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April 01, 1998
An Explanation of Nikko Shonin's
26 Admonitions (Part I)
The following is part of a speech SGI President Ikeda
gave at the Kansai Executive Conference, held at the Kinugasa
Ikeda Hall in Kyoto, Japan, on October 24, 1992. The speech
was originally published in the November 23, 1992, issue
of the World Tribune.
WHAT is the standard that the followers of Nikko Shonin,
the heirs to the true lineage of Nichiren Daishonin, must
observe? Needless to say, it is articles of warning that
the second high priest set down on the thirteenth day
of the first month of the third year of the Genko era
(1333). These are the admonitions that Nikko Shonin, at
age 88, gave to his disciples one month before his death.
For what purpose did he write down these warning articles?
In the preface, he states: “I will here set forth
some articles for the sake of later students of Buddhism.
This is solely because I treasure the [Daishonin?s] golden
words regarding kosen-rufu” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1617).
Again, in the concluding passage, he writes, “I
have set forth these 26 articles for the sake of the eternal
salvation and protection of humankind” (GZ, 1619).
Until the moment of his death, Nikko Shonin?s life blazed
with the great wish to accomplish kosen-rufu and lead
all people to happiness—to realize the Daishonin?s
decree.
Herein lies the original spirit of the correct school
[of Nichiren Daishonin?s Buddhism].
Again, in the concluding passage, Nikko Shonin strictly
warns: “Those who violate even one of these articles
cannot be called disciples of Nikko” (ibid.). These
articles of warning were originally intended for priests.
Nonetheless, we in the SGI, awakened [to our mission]
as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, have strictly put these
admonitions into practice.
President Toda composed and dedicated the following poem
to youth:
You, young people,
engraving in your hearts
the twenty-six precepts,
dedicate your lives
to the path of the Mystic Law.The “twenty-six precepts”
in this poem refers to Nikko Shonin?s twenty-six warning
articles. President Toda urged young people to struggle
for kosen-rufu, just as the second high priest admonished,
with the spirit of not begrudging their lives.
Now, I would like to read and explain each of the individual
warning articles.
1. The doctrines of the Fuji school must not
differ in the least from the teachings of the late master.
THE Fuji school is the line of Nikko Shonin?s followers.
The “late master” is Nichiren Daishonin.
One can sense the profound spirit of Nikko Shonin in his
having made this the first warning article. To not differ
in the least from the teachings of the Daishonin—this
is the most basic essential of the correct school. This
passage is documentary proof of [what it means to have]
a direct connection with the Daishonin. It is the foundation
of the correct school. Today, only the SGI practices and
abides by this admonition.
The Nikken sect teaches that “one must not differ
from Nikken”—not that “one must not
differ from the Daishonin.” The foundation is erroneous.
Far from “not differing in the least,” the
Nikken sect is acting completely contrary to the Daishonin?s
teachings. Specific examples of this are well known to
all of you.
2. The doctrines of the five senior priests
differ in every regard from the teachings of the late
master.
THE true nature of the five senior priests is revealed
by their betrayal of the master. The members of the Nikken
sect are the Latter Day followers of the five senior priests.
It must be concluded that each of the doctrines established
by the Nikken sect in recent times, including their alteration
of the doctrine of the three treasures, differs in every
regard from the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko
Shonin.
The five senior priests criticized the correct teachings
of Nikko Shonin; they claimed that he was “establishing
a different teaching and had lost the Way.” The
priesthood [of the Nikken sect], while deeply immersed
in its own slander of the Law, vilifies the correct practice
of the SGI. On this point as well, the actions of the
priesthood perfectly mirror those of the five senior priests.
3. There will [in the future] appear persons
who slander our school, saying that the Gosho are forged
writings. You must not associate with such evil priests.
IT was Nikko Shonin who treasured the Daishonin?s writings,
giving them the honorific appellation Gosho, which literally
means the “honorable writings.” In addition
to lecturing on the Gosho himself, he collected the Daishonin?s
writings and left behind many copies in his own hand for
later generations.
