would have outgrown the need for magical rituals, but this is clearly not so.
While compared with the role of the clergy in ancient times modern man no longer relies on the priesthood for the function of village safety officer, doctor and therapist, but the most important and far-reaching function is still very much in demand.
That is, the need for rituals and ceremonies.
It is something even the citizens of the industrialized nations demand and is still very much a viable product. In poorer countries such as say Jamaica where voodoo is commonly practiced the role of the priest is a unique and lucrative one.
In America, as well as other first world countries, the important role of the minister or priest has boiled down to the finalization of milestone events in the lives or their parishioners. Ministers in America serve, as a minimum, as a sort of cosmic notary public. Marriages, funerals, and other rites-of–passage are, in the opinion of many sociologists and would-be POP-gurus, sadly lacking in our society and perhaps the causes for our retarded maturity.
In light if this, the role of the clergy is greatly under-used.
The Dark Side
On the other side of the coin many religious entities have amassed tremendous power and wealth at the expense of their believers. As I write this of course I point to the Catholic Church, a monolith of power and abuse throughout it’s history and now in modern times a refuge and hunting ground for pedophiles.
There is however a natural evolution to any successful religious corporate entity. At stake now is the future of the Soka Gakkai. Whether SG and SGI will naturally evolve into an abusive and power-hungry org remains largely to be seen. Some critics already think it has, but I, the author, know more about other orgs than your average bear. The Church of Scientology comes to mind. Next to CoS and the Mormon Church SGI is a rank cult amateur, but there’s time and only time will tell if the natural path down the dark side can be avoided. After all, we have the Gohonzon and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Modern day world citizens demand the product that our clergy delivers. In a sense modern science has clarified the truest and most genuine product Ministers have to offer. From there, its all downhill, but in the end everyone most make a living…..
Reverend Greg Dilley, Shidoshi
I appreciate the reality that Nichiren Buddhism is accessible to all. Regardless of what us Soka Gakkai International members would wish was true, there are many out in the Nichiren world who have had “less than satisfactory” experiences with SGI. I’m sorry if it hurts to hear that, because it’s just simply true. You can call it negative karma, you can say they didn’t challenge themselves, didn’t chant enough and throw around “potato rubbing” and “cleaning the muddy water out” analogies all you wish, I do, but facts are facts. One painful glimpse of the new incarnation of Buddhajones.com reminds me, as it should you, that nothing is perfect.
In Ninpo we come to recognize that there is Ura and Omote (negative/positive or yin/yang) in everything.
In all organizations people tend to forget the original purpose and get wrapped up in the org itself. It’s human nature. It is a reoccurring function of life, ubiquitous and free-ranging, even unavoidable.
Now there are many different Nichiren tribes. Tribal behavior demands that there must be an enemy tribe. It’s no fun being in a tribe that doesn’t have another tribe to fight with, it defeats the whole purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t advocate “can’t we all just get along?” That is not the nature of ten, chi, jin, or the workings of Heaven Earth and Man.
What many of the once Soka Gakkai, now Soka Survivor folks perhaps forget, or never knew in the first place is that for some the practice of Nichiren’s Buddhism is not only a luxurious hobby or an esoteric self-identifying badge to wear on days out. Most of the members of SGI I have personally practiced with use this Buddhism as a way to be happy, and their training from SGI are how they make that happen. SGI membership is, for them, a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Gakkai Training
Since 1990 many different groups have sprung up in the world of Nichiren Buddhism that didn’t seem to be there prior. Among the more fundamentalist groups there are those who, as a way to separate themselves from Nichiren Shoshu, and especially SGI, preach an Only as Nichiren wrote doctrine, or practice only what is in the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho. It sounds fine; many SGI members believe they are doing this also.
An equivalent analogy in the Bujinkan would be to reject Soke Hatsumi’s teachings in favor of only what is wrote in the ancient Ninpo scrolls. In reality what you would be left with is a Ninja Recreation Society, like a bunch of trekkie-Ninja running around making poisons out of plants or practicing breaking and entry into recreated Shoji-screen Japanese houses. Just like the Renaissance Fair, everyone pretends they’re a real Ninja but what they practice is really in a vacuum.
