Doctrinal View on the Conferral of Gohonzon by the SGI

“Based on the doctrinal view detailed below in six sections, we, the members of the Association for the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu and the Association of Youthful Priests Dedicated to the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, hereby express our full support of the SGI’s decision to confer a Gohonzon transcribed by Nichikan to members and its actions to advance kosen-rufu.” [This article first appeared in the Seikyo Times, February 1994, pp. 17–27]

In the writing, “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” Nichiren Daishonin states, “Know this:  in the time for the practice of shakubuku the four bodhisattvas appear as worthy rulers who rebuke and convert ignorant rulers, and in the time for the practice of shoju they appear as priests to embrace and spread the correct teaching” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 375).

[Shoju is a method of propagating Buddhism by gradually leading people to the Law without refuting their attachment to lower or erroneous teachings. Shakubuku is propagation by strictly refuting another’s mistaken views.]

Nichikan in his exegesis on this writing interprets the meaning of this passage as follows. Shakubuku by worthy rulers indicates “shakubuku of substantiation” and points to a “time of kosen-rufu through positive relationship,” a time when people are readily able to form a connection to Buddhism.

By contrast, protection and propagation by priests indicates “shakubuku of the entity of the Law.” Nichikan further interprets the term “priests” mentioned here as referring specifically to Nichiren Daishonin.

Through his lifetime of efforts to lead all people to happiness, Nichiren Daishonin revealed the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws as the true purpose of his advent. In other words, he initiated the propagation of the entity of the Law. This action in itself amounted to a refutation of all provisional teachings and is referred to as “shakubuku of the entity of the Law.” However, “shakubuku of the entity of the Law” has as its primary objective the revelation of the Gohonzon as the entity of the Law, while its secondary objective of widespread propagation is an issue for later generations. For this reason, Nichikan terms the propagation activity of the Daishonin himself as shoju.

Deeming that the proper time had not yet arrived, the Daishonin charges the leaders in the future with the task of accomplishing the widespread propagation of the Gohonzon during the “time of kosen-rufu through positive relationship.”

It is none other than the SGI that has by its own efforts created a “time of kosen-rufu through positive relationship,” and, while bravely carrying out the extremely difficult practice of propagating the Gohonzon, has in actuality saved many people from the depths of misery. Therefore, the Soka Gakkai is a body of “worthy rulers”; it is a gathering of Bodhisattvas of the Earth who inherit the Buddha’s mandate.

Previous high priests have deeply praised the Gakkai’s wondrous destiny and mission. Nichiko, the fifth-ninth high priest, lauded the path of martyrdom followed by the first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, who strove to propagate the Law even at the cost of his life, saying that he “surpassed ordinary priests.” And Nichijun, the sixty-fifth high priest, said that Mr. Makiguchi, “who was a born emissary of the Buddha, manifested his true identity through the Lotus Sutra while further enhancing his prestige [as an emissary of the Buddha]” (Complete Works of Nichijun Shonin, p. 296). These two former high priests spared nothing in their praise of Mr. Makiguchi.

Also, Nichijun said about second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, “I believe that it is the Soka Gakkai president who has summoned forth on the face of the earth these 750,000, whose number comes from the five and the seven characters of Myoho-renge-kyo” (ibid., p. 357). The former high priest Nittatsu also recognized the profound significance of SGI President Ikeda’s role as the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, saying, “Today, President Ikeda, following in the footsteps of the Four Bodhisattvas [the leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth] is marching on toward kosen-rufu as a general of shakubuku.”

In light of the above passages and guidance of different high priests, and above all in view of the actual proof of world kosen-rufu that we see before our eyes, it is clear that, in essence, the SGI is not simply a body of lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, but rather is a great Buddhist order of harmonious unity unto itself that has a direct connection with the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. On this matter there is not the slightest room for doubt. Nittatsu (on July 15, 1963) issued the following “Admonition” to all believers of the school: “Those who willfully slander the Soka Gakkai, the great Buddhist order of harmonious unity, out of prejudice—regardless of whether or not there is anything to what they say, or whether they belong to this school—are all people of highly perverse views who obstruct the pure undertaking of kosen-rufu. And it must be said that the offense of such persons is sufficient to open the way to the hell of incessant suffering.”

