All posts by Soka Spirit Editor

Ralph Waldo Emerson gave up the ministry at age 29, in 1832. He could no longer accept the overemphasis on formality in his church. He felt people’s spiritual needs were being dismissed. In a sermon, he revealed his thoughts: “Freedom is the essence of this faith. It has for its object simply to make men good and wise. Its institutions should be as flexible as the wants of men….

The priesthood upholds the view that, without venerating the high priest, practitioners cannot attain enlightenment -a view that undermines the self-empowering properties of Nichiren Buddhism and the mentor-disciple relationship traditionally taught in all Buddhism. This is a relationship of oneness that results when self-reliant disciples voluntarily choose to take responsibility for the same goal of kosen-rufu as their mentor. The priesthood asserts that the high priest of Nichiren Shoshu,…

Welcome to our newly redesigned SGI-USA Soka Spirit website on Nichiren Buddhism! We hope you will enjoy our new look. At its core, Soka Spirit is about changing suffering into happiness—in particular, it’s about protecting and propagating the correct practice and teachings of Nichiren Daishonin that can bring about this transformation. This is always the larger context of any discussion pertaining to Soka Spirit. Buddhist scripture explains that the…

Of the six senior disciples designated by the Daishonin, all except Nikko Shonin betrayed their teacher’s will, thereby nearly destroying his teaching. On October 8, 1282, five days before his death, the Daishonin designated Nissho, Nichiro, Nikko, Niko, Nitcho and Nichiji as “main disciples” but noted that “the order of listing is irrelevant” (The Collected Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol.8, pp.2-3). The order of the Daishonin’s designation…

Niko (1253-1314) propounded that “When those upholding the Lotus Sutra visit , the Buddhist deities as well will come to that shrine” (The chronological compilation of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings, p. 1732). However, in his treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” the Daishonin states that when people ignore the Law, all the Buddhist deities (i.e., the protective forces in the universe that…

Dave Baldschun SGI-USA Vice Study Department Leader Unity is a primary concern in Buddhism. Among the five cardinal sins mentioned in various Buddhist texts, which include murdering one’s parents and injuring a Buddha, is causing disunity in the community of believers. Nichiren Daishonin wrote frankly about those believers who betrayed him and his followers. In “The Workings of Brahma and Shakra,” he writes: “Sho-bo, Noto-bo, and the lay nun…

On December 25, 1926, Japan’s Emperor Taisho died. A new emperor, Showa—known to the world outside Japan by his given name, Hirohito—took the throne, and the era was renamed Showa. During the early years of Hirohito’s reign, Japan grew increasingly nationalistic, with the military gaining a growing influence in politics. As the nation ran headlong toward war, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood succumbed to pressure from the government and compromised…

With the leadership of SGI President Ikeda and courageous efforts of its members, the SGI gained spiritual liberation On Nov. 29, 1991, the Soka Gakkai received a notice of excommunication, dated Nov. 28, from the priesthood of Nichiren Shoshu. The following day, Nov. 30, at a Soka Gakkai leaders meeting, SGI President Ikeda referred to Nov. 28 as the Day of Spiritual Liberation, or spiritual independence day for the…

Ted Morino Vice General Director The two views of the meaning of “heritage of the Law” between the Soka Gakkai International and the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood are diametrically opposed. Heritage (Jap. kechimyaku, or literally, ‘blood – pulse’ that is often translated as ‘lifeblood’) is discussed in detail in Nichiren Daishonin’s writing, “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life” (The Writings Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, pp. 216-218) While the SGI…