Apply this analogy to fundamentalist Nichirenism and paint the picture for yourself.
SGI provides, on the positive side, training on how to apply Buddhism to everyday life. On the negative side, ok – I’ll say it – SGI is a cult. Everyone finds what they need, and what they think they want. I’ve never experienced the cult myself, but I don’t doubt it exists.
The Indy Movement
I’m glad for the Nichiren Independent Movement. I’m happy that the Gohonzon has been made available to those who don’t want to practice in SGI or any other group or sect. It fits how I perceive the workings of Heaven Earth and Man. No group should hold the Gohonzon hostage, and every group does.
On the other hand;
I have relationships in SGI. I recently had a challenge in my life, as a leader, in which I phoned another leader I’ve known since I first started chanting. The guy I called is Area level and has been chanting since he left Viet Nam. The guidance I received was in regards to supporting a new member, someone who decided to start chanting once he was already in combat in Iraq. Jeff was the only leader whose guidance I could depend on.
Nichiren’s Buddhism makes a fun toy, and I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. It can be fulfilling to practice Buddhism independent from anyone else, or to conveniently maintain membership in support groups found only on the internet, at arm’s length, safe from intimate contact – safe from real relationships.
If it works for some, I’m glad. It lends balance to my universe. It just won’t work for me. I take my Buddhism too seriously to dick around with it by all by myself.
Your milage may vary…
Rev. Greg, Shidoshi
No high-concept blog tonight. I’m tired. I started the day at the pool, THE pool – the new swimming pool built on the CSUMB (California Sate University Monterey Bay) that is 25 meters by 25 yards. I do underwater laps across 25 meters. With mask, snorkel and long freediving fins I train there 2 or 3 days a week. I also try and walk 30 minutes a few times a week as terrestrial exercise lowers my blood sugar, swimming doesn’t.
I do 50 meter laps underwater at 13 ft. depth, actually 13 ½ (inside information from the pool designer, they dug an extra half foot deep). I’ve trained all year, diving in the ocean 2 or 3 times a month, depending on my schedule and ocean conditions. Yesterday and today I broke through and am now able to do 2 and a half laps. That’s once across, back, and half way back again. When I break through again I will be doing 75 meters underwater at 13.5 feet depth. This will be a major spiritual milestone.
I went to Monterey and trained first in Enshin Itto Ryu Battojutsu, an ancient combat sword art, (with the class), then did the Bujinkan Ninjutsu class, both with my teacher Julio Toribio who is the top student under Machida Koncho, a grandmaster of several martial arts and a Mikkyo Shingon priest. When we go to Japan we train in front of his temple and then eat dinner with his family.
My tendonitis hurts from sword drawing. I have point tenderness right on the insertion point of the ulna tendon on my right arm. I learned the final kata for my second degree black belt test. Now I just need to practice.
Everything I do is in orbit around the Gohonzon and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I believe, I know this, but I’m not a stellar Buddhist. I try. I have faith. I practice happily in SGI. I do the best I can.
In 1999 I was in the Caribbean on the Island of St. Maartin. I was stuck there when hurricane Lenny came through and sat on the island for days until it finally died out. In the darkness and depression I experienced during the category five hurricane (Cat. 5 for a short time anyway) I foresaw the times ahead. I was able to look ahead into the future and know that winter always turns to spring. I am now living the future I foresaw then.
Myoho exists. It is the fabric upon which the painting of life resides. Reality has the final say. We bicker, we argue, especially in Nichiren Buddhism we wage a war of perspectives. Some of us practice with others, some of us dabble alone pretending our discussion group lists are “sangha “of sorts.
We pretend, and we imagine.
Reality will have the final say.