Now, with Nichiren Shoshu having turned into an utterly aberrant school on account of Nikken’s incorrect views, the great body of harmoniously united believers that is the SGI is the only body that inherits the true lifeblood of the Law from the Buddha of the Latter Day. For this reason, the Soka Gakkai should be thought of as possessing the virtue of the Treasure of the Priest (of the Three Treasures).

Of course, the Treasure of the Priest specifically indicates Nikko Shonin alone. However, in terms of the general meaning of the term, all priests and lay people are included in the Treasure of the Priest according to their faith and actions. In this sense, the SGI’s significance as the Treasure of the Priest is proven by the unprecedented history of world kosen-rufu that it has created.

To begin with, the Sanskrit term sangha that has been translated as “priest” does not merely mean those individuals who have renounced the secular world and taken on a clerical lifestyle; rather, it indicates the entire body of lay people and priests taken as a whole. In the time of Shakyamuni, all decisions of the sangha were carried out in consensus with the entire Buddhist community. Thus, importance was placed on the existence of this body itself, and the gathering as a whole was designated as the “Treasure of the Priest.”

Let us consider the words that became a model for devotion to the Three Treasures in Shakyamuni’s day. They are translated as follows: “I dedicate myself to the Buddha. I dedicate myself to the Law. I dedicate myself to the gathering” (Gautama Buddha, vol. 1, by Hajime Nakamura, p. 566). Although originally the term “Treasure of the Priest” referred to the community of believers, at some point after Buddhism was transmitted to China, the term for “priest” came to be used as a title of individual monks.

The SGI is a true body of harmoniously united believers that single-mindedly dedicates itself to realizing kosen-rufu. They do so in perfect accord with the admonition of Nikko Shonin, who specifically embodies the function of the Treasure of the Priest in the Daishonin’s Buddhism, “Until kosen-rufu is achieved, propagate the Law to the full extent of your ability without begrudging your life” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1618).

Accordingly, the SGI is the only body that qualifies as the Treasure of the Priest in the present age. Furthermore, as noted in the previous paragraph, the “body of harmoniously united believers,” according to the original meaning of the term, includes both monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen. Thus, we reformist priests who share with the SGI the mission and struggle for kosen-rufu are carrying on with the awareness that we belong to the same body.

We all firmly believe that for the SGI to propagate the entity of the Law by conferring the Gohonzon is a pure undertaking in accord with the spirit of the Buddha of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin, and Nikko Shonin. Further, we believe that in so doing the SGI is fulfilling the mission of the Treasure of the Priest to ensure the eternal prosperity of the Law.

The priesthood has many expressions in referring to “the heritage of the Law.” In the current situation, Nikken, the high priest who is supposedly entrusted with the heritage, has in fact become an enemy of the Buddha who seeks to destroy kosen-rufu. From the Daishonin’s statements about the “heritage of faith” (WND-1, 218), it becomes clear that in fact the heritage is nothing but faith. Nichiu, the ninth high priest, clearly states, “In discussing faith or the ‘heritage of the Law’ or the ‘flow of the Law,’ we are talking about one and the same thing” (Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol. 1, p. 175).

In order to clarify the true state of affairs, we must clearly distinguish between “inheritance” or “transmission,” on one hand, and “heritage,” on the other. The first two terms indicate the act of transferring the administrative office of the high priest along with various historical documents. Today, when Nikken asserts his status as the sixty-seventh high priest, it means that he has received this “inheritance” or “transmission.”

By contrast, “heritage” is an issue of faith and concerns one’s mentor-disciple relationship with the Daishonin. Even though someone might have the status of high priest, if he loses sight of faith and of the relationship of mentor and disciple, then the “heritage” will immediately be extinguished.

Looking back over the history of the priesthood, we see that even as there were high priests such as Nichikan who dedicated their lives to ensuring the eternal prosperity of the Law, there were also high priests such as Nissei who committed the slander of erecting statues of Shakyamuni Buddha. It is a fact that not all high priests were “correct teachers.”

For this reason, Nikko Shonin in strictly admonishes that if a high priest deviates from the path of mentor and disciple with the Daishonin, and commits errors, those around him should admonish him without reserve, “Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s Law and holds his own views” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1618); and, “If a high priest or a priest of [profound] practice and understanding should temporarily deviate from [the principle of] sexual abstinence, he [need not be defrocked, but] may still be allowed to remain in the priesthood as a common priest without rank” (ibid., p. 1619).

