Daily Justice Compilation—Part 1 A Collection of Quotes from the Daily Justice Column “The Daishonin did not passively encounter persecution. Rather, he says that he himself initiated this battle. It was a religious revolution, which he carried out under the “banner of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo,” the heart of the Lotus Sutra. This is the struggle of kosen-rufu. And, as he indicates when he says, “So the battle…
An excerpt of President Ikeda’s speech at the 43rd Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting at Soka Friendship Hall in Tokyo, June 1, 1991. To Attack the Great Is to Take Advantage of Their Greatness When Victor Hugo was in exile, he wrote an essay about Shakespeare, which contains a passage something like: “Those who try to put great people to shame are just trying to enhance themselves by taking…
The following is an excerpt from a speech by SGI President Ikeda at the Kansai Toda Memorial Auditorium, Osaka, Japan, March 4, 1991. It first appeared in the June 10, 1991 World Tribune, pp. 4–5. The Danger of Evil Influences Nichiren Daishonin warned us time and time again that we must not be duped (Jpn taborakasu, whose English translation varies with the context). …
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 Soka Gakkai and the SGI. It signaled a fresh era of unprecedented development. This action of the Nichiren…
Beyond Idolatry and Self-worship:A Perspective on the Object of Devotion in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism The following essay is based on Shin Yatomi’s presentation at the Soka Spirit Conference held at the Florida Nature and Culture Center on January 28–30, 2000. I. Introduction: No intermediary is necessary Priests in most religions are respected for their expertise and piety. Lay believers, on the other hand, are assumed to possess less understanding…
An excerpt of SGI President Ikeda’s speech at the Youth training meeting, Soka University Los Angeles, Calabasas, California, October 1, 1991 Niko’s Slander of Nikko Shonin Yesterday, at the conference for leaders of the United States and Canada, I talked briefly about the reasons for Nikko Shonin’s departure from Mount Minobu. The fundamental cause for his departure lay with the decadent priest Mimbu Niko [one of the five…
The following speech by SGI President Ikeda was given at the 9th general meeting of the Study Department at Josei Toda Memorial Auditorium in Osaka, Japan on January 15, 1977. (It was published in English in the April, 1977 Seikyo Times, p. 6) I offer my sincerest congratulations on the holding of today’s study department conference. Thank you very much for taking the trouble to participate on such a…
By SGI President Ikeda “The reason Nichiren repeatedly denounced the slander of the Law committed by the various Buddhist schools of his day was because their erroneous teachings prevented people from revealing their full inner potential. He was not driven by a self-righteous, out-of-hand rejection of other sutras apart from the Lotus Sutra as representing slander of the Law. Rather, his actions can be seen as a manifestation of…
The Gohonzon conferred by the SGI are based on an original Gohonzon transcribed by the 26th high priest Nichikan (1665–1726), known as the restorer of Nichiren’s teachings. He is known as the restorer because previous high priests had deviated from the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Today’s priesthood labels this Gohonzon as counterfeit because it was not sanctioned by the current high priest. When their scheme to take control of the…
The SGI began to confer Gohonzon upon qualified members throughout the world in October 1993. These Gohonzon are reproductions of a Gohonzon transcribed by the 26th high priest, Nichikan Shonin, in 1720. The SGI took this action based on its mission and qualification as the sole body of harmoniously united believers that inherits the lifeblood of faith from Nichiren Daishonin. This decision is most fitting and proper in light of the…