Much of what we do, say and believe is merely distractions from the real issues in our lives. If we become free we can think, do, feel and learn freely, without fear of making mistakes we can’t correct. Sometimes when we think we’ve made big mistakes we try and convince others that they’re making the same mistake, in a useless effort to validate ourselves and make ourselves feel right again.
More and more now I am realizing I am free. That’s all that matters now, being free, and teaching my children to be free.
Your mileage may vary. One look on buddhajones and you can see what it’s like to not be free.
I was lost, now I'm free.
Rev. Greg, Shidoshi and freeman
I am currently working on a blog about fake handbags funding terrorists, stupidity, and the true nature of the clergy, as well as a side note about the real Shakyamuni Buddha, but it isn't finished.
What I'm posting now is a piece that ended up being a reject from my book, "Free in the Sea, a Ninja's Book of Self-Discovery and Skindiving the Monterey Coast".
I'll get back on topic later. For now I felt like posting something that was perhaps more on the lyrical side.
So who are we? Where did we come from and why are we here? One thing we know now that we didn’t know merely a decade ago is that perhaps as much as 97% of the inhabitable space on the planet is in the deep ocean. Most of the biomass on Earth resides in these depths.
Humans use terms such as “islanders” and “mainlanders” to separate themselves into tribes according to the proximity to the ocean and size of their terrestrial world when in fact we are all islanders compared to our relative place on this blue ball.
Even our mammal cousins such as the seals, seal lions and otters had the common sense to return back to their original home. It’s hard to imagine that the ancestors of whales and dolphins ever spent much time on land at all.
What is less known is that the previously dominant life forms originally residing in our oceans, microbial life, created their own extinction through the creation of the waste gas oxygen. Now mankind finds itself threatening the future of all terrestrial life as carbon dioxide levels rise threatening our atmosphere and everything it supports. As well, our coastal waters are being fished into oblivion as tons of unused, dead by-catch is dumped back into the sea in exchange for each meager haul of usable, edible fish.
Mankind is rushing towards our own demise. Unstoppable, the power of profit is mistaken for the quest for survival. It speeds us along like an evil destructive force, or perhaps this force is merely the eternal force of nature itself. Perhaps it is nature’s plan that each species has a limited time on Earth. At times when one looks at the damage we do to our world it seems that there is a global human consciousness at work, rushing to inflict as much harm as possible until our time runs out.
On the other hand there is that part of human awareness struggling to understand our true place in our biosphere and to find ways to coexist, therefore lengthening and extending our rule over our domain. Less than 20 years ago we had little idea of the extent of the diversity of creatures residing in the oceans we have lived next to since the time when we slept in trees and caves.
Since primordial ages men have searched the heavens for signs of God and have directed their prayers skyward. These same ancient men also regarded the ocean depths as a place of unknowable evil. Unseen, unknown, its depths foreboding and dark, the deep ocean realms represented hell incarnate.
For the underwater-traveling human being, the water world is Earth set upside down. To look up one sees the smooth glassy bottom of the world, to look down is to peer into a dark, limitless sky.
One thing is for sure, we live because the ocean lives.
I’ve been reading Anesaki’s “Nichiren the Buddhist Prophet”. Masaharu Anesaki was a professor of Japanese Literature and Life at Harvard between 1913 and 1915. His book is popular reading among us “freemen” in the Nichiren world. While writing this blog I noticed with some sardonic sense of amusement that the preface was written on June 9th, 1915, on “the 634th anniversary of the arrival of the Mongol armada at the Bay of Hakata”. Was he being funny? Isn’t that like bragging you did something special on Hitler’s birthday?
*note – after some thought I finally arrived at the conclusion that the Mongol Invasion was the final and greatest prophetic occurrence validating the advent of Nichiren as the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
Anyhow, Anesaki’s book is special. Written well before the advent of the Soka Gakkai, while Nichiren Shoshu was a very tiny and powerless little backwater sect, “Nichiren, the Buddhist Prophet” is one of the few unpolluted historical thesis on the life of the man Nichiren written in English.