Over the entire history of Buddhism, the ultimate standard for determining truth or falsity of a teaching has been whether or not the teaching has been backed up by ideas and actions based on faith directly connected to the Buddha. The presence of pure faith constitutes the true “heritage.” This heritage of the Law is certainly not determined by the presence or lack of a transmission of status or position.

The fact of the matter is that none of those in previous ages whom the Daishonin calls “correct teachers” were included in the lines of leadership of existing Buddhist schools. Kumarajiva, T’ien-t’ai or Dengyo, all developed a direct connection with Shakyamuni through the reason of the sutras and their own actions. They expounded appropriate teachings for the era on their own—without relying on the authority of “transmissions.” The reality of “transmissions” is that they inevitably die out; this was the case with the lineage of Shakyamuni’s teaching in India, which ended with the twenty-fourth successor, and with the Japanese Tendai school, which turned into an aberrant teaching.

Nichiren Daishonin states: “Are persons who receive instruction orally from their teacher invariably free from error, while those who appear in later ages and who seek and investigate to be regarded as worthless? If so, then should we throw away the sutras and instead follow traditions handed down from the four ranks of bodhisattvas? Should a man throw away the deed of transfer received from his father and mother and instead rely upon oral transmissions? Are the written commentaries of the Great Teacher Dengyo so much trash, and the oral traditions handed down from the Great Teacher Jikaku the only guide to truth? (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1258)

Thus, the Daishonin deftly points out the potential danger of false “transmissions.” However, the present priesthood confuses “inheritance” and “transmission” of the office of high priest and some historical documents with the “heritage” or “lifeblood” of faith. They vainly seek to make the high priest’s status absolute, while having lost the heritage of faith. As a result, Nikken, using the absolute authority of the office of high priest, has unjustly excommunicated the SGI, whose members have carried out the Buddha’s mandate in accomplishing kosen-rufu on an unprecedented scale. In essence, he has rejected kosen-rufu.

The fact that achieving kosen-rufu is the fundamental purpose of the transmission of true Buddhism is clear from the passage, “We must wait for the proper time” (WND-2, 993) contained in the Minobu transfer document, in which the Daishonin transferred his teaching to Nikko Shonin, and the passage, “You must wait for the time of kosen-rufu” (Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol. 5, p. 188), contained in the transfer document from Nikko to Nichimoku in which Nikko Shonin transferred the lineage to the third high priest, Nichimoku. Kosen-rufu is the ultimate will of Nichiren Daishonin and he entrusted it to his disciples of later generations. The authority of the high priest ought to be derived from his faith in the will and mandate of the founder, Nichiren Daishonin, directed toward the goal of accomplishing kosen-rufu. Straying from the path of kosen-rufu signifies that the heritage of faith has ceased to exist in him. There is no rationale whatsoever to suggest that the heritage of the Law from Nichiren Daishonin flows in a high priest such as Nikken whose actions aim to terminate kosen-rufu.

In addition, the notion that the heritage is the exclusive possession of the high priest goes against the original meaning of “heritage” as taught by Nichiren Daishonin, who opened the way for all people to attain Buddhahood. Thus, in the writing, “Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” the Daishonin says, “Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage and attain Buddhahood” (WND-1, 217).

Through excommunicating the SGI, Nikken has completely lost the heritage of faith, and thus his qualification to transcribe and confer the Gohonzon.

Next, we will consider the content of the “transmission.” The various transfer documents that were alleged to contain secret teachings known only to high priests since ancient times, have, with the passage of time, been made public to believers and non-believers alike. At present, these documents have been widely circulated in printed form and all people may study them.

Nittatsu once said of the contents of his own “transmission,” “Since Hori [Nichiko] revealed everything, there is nothing at all about it that might be considered special.” This remark was no doubt an expression of his honest feelings. Also, Nikken himself once said, “Regarding the contents of the ‘transmission,’ everyone knows that this is all there is to it and that it contains nothing secret.” These facts are known to many priests within the priesthood. Therefore, it is simply not true that there exists some mysterious teaching that is transferred only to the high priest.

