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1. Two Different Religions |
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By Craig Green & Jeff
Farr
Los Angeles
New members joining the youth division today may not know
about the temple issue — even though simply by joining
they are becoming, retroactively, “excommunicated”
Buddhists. Whether we are new members or not, we owe it
to ourselves to periodically reexamine the basics of the
temple issue, its history and the questions it raises,
which is what this series will do.
At first, studying the temple issue may seem to have little
to do with us. To the many SGI members who have studied
the six-year-old conflict, though, it?s been a great clarification
process. Learning through the Nikken sect?s example what
Nichiren Daishonin?s Buddhism is not, what this Buddhism
is becomes much clearer. What could have more to do with
our lives as Buddhists?
Nichiren Daishonin taught that any person can attain enlightenment
through his or her efforts, just as Shakyamuni did in
ancient India. In fact, in “The Izu Exile,”
Nichiren writes that “the Lord Shakyamuni...is none
other than each of us” (Letters of Nichiren, p.
409).
Nichiren?s Buddhism promotes a brand of humanism that
insists each of us has the tremendous self-sufficiency
of Buddhahood inside. This idea, however, the Nikken sect
has rejected, stating on many occasions that an intermediary
— the priest — is necessary between us and
the Mystic Law.
Since 1991 the SGI and the Nikken sect have gone in different
directions, teaching two different philosophies. Obviously,
as SGI members, it's important for us to be clear on the
difference.
No. 1 in a series
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(Originally published, World
Tribune, March 7, 1997)
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