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1. Who is the Original Teacher?
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A pamphlet distributed by
the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood aimed at inspiring doubt
about the Gohonzon to which SGI members practice reads:
'Be absolutely certain to be led to the attainment of
Buddhahood by not breaking from the original Master of
all mankind.' ('Admonitions against Slander,' Shinpen,
p. 1040; ref. M.W., Vol. 1, p. 166). This explains that
we must completely follow the Way of Master and Disciple
to realize our road to Buddhahood. For us, to proceed
to the original Master of all mankind means that we must
faithfully follow the guidance of the High Priest, the
general head priest (Refuting the Soka Gakkai's Counterfeit
Object of Worship: 100 Questions and Answers, p. 9).
In The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, the above quote
from The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood (formerly
titled Admonitions against Slander) reads, Above all,
be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are
able to attain Buddhahood (WND, 748).
The Nichiren Shoshu priesthood is asking us to interpret
these words to mean that following its head priest, Nikken
Abe, is to follow the original Master of all mankind.
Honju is the Japanese term translated by the priesthood
here as he original Master of all mankind and in The Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin as original teacher.Hon of honju
means original, fundamental or true, and ju means to follow.
Honju therefore literally means whom, or that which, one
originally followed, or one's original teacher.
Differences in wording aside, these two translations communicate
the same basic message: We should not be mistaken as to
who our original teacher of Buddhism is, and we should
take care to follow that teacher always. Immediately after
the quoted sentence, Nichiren Daishonin writes: Shakyamuni
Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover,
he is endowed with the virtues of sover- eign and parent.
Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled
and almost killed (WND, 748).
Earlier in this writing, the Daishonin points out that
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the embodiment of the fusion of
reality and wisdom that is entrusted by the Buddha to
Bodhisattva Superior Practices and others to propagate
in the Latter Day of the Law.
While referring to Shakyamuni Buddha as the original teacher,
the Daishonin also makes clear that he himself is fulfilling
the mission of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader
of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, to whom the Buddha specifically
entrusted the task of upholding and spreading this teaching.
Shakyamuni Buddha mentioned above is not the Shakyamuni
historically depicted, the Buddha who attained enlightenment
under the bodhi tree. Instead, this is the Shakyamuni
revealed in the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra,
who actually first attained enlightenment in the remote
past, countless kalpas ago. Even this Buddha became enlightened
at a particular point in time through his practice of
the Law always present in the universe. That Law is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
the original teacher by which all Buddhas, including Shakyamuni,
attain enlightenment.
In addition, from the standpoint of faith, we should view
the Daishonin the Buddha who directly expounded that Law
as our original teacher.
A Buddhist teacher is one who actively expounds the principle
by which all people can overcome suffering and attain
supreme happiness, enlightenment. The Daishonin, more
than any Japanese person of his time, wrote and spoke
tirelessly in order to teach ordinary people how to overcome
suffering and achieve ultimate happiness. In these writings,
he expresses his immense, compassionate will for the happiness
of all people in the future.
Who is qualified to share his mission as a genuine teacher
of Buddhism? The Daishonin clarifies, If you are the same
mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth
(WND, 385). This is the key to what it means to follow
one's original teacher. It is not to passively obey or
show deference, but to teach the Law with the same mind
the same compassionate spirit and courage as one's original
teacher. This should be the standard by which we assess
any teacher of the Daishonin's Buddhism, as well as our
own bodhisattva practice.
The Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, in asserting that following
Nikken Abe is to follow one's original teacher, makes
no mention of our true original teacher Nichiren Daishonin.
Such assertions are precisely what this Gosho passage
warns us against.
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(Originally published, World
Tribune, July 20, 2001)
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