Nevertheless, at the teachers’ training course last year, Nikken made sophistic claims about the existence of such things as a special written transmission and an oral transmission. However, the doctrine of the Three Great Secret Laws that is contained in the depths of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, which constitutes the essence of the transmission, has been exhaustively explained in Nichikan’s commentaries and his Six-Volume Writings. It simply does not stand to reason that there should be any other important teaching.

Some members of the priesthood say that the “heritage of the entity of the Law” is passed down only from one high priest to the next and cite this as evidence for the claim that the high priest has exclusive authority with regard to the Gohonzon. However, in light of the Daishonin’s teaching about the heritage for the attainment of Buddhahood of all people, this is clearly a false teaching and should be corrected without delay.

In the words of Nichio, the fifty-sixth high priest, “The entity of the Law specifically transferred is the Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary that is kept treasured at this temple” (Benwaku Kanjin Sho, p. 212). In other words, the “entity of the Law” in the phrase, “the heritage of the entity of the Law,” is the Dai-Gohonzon.

In his exegesis on “The Entity of the Mystic Law,” Nichikan states: “In becoming enlightened to the object of worship of the Law, our lives perfectly manifest the object of worship of the high sanctuary of true Buddhism…. This is because of the powerful function of daimoku” (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan Shonin, p. 683). Thus, in the Daishonin’s Buddhism, everyone can equally become enlightened to the entity of the Law of the Dai-Gohonzon through the power of daimoku, and at that moment, “our lives perfectly manifest the object of devotion of the high sanctuary of true Buddhism.”

All followers of the Daishonin, whether priests or lay believers—including the high priest—may receive the “heritage of the entity of the Law” only through chanting daimoku with faith. It is certainly not the case that the “entity of the Law” is transmitted to the high priest alone. The “entity of the Law,” or the Gohonzon, is not the exclusive property of the high priest; it is open to all people who have faith.

In conclusion, there is no evidence whatsoever in the teachings of the Daishonin’s Buddhism to support the claim that the high priest alone has exclusive authority over the Gohonzon. And the conferral of Gohonzon by the SGI, which inherits the heritage of faith originating from the Daishonin, is a just and reasonable action that completely accords with the principles of Buddhism.

Nichikan was born in 1665 in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture. In 1683, at 18, he entered the priesthood. From that time on, he assiduously applied himself to practice and study.

In 1718 he became the twenty-sixth high priest of Taiseki-ji. During his lifetime, he wrote numerous doctrinal treatises, including the Six Volume Writings and a collection of commentaries on Nichiren Daishonin’s major writings.

Nichikan was a celebrated high priest who is famous for having been the first to systematize the Daishonin’s teachings. The second president of the Soka Gakkai, Josei Toda, who placed his complete trust in Nichikan’s scholarship, would exclaim, “In study, go back to the time of Nichikan!”

Nichikan also maintained strong faith. He lived during a time when the priesthood was being swayed by erroneous doctrines that had emerged following the Daishonin’s passing owing to tendencies of indolence and self-protection within the school. And yet, he persevered in upholding the correct way of faith and practice directly linked to the Daishonin, based on the Gohonzon and on the wish to realize kosen-rufu.

In the practice of faith, Nichikan always made the Daishonin’s behavior his guide. In his exegesis on “The Opening of the Eyes,” Nichikan writes:

The passage, “We do not hold our own lives dear. We value only the supreme Way,” is the priesthood’s aspiration for enlightenment. The founder, Nichiren Daishonin, put this precept into practice. How could we, his followers, fail to arouse this same desire? We must bestir ourselves. (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan Shonin, p.l17)

Nichikan was a high priest who made the Gohonzon the foundation and deeply understood its benefit. With absolute conviction he encouraged others to take faith in the Gohonzon, saying: “If only you take faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even for a while, no prayer will go unanswered, no offense will remain unforgiven, all good fortune will be bestowed, and all righteousness proven. (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan Shonin, p. 443)

Nichikan also thoroughly dedicated himself to chanting daimoku. In his exegesis on the writing “Repaying Debts of Gratitude,” he reports having chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo one-and-a half million times (ibid., p. 440). And in his lecture on “Repaying Debts of Gratitude to Parents,” Nichikan speaks of having chanted twenty million daimoku during a period of seven years in order to repay his debt of gratitude to his parents. Incidentally, Nichikan is said to have built the Ever-chanting Hall (Josho-do) on the grounds of Taiseki-ji so that daimoku might be chanted on the temple grounds without interruption.