Anesaki’s style is both scholarly and lyrical, but what strikes me is how he emphasizes how Nichiren read the Lotus Sutra, but first, an extreme overview. Nichiren had a religious vision while praying to Kokuzo in 1243. In most versions of the story of his life, Nichiren was praying to a statue of this Bodhisattva to “become the wisest man in Japan”. Anesaki’s version speaks only of an extreme religious crisis that ended in Nichiren coughing up blood. I like that version better.
Between 1243 and 1253 Nichiren went to Mt. Hiei, a head temple of Tendai Buddhism which by this time had become polluted by Shingon mysticism. 10 years are believed to be the time Nichiren studied the extant Sutras and writings of Buddhism which lead him to the awakening that the Lotus Sutra was supreme among the teachings of Shakyamuni.
But it is how Nichiren read the Lotus Sutra that is so intense. Anesaki elucidates “…Nichiren’s peculiar conception of the whole scripture, namely, that it was a book not to be read simply by the eyes, or merely understood by the mind, but to be read by the body – that is – by flesh and blood”.
Throughout Nichiren’s career as a persecuted prophet and votary of the Lotus Sutra he refers again and again to lines in the Lotus Sutra which describe how the true votary, the person who’s purpose in life was to spread and teach the ultimate law of the universe put forth by the Buddha, would be persecuted again and again, his home repeatedly destroyed and his life threatened. This was the very heart and energy of Nichiren Daishonin’s faith in the scripture and in his life’s mission.
You see, people lie. It’s not so much that we lie to others, which we do, but we lie to ourselves. We’re constantly deluded, some of us suffer from a total lack of confidence and self-worth, and others are narcissists and obsessed with convincing themselves they are someone they are not. I know - I’ve had them as teachers and friends (not me of course).
Throughout my Buddhist “career” I’ve come to trust the circumstances of my life rather than my thoughts, opinions or perceptions. Sometimes the best way to decide on a path is to look at the events that occur. It appears to me that many people ignore the "signs" and follow their intellect. Hey, maybe they're more intelligent than I; I just know what’s real.
This book sums up what has fascinated me about the life and history of Nichiren Daishonin; his circumstances totally validate his mission. Unlike another prophet I won’t mention (the one hung out on planks of wood) Nichiren lived true to his faith and purpose, and died peaceably at a ripe old age. Anesaki talks about the outrage of the fellow priests when Nichiren gave his first sermon after proclaiming Namu Myoho Renge Kyo (they must have been truly pissed off, perhaps like if I took a protest sign to City Hall that said “support the Taliban!”) and I have often fantasized being able to whisper in one of their ears “dude, people around the world are going to be practicing Nichiren’s Buddhism into the 2000’s, you’re going to be dead and forgotten in a few years” but of course that couldn’t happen because, lets be reasonable, I don’t speak Japanese, and the word “dude” wouldn’t translate even if I could. But you get the idea…..
Since Nichiren Buddhists began fighting it out on the internet I have heard individuals claim they have been persecuted on behalf of the Lotus Sutra. Being forced out of your home is persecution. Being attacked and cut on the head, your friends killed – that’s persecution. Having some asshole try and cut off your head on a beach, and being saved only by a comet – thats being persecuted.
Having someone insult you, cross-post your comments inappropriately, or argue with you unreasonably – shut the hell up, that is not persecution – that’s just being rude. To those of you wondering how to correctly practice the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, I offer this guidance;
Chant Nam myoho renge kyo with all your heart. Understand who this man named Nichiren was, and what he experienced throughout his life. Try and develop a sense of how incredible it is that this wonderful Buddhism has survived the centuries and made the mystical journey across the ocean. Find others to practice with - practicing via discussion lists is just weak. And forget trying to play Votary – none of us measures up to Nichiren. If your inspiration in life is to show others the “correct” Nichiren Buddhist practice – just don’t, please?
Start there, and work your way out. It’s so worth the effort. But… if you’re really lazy, I offer you this shortcut –
Pray to me, Rev. Greg Dilley and send me money though paypal. I’ll take it from there.
Rev. Greg, Shidoshi