To treasure and base oneself on the Gosho—this is
the prime foundation for and the essential spirit of the
followers of Nikko Shonin.
The five senior priests disregarded many Gosho, including
most of the Daishonin?s letters, on account of their being
written in a mixture of Chinese characters and Japanese
phonetic syllabary. They also slandered Nikko Shonin for
revering the Daishonin?s writings as “Gosho”
and for delivering lectures on them. They went so far
as to bleach the paper on which the Daishonin had written
certain Gosho [so that it could be reused for other purposes],
or else consigned them to flames. Further, they labeled
as forged writings and repudiated those Gosho that showed
their own ideas in a disadvantageous light.
Nichiko, the fifty-ninth high priest, once commented:
“In deprecating the Gosho, [the five senior priests]
certainly were guilty of turning their backs on the master.”
The Soka Gakkai published the Nichiren Daishonin Gosho
Zenshu (Collected Writings of Nichiren Daishonin) with
the editorial supervision of Nichiko, and we have applied
ourselves to strict Buddhist study with discipline like
that of master swordsmen. We take pride in the fact that,
as followers inheriting the true legacy of Nikko Shonin,
we have made the Gosho our foundation.
The priesthood is so determined to establish the high
priest as the foundation that it has distorted the true
path. It has even gone so far as to advance the peculiar
claim that “to make the Gosho the foundation is
egotistic.” As I will explain later, making the
high priest of the time the foundation itself amounts
to betraying Nikko Shonin?s articles of warning. Article
3 states that one must not associate with or follow such
evil priests.
4. Those who produce forged writings and say
that they are Gosho, or who practice with the view that
the essential and theoretical teachings [of the Lotus
Sutra] are the same, are parasites in the lion?s body.
NIKKO Shonin says that there will appear evil priests
who use forged writings to suit their needs, who fail
to distinguish between the theoretical and essential teachings
and who practice false teachings.
Before and during World War II, there was a priest in
Nichiren Shoshu who advocated the false doctrine of shimpon
busshaku, which asserts that the Buddha of absolute freedom
is a manifestation of the Shinto deity (the Sun Goddess).
Even after the war, the priesthood, rather than taking
this evil priest to task, instead took punitive action
against the Soka Gakkai, which had confronted him for
his offenses.
The five senior priests and their modern-day counterparts,
unaware of the most profound concepts of the essential
teaching (i.e., the Daishonin?s Buddhism) and theoretical
teaching (i.e., Shakyamuni?s Buddhism), could not revere
Nichiren Daishonin as the original Buddha. Today, the
members of the Nikken sect, while claiming that they have
inherited the tradition of Nikko Shonin, base themselves
on Nikken rather than the Daishonin. Truly, they are “parasites
in the lion?s body” of the Daishonin?s Buddhism.
5. You should refrain from indulging in poetry
or non-Buddhist works, or from engaging in idleness and
chatter without [having the aim of] rebuking slander.
THE Daishonin states: “Though one may have been
fortunate enough to be born as a human being..., if he
fails to study Buddhism and to refute its slanderers but
simply spends his time in idleness and chatter, then he
is no better than an animal dressed in priestly robes”
(MW-3, 215).
Many priests, freely using lay followers? offerings and
failing to carry out the practice of propagation, have
succumbed to sensual pleasures. While living in the lap
of luxury, they have wiled away their time in “idleness
and chatter” and indulged in the crass amusements
of the nouveau riche. The Daishonin says that while donning
the garments of teachers of the Law, inwardly such priests
are animals.
6. Lay believers should be strictly prohibited
from visiting [heretical] temples and shrines. Moreover,
priests should not visit slanderous temples or shrines,
which are inhabited by demons, even if only to have a
look around. To do so would be a pitiful violation [of
the Daishonin?s Buddhism.] This is not my own personal
view; it wholly derives from the sutras [of Shakyamuni]
and the writings [of Nichiren Daishonin].
THE SGI has all along strictly condemned slander, exactly
as Nikko Shonin admonishes; this is a fact that is known
to all. President Makiguchi?s death in prison ultimately
resulted from his refusal to compromise with slander.