Nichikan was a high priest who cherished a strong desire for the realization of kosen-rufu. Members of the Buddhist community during the Edo period were prohibited from either praising their own religious schools or denigrating the schools of others. For this reason, it was extremely difficult for adherents of any faith to propagate their religion in public. Nevertheless, Nichikan proudly declared: “The minds of those who neglect shakubuku and forget the four dictums are identical to the minds of slanderers of the Law. Not practicing shakubuku with your mouth is the same as using your mouth to slander the Law” (ibid., p. 767).

As a disciple with a direct connection to the Daishonin, he energetically took up his pen to challenge followers of other schools of Buddhism in order to refute the false and reveal the true.

Moreover, as the following passage illustrates, all of the theses that Nichikan so ardently worked to produce were written with the arrival of a “time of kosen-rufu through positive relationship” in mind: “This treatise, which I hereby present to the disciples of later ages, is entirely for the sake of accomplishing kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law. Such a time will surely come soon, so this treatise should not be disregarded. (Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol. 3, p. 103)

Nichikan also writes: “How could one doubt the arrival of a ‘time of kosen-rufu through positive relationship’? You must await the time” (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan, p. 234). Nichikan was a true disciple with a direct connection to the Daishonin who fought vigorously to establish a firm foundation for the time of kosen-rufu. One could even go so far as to say that the entire legacy of faith that Nichikan established throughout his life was for the sake of the SGI, which appeared in order to carry out the Buddha’s will and decree and is striving to accomplish the unprecedented task of worldwide kosen-rufu.

A Gohonzon transcribed by Nichikan has been preserved at Joen-ji temple. (A temple that has severed its ties with Nikken.) The proper time having arrived, a Gohonzon made from this will now be propagated by the SGI throughout the world. Within these circumstances one senses a truly profound karmic relation.

We reverently view this development as a manifestation of the Daishonin’s will, and from the vow made by Nichikan.

The Gohonzon to be conferred by the SGI is based on a transcription made by Nichikan of the Dai-Gohonzon of the high sanctuary. Thus, taking this action in no way implies any change in the Gakkai’s basic attitude of faith based on the Dai-Gohonzon; and the Gohonzon to be conferred is naturally the same in terms of its power of benefit as Gohonzon received thus far. In the history of Nichiren Shoshu, there have been numerous instances where branch temples created printed Gohonzon from original Gohonzon in their possession, which they conferred at their own discretion to lay believers. Thus, there is no problem with the intended course of action either in terms of precedent or procedure.

The only respect in which this Gohonzon could be said to differ from the Gohonzon currently made available by the priesthood is that it has not been “approved” by the current high priest. From the view that the ‘‘‘water of the Law’ of the Gohonzon, or its beneficial power, is derived from the high priest,” it could be argued that a Gohonzon that lacks the approval of the high priest is not endowed with the “water of the Law.”

However, it is impossible to find any such teaching in the writings of Nichiren Daishonin; this is nothing but an aberrant doctrine that was concocted by persons of later ages. Nichiko teaches that we “receive the water of the Law from the original Buddha through faith,” and that “the water of the Law flows from the original Buddha to believers” (Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol. 1, p. 176). It is not from the successive high priests that we receive the “water of the Law” of the Gohonzon. Rather, we receive the “water of the Law” directly from the Buddha through our faith.

Therefore, the “water of the Law” coming from the Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, flows unimpeded in the SGI, which upholds pure faith directly connected with the Daishonin. It is impossible that the Gohonzon to be propagated by the SGI, a body of harmoniously united believers, could fail to be endowed with the powers of the Buddha and the Law of the Buddha of the Latter Day.

A single instance of actual proof is more convincing than a million specious arguments. At present, nearly two years since its “excommunication,” the SGI continues to realize prodigious development and show brilliant actual proof in society and is moving ever more rapidly toward making the Daishonin’s Buddhism a world religion, in both name and reality. Individual members are receiving tremendous benefits from the Gohonzon.

And many people attending funeral ceremonies conducted by members in different parts of the world have become all the more convinced of the righteousness of the SGI through seeing the bodies of deceased members that perfectly display the aspect of attaining Buddhahood as described in Nichiren’s writings. In light of actual proof, it is clear that the SGI definitely inherits the “water of the Law” flowing from the Buddha; and from this we can conclude with certainty that the beneficial power of the Gohonzon to be conferred by the SGI will be great indeed.

