One might wonder at this point, what Nichiren or his contemporaries would make of the state of Buddhism in the USA today. In this country only a small minority actually practice Buddhism. The vast majority has a passing familiarity with the Dalai Lama or Zen, and a good number of people see it as a pagan superstition at odds with Christianity. Far from being the universally respected state religion of Nichiren's time, Buddhism is very much the province of ethnic minorities (who themselves often leave it behind as they assimilate into the mainstream) and an even smaller group of converts who are unhappy or otherwise dissatisfied with the mainstream religions of this culture. Some even associate Buddhism with the taking of psychedelic drugs or even tantric sex practices that would have been unimaginable to the majority of people in Nichiren's day.
On the positive side, forms of Buddhism from all over Asia are meeting in the USA for the first time. In addition, books (even those expounding previously esoteric and/or oral teachings) are easy to get in bookstores or online. In addition, the population is almost universally literate and more or less educated well enough to understand Buddhism on a conceptual level. Until the 20th century Buddhism had never encountered such a literate, well-educated, religiously and ethnically diverse and prosperous culture as the one it has encountered in the USA. So right at this point in the Rissho Ankoku Ron we can see the huge gulf between the assumptions which drive this treatise and the actual conditions of Buddhism in our own day. This must be taken into account as we read further in the Rissho Ankoku Ron and Nichiren's writings in general.
Here is the article this was taken from:
Posted by Ryuei at June 19, 2009 09:21 AMRyuei,
I am really glad you've articulated this. It is not a minor point when we consider the perception of Nichiren. In our wholly or mostly wholly 'exotericized' society, a 24 hour feed of information about everything and every aspect of it, the sun never sets on the dharma. Any divisions we encounter we ourselves are responsible for making. There is no excuse anymore to accept erroneous teachings that place one above the other or place the realm of buddhahood in any distant time or space.
namaste
Posted by: cl at June 19, 2009 12:20 PMChristianity seems so easy - probably because it is the dominant religion in the US. It is ubiquitous. Do anything you want and then ask for forgiveness and BANG all your sins are wiped away and you get to go to heaven. Though this is not the actual teachings, it is the common thought. Buddhism is a personal path - you get to control your entire life, but you also must take responsibility. It is not the easy path.
At a meeting several months ago, a member (leader) quoted and article that more Americans are calling them selves Atheist. Then the last study prep video, Greg Martin quoted another survey that concluded that Americans were becoming more religious. Most Americans are not spiritual, but say they are religious. What does this all mean? I think it means it is time for the Buddhist to get real. Why do we follow the teachings of Nichiren? It is OUR mission to educate. We left that to Ikeda and SGI, but now it's our time.
I'll leave the rest for my next blog.
Nancy