By contrast, as successive revelations have made clear,
the priesthood has become mired in slander.
The current high priest set up a family tombstone in the
cemetery of a Zen temple, even conducting a ceremony to
consecrate it there, and then left the temple grounds
without refuting the mistaken views of the Zen priests,
only to go on to a banquet. This shows just how erroneous
the priesthood?s faith is.
Nichiko once remarked, “A person who puts on a show
of strictly refuting slander while inwardly guilty of
accommodating slander is a monster.”
Even well after the war had ended, Shinto talismans and
other slanderous objects of worship continued to exist
in Nichiren Shoshu temples—from local branch temples
to the head temple itself. It was due to the efforts of
Soka Gakkai members that these slanderous objects were
discarded. Members from the early days can readily attest
to this.
The Soka Gakkai instructed the priesthood to discard the
slanderous objects of worship. It was due to the Soka
Gakkai that Nichiren Shoshu was revived as the orthodox
school of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin.
7. Disciples of ability should be allowed
to devote themselves to the study of the Gosho and other
doctrines of Buddhism, without being pressed to perform
miscellaneous services for their teachers.
THIS is the spirit of selecting and raising capable people.
The Daishonin?s way of training his disciples is not an
authoritarian system of apprenticeship. What is important
is that each person be enabled to manifest his or her
abilities fully and freely and carry out activities for
the sake of the Law and kosen-rufu.
The priesthood, instead of warmly raising people, forces
people into submission, and capable people are systematically
oppressed through harassment and violence reminiscent
of the old Japanese army. Such practices represent a fearful
deviation from Nikko Shonin?s articles of warning.
8. Those of insufficient learning who are
bent on obtaining fame and fortune are not qualified to
call themselves my followers.
THE Daishonin refers to priests who merely seek profit
and others? reverence, while not practicing properly themselves,
as “priests with the hearts of dogs” (MW-4,
93), or “Law-devouring hungry spirits” (ibid.).
Nichiko once decried conditions within the priesthood
stating: “The passage at the end of the jigage (verse)
section of the ?Juryo,? or 16th, of the Lotus Sutra reads,
[This is my constant thought:] How I can cause all living
beings to quickly attain Buddhahood?”
This refers to the immense compassion of the original
Buddha who is continually active over the three existences.
“However, the desire that ceaselessly preoccupies
the priests of these degenerate times over the three existences
is, ?How can I increase my wealth and quickly become rich??
It is truly deplorable to hear such things.”
In view of his declaration that such priests “are
not qualified to call themselves my followers,”
Nikko Shonin would certainly excommunicate the present
priesthood. This is all too clear.
9. Until they are well versed in the difference
between the provisional and true teachings, followers
of later generations should visit this temple, setting
aside the debt of gratitude they owe to their parents
and teachers, and undertake various studies in order to
free themselves [from the sufferings of birth and death]
and attain the Way.
THE purpose for visiting the head temple is to contemplate
and gain freedom from the sufferings of birth and death
and to attain the Way of the Buddha. It is so that, with
earnest devotion to Buddhist practice, one may sever one?s
attachments to the secular world and wholeheartedly devote
oneself to “various studies.” In essence,
it is to learn correct faith.
Yet the head temple today, much to the contrary, is even
more occupied with secular concerns than lay persons in
society.
Priests marry and have families [although celibacy is
the traditional practice of Buddhist priests, as is indicated
in Article 25] and there is no serious study of any kind.
Pervaded by an air of discrimination and violence, it
has become a place where the faith of acolytes is destroyed
and corrupt priests are nurtured.
10.Unless you have a thorough understanding
of and firm faith in the teachings [of Nichiren Daishonin],
you should not study T?ien-t?ai?s doctrines.
WHILE Nichiren Daishonin?s Buddhism is concerned with
“actuality,” T?ient?ai?s doctrine is concerned
with “theory.” It was the five senior priests
who— failing to realize the monumental difference
between the actual teaching and the theoretical, a difference
comparable to that between heaven and earth—called
themselves “disciples of T?ien-t?ai” [when
pressured by the Kamakura government after the Daishonin?s
death].
