 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
10. What Is 'the Same Mind
As Nichiren?' |
|
|
|
Greg Martin
Assistant Publisher
The fundamental spirit of the SGI-the Soka Spirit, as
it were-can be understood in the passage from The True
Aspect of All Phenomena, If you are of the same mind as
Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth (The
Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 385). To practice in
accord with Nichiren Daishonin's word and spirit, to strive
together with the intent to accomplish kosen-rufu, will
always be our organization's prime point.
When we say that Nichiren Shoshu is teaching a practice
at odds with the Daishonin's, thus leading people to a
life of endless, painful sufferings, how do we back that
up? Why do we say that Nichiren Shoshu's teachings are
slanderous, even evil?
The Holocaust, slavery, environmental destruction-these
are evil. But a band of misguided priests who have never
killed anyone? Wrongheaded, unfair, petty…words
like these better describe the actions of Nichiren Shoshu,
some feel.
But the Daishonin states that a hundred, thousand, ten
thousand, million times more than mad elephants, vicious
horses, fierce bulls, savage dogs, poisonous snakes, poisonous
thorns, treacherous bluffs, steep cliffs, floods, evil
men, evil countries, evil towns, evil dwellings, bad wives,
wicked children and malicious retainers, the people of
Japan today should fear those high-ranking priests who
keep the precepts and yet hold distorted views! (WND,
621).
Why is this so? Viewed from the perspective of the eternity
of life, the loss of one's present life is a relatively
minor suffering compared to the sufferings one must endure
in lifetime after lifetime if one destroys one's seed
for attaining Buddhahood by becoming a slanderer of the
Law.
There is little doubt, as this passage attests, that the
Daishonin considered slander of the Law to be the greatest
evil. The conclusion that Nichiren Shoshu, which is now
spreading the erroneous understanding that a priestly
intermediary is necessary between believers and the Gohonzon,
is not evil betrays a misunderstanding to the Daishonin's
thinking and his life-how he spent his lifetime fighting
this kind of evil.
Some suggest that, if he were alive today, the Daishonin
would take a much different stance toward Nichiren Shoshu
than the SGI has. In today's America, for instance, a
country that enjoys much greater freedom of religious
expression than Japan did in the 13th century, the Daishonin
would not feel the need to direct such strong words against
those in error, some have argued. The Daishonin would
simply have stated his position and left it at that, they
say.
The Daishonin's intent, however, was not to establish
religious freedom; it was to establish this Buddhism.
This is not to say that he was against religious freedom-the
point is that his prime focus was sinking the roots of
this Buddhism in his followers' hearts and in his society.
An important part of this to him was differentiating correct
Buddhist practice from erroneous forms of Buddhism and
vigorously refuting those teachings. This is why he repeatedly
called upon government officials to even outlaw those
teachings. He was saying, We need to correctly understand
what Buddhism is in this country.
If we are to be of he same mind as Nichiren, if we are
to be Bodhisattvas of the Earth, we need to understand
his intent and share it. At the very heart of the Daishonin's
Buddhism is the refutation of erroneous teachings. To
save suffering people, to make this Buddhism accessible
to the people, clarifying the truth is the only way.
The Daishonin writes: Even though one may resort to harsh
words, if such words help the person to whom they are
addressed, then they are worthy to be regarded as truthful
words and gentle words. Similarly, though one may use
gentle words, if they harm the person to whom they are
addressed, they are in fact deceptive words, harsh words...(WND,
178). Of course, we should not take this as license to
be nasty or disrespectful in spreading this Buddhism.
But with hearts of compassion and respect for others'
lives, we should say what needs to be said. This is practicing
with he same mind as Nichiren.
|
|
(Originally published in the World
Tribune, April 7, 2000)
|
|
|
|
|
