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Daily Justice

 Nikko Shonin declared Niko’s tolerance of slander to be the “workings of the devil king,” a “betrayal of the late mentor” and an “[offense equal in gravity to committing] the seven cardinal sins.” If someone who is charged with responsibility for protecting and spreading the Daishonin’s teaching willfully distorts and arbitrarily alters the teaching, then the actions of such a person certainly represent the workings of the devil. They are the actions of a priest of the greatest evil, who is guilty of betraying the mentor and committing the seven cardinal sins. This is what Nikko Shonin taught.

These historical facts contain an important lesson. First of all, those who betrayed the mentor [Nichiren Daishonin] after his death all sought to justify themselves by making reference to some “more profound meaning” contained in his teaching, despite all documentary proof to the contrary.
In Buddhism, the offense of betraying the mentor is extremely grave. It amounts to destroying the very life of Buddhism. People who do so try to win acceptance for their false views by saying, “You should listen to what I say, irrespective of what my mentor wrote.” And if someone presents them with written proof that shows their words or actions to be wrong, they try to gloss over the contradiction by saying: “That is a superficial level of interpretation. The true meaning is found elsewhere.” President Ikeda (My Dear Friends In America, p. 177)
 
 
 

3. How Is Mentor-and-Disciple Taught Differently in the SGI and the Temple?

"As the sutra says, ‘hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us'."

Jeff Farr
Associate Editor

In discussing the mentor/disciple relationship, Nichiren Daishonin wrote: "As the sutra says, ‘hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us' you can readily become as noble a Buddha as Shakyamuni" (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1030). In other words, mentor and disciple are essentially equal; equality is the core of this relationship.

The Daishonin put this into practice, treating his followers as his equals and even encouraging them to become greater than him. In "The Unity of Husband and Wife," he shares that "the Buddha surely considers anyone in this world who embraces the Lotus Sutra, whether lay man or woman, monk or nun, to be the lord of all living beings…" (WND, p 463).

Nichiren Shoshu, though, teaches that mentor and disciple are not equal; priests are thought to be mentors superior to lay believers. The priesthood claims that "an absolute difference between priest and layperson exists in the lineage of the master and disciple" (Dai-Nichiren Special Edition III, pp. 1—18). "To talk about the priesthood and the laity with a sense of equality is an expression of great conceit," states Nichijun Fujimoto, Nichiren Shoshu's general administrator.

The high priest, especially, is portrayed by the priesthood as intrinsically superior to all believers. He's called the "Daishonin of modern times" to convey a sense of supreme authority. The priesthood urges us in Refuting the Soka Gakkai's "Counterfeit Object of Worship" to "completely follow the Way of Master and Disciple to realize our road to Buddhahood. For us, to proceed to the original Master of all mankind means that we must faithfully follow the guidance of the High Priest, the general head priest" (p. 9). To follow him, believers must adhere to the erroneous teaching that they are inferior.

In "The Essentials For Attaining Buddhahood," the Daishonin warns us "both teacher and followers will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering if they see enemies of the Lotus Sutra but disregard them and fail to reproach them" (WND, p. 747). It's interesting how he emphasizes both. The teachings of the Lotus Sutra cannot be protected and cannot be spread without the dedication of both parties.

In "The Essentials For Attaining Buddhahood," the Daishonin warns us "both teacher and followers will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering if they see enemies of the Lotus Sutra but disregard them and fail to reproach them" (WND, p. 747). It's interesting how he emphasizes both. The teachings of the Lotus Sutra cannot be protected and cannot be spread without the dedication of both parties.

Each of us has a responsibility for kosen-rufu, then, as great as anyone's. Our organization has upheld this understanding since its inception-we're all equals in the realm of kosen-rufu. We're all seeking together the Daishonin's teachings and how to implement them in today's society.
Because the presidents of the Soka Gakkai have always maintained this spirit, they have won the people's respect and are regarded as great mentors by millions worldwide. They have led the way in putting the Daishonin's ideas into action.

Again, if equality is not the starting point of the mentor-and-disciple relationship, there is no kosen-rufu. The Daishonin expresses this in "The Eight Winds," saying, "If lay believers and their teacher pray with differing minds, their prayer will be as futile as trying to kindle a fire on water" (WND, p. 795). The same heart or mind-this is what it takes for the mentor/disciple relationship to work.

Real equality-this is what it takes for kosen-rufu to happen.

(Originally published in the World Tribune, Nov. 26, 1999)

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