Obedience to authority may be deemed as a virtue when authority represents truth and good will. Obedience becomes a catalyst for horrendous suffering, however, when authority represents untruth and malice. For this reason, blind obedience-that is, obedience without moral judgment-is the foremost companion sought after by those perpetrating evil.

The Dangers of Blind Obedience

Originally, Buddhism stressed the dangers of blind obedience. Buddhism placed the correctness of one's action above both secular and religious authority. Early Buddhists, as one Buddhist scholar points out, believed that justice must be upheld above the authority of nations and kings; they challenged the religious circle of the day by asserting that truth transcends even the authority of gods.

Nichiren's Spiritual Independence

After more than a millennium of dogmatism and authoritarianism had overshadowed Buddhist history, Nichiren Daishonin revived the original spirit of Buddhism. In 1271, amid the crowd of warriors on his way to the execution site, Nichiren rebuked the guardian deity of Japan's warrior class for failing to "protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra" (wnd, 767). He called out to the god, "Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god?" (wnd, 766).

Nichiren thought that what he called the "mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings" (wnd, 2) and those who spread this truth of life must be placed above the authority of gods and deities, not to mention the authority of priests.

The execution attempt failed, and Nichiren was exiled to a remote northern island. When he returned from his exile in 1274, he met one of the most powerful government officials. At this meeting, he declared his belief that life's supreme truth surpasses the secular authority: "Even if it seems that, because I was born in the ruler's domain, I follow him in my actions, I will never follow him in my heart" (wnd, 579). Nichiren refused to become an instrument of religious or secular authority, followed his conscience and embraced the consequences of his action with joy. In so doing, he experienced an immense sense of freedom in his exile.

Upholding the Truth of Life

The truth of life must be upheld above the authority of kings and gods-such thinking is still as revolutionary today as it was in ancient India. Today, as well as in the past, life's dignity, truth and justice are often invoked only when they seem to support national interests or religious dogmas. Rarely have we seen nations or religions willing to compromise on their interests and dogmas for the sake of universal values that transcend the boundaries of nations and faiths.

The early Buddhist anti-authoritarian stance encourages modern Buddhists to be aware of the pitfall of dogmatism. Do Buddhists say, "It's true because the Buddha says so"? Or do they say, "The Buddha says so because it's true"?

The warning of the early Buddhists also applies to the members of any society. Do the citizens of a republic say, "It's true because the government says so"? Or do they seek the truth of a matter and then judge the actions of the government?

	"People are not a means to an end"-what does this statement mean to you? Why do some people wish to become the instruments for carrying out others' wishes rather than the actors of their own will?
	In your opinion, why did Nichiren Daishonin experience an immense sense of freedom when he was exiled? What do you think is the key to living true to yourself, especially in a time of hardship?

The universal truth of life comes before religions and nations. Blind obedience to authority-whether it is religious or political-not only obscures life's truth but also causes enormous suffering, as the history of humanity has repeatedly shown us through persecutions and genocides. People are not a means to an end. Each person is responsible for his or her actions. To learn these simple lessons, one must first discover the infinite value in each life and develop the courage to accept personal responsibility-that is, the joyful burden of freedom.