 |
|
 |
|
|
March 10, 2000
Experience: Waking Up to
the Reality of Nichiren Shoshu
By Shoichi Shimazaki
Saitama, Japan
I was the head of the lay organization of Nichiren Shoshu?s
Myojo-ji temple in Saitama. I quit the position for personal
reasons in September 1996. Since then, I have been away
from the temple, and the other day, Oct. 9, I officially
left the temple.
I believe that you will see how corrupt the current Nichiren
Shoshu priesthood and Myojo-ji?s chief priest, Zuido Matsumoto,
are through my account.
In July 1995, I was appointed head of Myojo-ji?s lay believers.
When I went to the temple to express my respect to the
chief priest, his wife, in an arrogant tone, told me:
“I am the queen of Myojo-ji temple. I am the lord
of this temple. Whatever you want, you have to go through
me.”
At first, I could not comprehend what she had said. I
was simply astounded at her highhandedness. From then
on, I saw how she meddled in everything that lay believers
spontaneously wanted to do at the lay leaders meetings.
I then understood what she really meant. Since everyone
always had to worry about what she thought about each
issue, we resolved that we could not carry out our activities
in a healthy manner. We requested the chief priest to
ask her not to attend the lay leaders meetings any more.
Then, she stopped attending our meetings, which was good.
But the chief priest became unable to make final decisions
at the meetings. He would bring up each issue with his
wife in their lodging quarters. Swayed by his wife, he
often reversed decisions we had agreed upon at our meetings.
It was obvious that his wife was controlling him behind
the scenes.
He seemed to be at her mercy. At one point, I asked him
about this, since the way he spoke at the temple had become
timid and unnatural. His response was: “Because
you are the head of the lay believers, I will tell you
the truth. Hidden microphones are placed here and there
in this temple, so that my wife can hear everything that
we discuss.” He even showed me where the microphones
were, including in the four corners of the Gohonzon room,
the conference room and the reception area.I later found
out that his wife, while in the lodging quarters, was
always listening to every conversation through this system.
She was checking everything said by the chief priest,
the lay leaders and other believers. I felt: “This
place is sick. This is not where we can learn about faith.”
Yet I continued to make offerings to the temple as I was
urged to do, including $5,600 of carpeting, $350 slippers
and $600 sandals. I eventually became concerned that Mr.
Matsumoto and some lay leaders were misusing the temple?s
money. Mr. Matsumoto once harshly criticized me, “Why
don?t you quit your job so you can support the temple
more?” Even though I tried to believe in the greatness
of this faith, things like these made me doubt the integrity
of Nichiren Shoshu and its priests.
My distrust of Mr. Matsumoto deepened in the summer of
1996.
One day when I arrived at the temple, the chief priest?s
mother told me not to go into the Gohonzon room. She seemed
disturbed. I had a funny feeling about what she had told
me, so I dared to enter the room.
The room was usually open to everyone. But this time,
it was shut tight. I felt a little uneasy and quietly
peered inside. I could not believe my eyes! It was eerie—Mr.
Matsumoto, together with a craftsman, was doing something
to the wooden Gohonzon, which they had taken down from
the altar and placed on the floor.
Actually, Mr. Matsumoto and this worker were attempting
to remove from the Gohonzon the name of SGI President
Ikeda, the person to whom this Gohonzon was designated.
(President Ikeda had initiated the construction of the
temple.) When I saw this appalling scene, I knew that,
sooner or later, Nichiren Shoshu would collapse.
Removing President Ikeda?s name was an act of insanity.
This happened at other temples, too; it was evidence of
the priesthood?s deep-seated jealousy toward the SGI president.
This outrageous conduct clearly showed that something
was very wrong with the mentality of the priesthood.
If I were to sum up the nature of the Nichiren Shoshu
priests, I would say in one sentence, “They love
to be around money.” Wherever they smell money,
that?s where they go. And they suck it all up. When lay
believers are of no more use to them, they will abandon
them. When I visited a temple member at his home, the
chief priest?s response was: “You don?t need to
do such a meaningless thing!” I wonder what made
me follow such an incorrect teaching. I am ashamed that
I could not see through the fundamental nature of the
priesthood much earlier.
When I quit the position of head of the lay believers
in September 1996, I wrote a letter to High Priest Nikken
Abe denouncing Myojo-ji?s corruption. I am proud of what
I did. I am now resolved to wake up all my fellow temple
members who are still being deceived by the priesthood.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
