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12. How Does the SGI's Stance
Toward Nichiren Shoshu Accord With Our Stated Religious
Tolerance? |
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Jeff Farr
Associate Editor
Buddhism stands for tolerance. Our religion seeks to build
bridges among all people, among people of extremely different
backgrounds.
The Preamble of the SGI Charter expresses this in saying
that our organization will aise high the banner of world
citizenship, the spirit of tolerance. We will, ased on
the spirit of Buddhist tolerance, respect other religions.
If this is an important part of the SGI's mission, why
is the SGI so critical of Nichiren Shoshu? Why doesn't
the SGI show more tolerance toward the priesthood? Are
we contradicting ourselves?
There is something fundamentally different about Nichiren
Shoshu, then, from other religions in the world: It is
the one and only religious group taking action to eradicate
the Daishonin's Buddhism by attempting to destroy the
SGI-the only organization that has successfully propagated
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism throughout the world. Nichiren
Shoshu is against the Daishonin's Buddhism-but it's pretending
to be the Daishonin's Buddhism. And it's spreading.
The SGI Charter's Preamble expresses our desire to work
with other religions toward common goals like protecting
the people, to work with other religions based on mutual
respect. The Preamble never says that we want to work
with religions that share no goals with us, that hold
our philosophy in contempt or that are trying to bring
about the end of our religion.
Buddhism seeks to embrace all people, but when people
act unfairly, unjustly-when they don't respect others
and try to corrupt them-Buddhism does not ignore it. The
Daishonin thus spoke up against the many religions of
his day that were confusing people and leading them into
deep suffering. He even says, I am fully aware that if
I do not speak out [against such sects], I will be lacking
in compassion (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 239).
His intolerance of religious injustice was an expression
of his great heart; he attacked slanderous teachings to
save people from misery.
We would cut ourselves off from the heart of this religion
if we just let Nichiren Shoshu's corruption of Nichiren
Daishonin's teachings and spirit occur right in front
of us and did nothing.
The current course of Nichiren Shoshu requires a response
of active, educated tolerance. Not of passive, ill-informed
indifference.
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(Originally published in the World
Tribune, Sept. 17, 1999)
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