Next, let us touch on the meaning of the term “eye-opening.” In essence, there is no need whatsoever for a special ceremony for “infusing the Gohonzon with a soul” to be conducted. Nichikan states, “When one exercises one’s powers of faith and practice, one perfects the practice of observing the mind and attains enlightenment through the powers of the Buddha and the Law” (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan Shonin, p. 455). Exactly as he says, it is through the powers of faith and practice of those who chant to the Gohonzon that the powers of the Buddha and the Law embodied in the Gohonzon become manifest. This is what the term “eye-opening” signifies.

Nichio states: “We make the Gohonzon the object of devotion neither out of respect for its value as a paper scroll, nor out of reverence for it as a work of calligraphy. We respect it solely for its true intent and revere it solely for the ultimate reality that it embodies” (Benwaku Kanjin Sho, p. 202). As he says, the Gohonzon is the manifestation of the true intent of the Buddha of the Latter Day and the ultimate reality of the universe.

Therefore, the Gohonzon, to use a somewhat awkward expression, could be termed a paper scroll endowed with limitless potential. When we pray to the Gohonzon with correct faith and practice, the powers of the Buddha and the Law instantly come into play, and the Gohonzon itself manifests the condition of Buddhahood in accordance with the principle of the “enlightenment of plants” (see sidebar). Nichikan states: “When we awaken to the principle of the enlightenment of plants, [we perceive that] the Gohonzon that is enshrined before us, in its entirety, is the living embodiment of the Buddha of 3,000 realms who has existed since time without beginning. We must not view the Gohonzon as consisting of writing and paper” (Selected Commentaries of Nichikan Shonin, p. 470). As he states, the “eye-opening” of the Gohonzon is effected in response to our faith and practice.

In the final analysis, it is the faith of the individual that “opens the eye” of the Gohonzon, and every Gohonzon comes to be endowed with beneficial power through the faith of those who revere it.

In light of the foregoing discussion it is clear that the Gohonzon to be conferred by the SGI is definitely endowed with the beneficial power to enable people to actualize the principle of “attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form.”

The writing, “Letter from Sado,” reads, “Buddhism should be spread by the method of either shoju or shakubuku, depending upon the age” (WND-1, 301). As indicated in many writings, the present age of the Latter Day of the Law is the time of shakubuku. However, within shakubuku, two different types may be distinguished: “shakubuku of the entity of the Law,” and “shakubuku of substantiation.”

The passage from the writing, “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” that was quoted earlier states, “Know this:  in the time for the practice of shakubuku the four bodhisattvas appear as worthy rulers who rebuke and convert ignorant rulers, and in the time for the practice of shoju they appear as priests to embrace and spread the correct teaching” (WND-1, 375). As was mentioned in the first section of this treatise, this passage may be interpreted as follows: the “shakubuku of the entity of the Law” undertaken by the Daishonin, the “priest” indicated here, qualifies as “shoju”; this is in contrast to the “shakubuku of substantiation” undertaken by the SGI, the gathering of “worthy rulers” to appear in the future.

Broadly speaking, it can be said that the mission of all members of the priesthood, including the Daishonin, lies in carrying out this practice of “shoju from the standpoint of shakubuku” or “shakubuku of the entity of the Law.”

In fact, looking back over the priesthood’s 700-year history, it must be said that this entire period, during which priests struggled to protect and preserve the Dai-Gohonzon and prepared for the time of shakubuku, was a time of “shoju from the standpoint of shakubuku.” For this reason Nichijun stated: “We should regard the 700-year history of the priesthood as an age for the protection of true Buddhism in anticipation of the time for kosen-rufu” (Complete Writings of Nichijun, p. 1622).

However, with the emergence of the Soka Gakkai, a gathering of “worth rulers,” the situation dramatically changed and we suddenly entered the long-awaited time of “shakubuku of substantiation.” Nichijun continues: “From the fact that we have entered a time of great and unprecedented propagation with the completion of the first 700-year period since the founding of our school, I cannot help but feel that there is some profound correlation between the time and the spread of the true Law. In this connection, it occurs to me that there is something extraordinary about the Soka Gakkai appearing at this time which coincides with the rise of true Buddhism” (ibid.).