If one delves into the doctrines of T?ien-t?ai before
one has a profound grasp of the Daishonin?s Buddhism,
there is a danger that one may lose one?s bearings and
deviate from the path of correct faith.
Such admonitions notwithstanding, at the head temple,
priests who have not yet made a thorough study of the
Gosho lecture haphazardly on T?ien-t?ai doctrine. Moreover,
priests? lack of earnestness in studying the Gosho itself
runs counter to this article.
11. Followers of this school should engrave
the teachings of the Gosho in their lives and thereby
inherit the ultimate principles expounded by the master.
Then, if they have any leisure time, they should inquire
into the doctrine of the T?ien-t?ai school.
THE sixty-fifth high priest, Nichijun, clarified that
this article is an admonishment of the tendency then prevalent
to consider the Daishonin?s teachings from the standpoint
of T?ien-t?ai?s doctrine. He made the point as follows,
“The Daishonin?s teachings are determined in every
respect by the Daishonin?s Gosho.”
Here, Nichijun stresses the importance of basing ourselves
on the Gosho.
Nikko Shonin states that his followers should “engrave
the teachings of the Gosho in their lives” and “inherit
the ultimate principles from the master.”
The members of the Nikken sect have engraved not even
a single word or phrase of the Gosho in their lives.
What?s more, they have completely desecrated the path
of master and disciple between themselves and Nichiren
Daishonin and Nikko Shonin as well as the path of master
and disciple between themselves and preceding high priests.
Their actions epitomize the betrayal of the master. The
Nikken sect on the most fundamental level goes against
Nikko Shonin?s admonition, “Followers of this school
... should inherit the ultimate principles expounded by
the master.”
12. You should be inclined to engage in discussion
or deliver lectures [on Buddhism], and you should refrain
from pursuing secular concerns.
WE can interpret this as an admonition to continually
seek the Buddhist Way, persevere in our practice and study
of Buddhism and advance toward kosenrufu.
Yet I wonder if there is anyone in the Nikken sect who
is inclined to engage in earnest discussion or deliver
lectures on the Law.
Neither spreading the teachings to others nor talking
about Buddhism among themselves, they are a gathering
of “Law-devouring hungry spirits.” This is
the reality of the present priesthood; it has completely
turned its back on Nikko Shonin?s admonitions.
13. Until kosen-rufu is achieved, propagate
the Law to the full extent of your ability without begrudging
your life.
THIS admonition, termed by Nichiko the “principle
for all generations to come” and the “first
principle of eternal im-portance,” is the unchanging
standard that is the most crucial and pivotal of the twenty-six
warning articles.
The sixty-sixth high priest, Nittatsu, once remarked:
“It is Soka Gakkai members who, embodying the spirit
of spreading the teachings even at the cost of their lives,
are safeguarding Buddhism, protecting the Dai-Gohonzon
of the high sanctuary and carrying out the practice of
propagation for the sake of the eternal transmission of
the Law.
“At the same time, by overcoming all manner of persecutions
by slanderous people, Soka Gakkai members are carrying
out the practice of the ?six difficult and nine easy acts?1
with their lives, and accomplishing kosen-rufu in the
Latter Day of the Law.”
It is the SGI that is putting this admonition into practice.
Our history is a golden record of our efforts to put this
admonition into practice.
While the SGI has always put kosen-rufu first, the priesthood
has always placed its own self-preservation above all
else, thereby hindering the progress of kosen-rufu.
Where in the priesthood can one find people spreading
the teachings “without begrudging their lives”?
In stark contrast, not only do its members lead indulgent
lives, but they are even seeking to destroy the SGI and
to bring the flow of kosen-rufu to a halt. Such priests
are enemies of the True Law and enemies of Nikko Shonin.
Without defeating these enemies of the Buddha, realizing
the kosen-rufu of the True Law will be impossible. Therefore,
just as Nikko Shonin admonishes, we must continue to pursue
them without begrudging our lives. A person who does so
will accumulate tremendous benefit.
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