Nichijun keenly discerned that the Soka Gakkai is a body that inherits the Buddha’s will and decree for kosen-rufu, and that its appearance marked the start of a dramatic new phase in the history of Buddhism. Nichijun foresaw that “future scholars of history will define the period up to the 700-year anniversary of the establishment of true Buddhism as ‘the age for the preservation of true Buddhism’ and the period thereafter as ‘the age for widespread propagation’” (ibid., p. 1620). Thus, a historic transition from an age of preservation of the Law, in which priests played the major role, to an age for widespread propagation, in which the major role would be played by the people, has indeed taken place.

The start of the age for widespread propagation will necessarily be accompanied by a shift in the focus of various functions from the priesthood to the people, along with changes in the attitude of the community of believers from one of closure to the outside world to one of openness, and from one of discrimination to one of equality. Nevertheless, the current high priest seeks to monopolize the right to determine religious matters and, in particular, retains exclusive rights regarding the Gohonzon (which he exercises in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner).

This should be regarded as a vestige left behind from the “age for the preservation of the Law” that predated the Soka Gakkai’s appearance. Put another way, it is a throwback to an earlier period in Buddhism and is not in accord with the current age.

In the age for the preservation of the Law, the primary objective was to correctly preserve and pass down the Gohonzon. For this reason, in order to prevent schisms from forming within the school and, in particular, to guard against confusion about the correct object of worship, it was necessary to have the rights and authority relating to the Gohonzon concentrated in one figure (of the high priest) in the form of the “transmission received by only one person.” The fifteenth-century high priest, Nichiu, states: “Only the head of believers should transmit and transcribe the Gohonzon. Others should not transcribe it. Two Buddhas never appear in one world….” (Essential Writings of the Fuji School, vol. 2, p. 163). It may be that this was the best way to prevent doctrinal confusion during the age for the preservation of the Law.

In this sense, we do not deny the validity of the way in which the priesthood has preserved the Gohonzon until this time. However, if one considers the merits and demerits of the high priest claiming absolute authority in an age of widespread propagation, it must be said that the demerits outweigh the merits. Nikken, a prisoner of his own base emotions, has highhandedly and unilaterally brought a stop to the conferral of the Gohonzon to the SGI members; his actions underline the greatest dangers of the current system. Nikken has gravely abused his authority relating to the Gohonzon. Much to our dismay, a “Law-devouring hungry spirit” has appeared within the priesthood.

By contrast, the members of the SGI wholeheartedly exert themselves in propagating the Gohonzon and studying the doctrine of the Three Great Secret Laws. This is entirely unprecedented. To put it another way, each person has become able to recognize the significance of the Gohonzon based on his or her own faith and reason without having to depend on the instruction of the high priest.

We therefore confidently proclaim the end of the period for the preservation of the Law, the initial phase, when the figure of the high priest possessed supreme authority over the religious order, and welcome the long-awaited time when the SGI, a body of united believers dedicated to kosen-rufu, protects and propagates the Gohonzon in a manner that accords with the significance of the Dai-Gohonzon being “bestowed upon the entire world.”

The writing “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude” states, “ If Nichiren’s compassion is truly great and encompassing, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity” (WND-1, 736).

“Had the Soka Gakkai failed to emerge,” Nichiko aptly remarked, “this school would have been crushed.” True to his words, there is no doubt that had the Soka Gakkai not appeared when it did, Nichiren Shoshu would have long ago died out, both in terms of its faith and in terms of its physical existence. Only with the Soka Gakkai’s emergence has the greatness of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin been proven widely to the world and the golden words of the Nichiren become a reality. The Soka Gakkai has thus maintained the integrity of Nichiren Shoshu as a religious order. The very appearance of the Soka Gakkai could be thought of as a result of the will of Buddha.

In conclusion, we, the members of the Association for the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu and the Association of Youthful Priests Dedicated to the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, with deep conviction that the conferral of the Gohonzon by the SGI is a development that arises from the Daishonin’s immense compassion, humbly declare to the Three Treasures of Buddhism that henceforth we, as disciples of the Daishonin, shall exert ourselves in advancing worldwide kosen-rufu together with the SGI.