Published by Soka Spirit Editor
Posted on August 11, 2009
Dave Baldschun
SGI-USA Vice Study Department Leader
Unity is a primary concern in Buddhism. Among the five cardinal sins mentioned in various Buddhist texts, which include murdering one’s parents and injuring a Buddha, is causing disunity in the community of believers.
Nichiren Daishonin wrote frankly about those believers who betrayed him and his followers. In “The Workings of Brahma and Shakra,” he writes: “Sho-bo, Noto-bo, and the lay nun of Nagoe were once Nichiren’s disciples. Greedy, cowardly, and foolish, they nonetheless pass themselves off as wise persons. When persecutions befell me, they took advantage of these to convince many of my followers to drop out” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 800). SGI President Ikeda often warns us today of the dangers of those whose behavior disrupts and attempts to even destroy our organization. So, who are these people?
This summer, in a series of lectures to leaders, President Ikeda said: “Our organization is important, but any leaders who exploit it and behave arrogantly because of their position have got their priorities completely reversed. We must strictly reprimand anyone who is guilty of such conduct” (September 23, 2005, World Tribune, p. II).
“Those who obstruct the advancement of the Soka Gakkai — an organization carrying out the Buddha’s will and decree — and inflict suffering on its members are far worse than any fearsome bandit” (September 23, 2005, World Tribune, p. IV).
Although it may be distasteful, Buddhism tells us that people will attempt to thwart our efforts for kosen-rufu—both from within and without our community of believers. This is not a case of criticizing or holding contrary opinions. The organization would wither without strenuous dialogue reflecting honest and differing views. We are talking about devious and manipulative behavior that is a genuine threat to the health of the organization, and thus to our movement for peace.
Actually, the history of the Soka Gakkai is one of confronting this type of opposition. Those who caused the most trouble were in high positions in the organization. But the common denominator is to use the organization for one’s own advancement or profit, or to undermine the organization entirely. Probably the most notorious is Masatomo Yamazaki, a former lawyer for the Soka Gakkai who spent a few years in jail for trying to extort money from the organization. He continues to attack the Soka Gakkai, having aligned himself with the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. (See The Untold History of the Fuji School, pp. 139–53.)
Another well-known troublemaker for the Soka Gakkai was a vice president named Genjiro Fukushima. I actually met Mr. Fukushima a few times during an extended stay in Japan in 1970. At that time, he was an up-and-coming “star” in the Soka Gakkai — handsome, charming and charismatic. I immediately liked him. Everyone did.
The story was that, as a student and before joining the Soka Gakkai, he was obsessed with finding a mentor. All his classmates knew that was his goal in life. Of course, after he joined, he was an exemplary disciple of President Ikeda. Or appeared to be. One of my conversations with him centered on that topic, and his guidance was right on. I believed he would go on to do great things.
What he ended up doing was anything but great. He played a pivotal role in sabotaging the relationship between the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood that resulted in the April 24, 1979, resignation of Mr. Ikeda as the third president of the Soka Gakkai.
I can only guess that, as President Ikeda says, people in positions of influence must grapple with dark compulsions arising from their innate ignorance of Buddhahood’s universality—arrogance and jealousy being the Achilles heel in such a battle. In “Letter to the Brothers,” Nichiren explains: “To deceive the true mind of the Buddha nature, he [the devil king of the sixth heaven] causes the people to drink the wine of greed, anger, and foolishness, and feeds them nothing but dishes of evil that leave them prostrate on the ground of the three evil paths” (WND, 495–96).
There are many other lesser-known incidents of people feeling justified in turning against the organization. Some are leaders, others just members who have attracted their own following from within the SGI for their own purposes. This is not just a my-chapter-leader-is-a-jerk kind of thing. Or the self-inflicted wounds of hatred and grudge. The behavior that Nichiren and President Ikeda warn about is what Buddhism calls a devilish function to fracture the unity of believers. Nichiren states, “This devil king, we are told, attaches himself like a plague demon to people in a way that cannot be detected by the eye” (WND, 779). Here, the “devil king” is a metaphorical expression for people’s fundamental delusion and selfishness.
To some degree or another, all of us must deal with the tendency to succumb to egocentricity. We must struggle to overcome our own innate darkness of greed, anger and foolishness. Over the years, I have seen some do better than others. I have done better at certain times than at others myself. But in the end, we are all exerting ourselves for the greater goal of kosen-rufu—relieving the misery of others and empowering them in their efforts to be happy. This is what we should be united on.
In “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” Nichiren does not say “While you are accomplishing kosen-rufu, it would be nice if you create unity.” He says that the spiritual bond of unity based on faith is “the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death” and “the true goal of Nichiren’s propagation.” This is a goal that requires strenuous exertion on our part. The Daishonin’s instruction to transcend “all differences among themselves” (WND, 217) is not a passive activity. It does not mean that we must all think alike or not hold different opinions. What it means is that we transcend these differences by manifesting our desire for kosen-rufu and finding common ground in that mission.
The Daishonin also warns us that, “if any of Nichiren’s disciples disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within” (WND, 217).
When we take on the responsibilities of an organizational position, we pledge to care for others within this amazing and precious community of believers in Nichiren Buddhism. All leadership positions within the SGI are positions of responsibilities, not of authority. Because we exert ourselves on behalf of others, they often express gratitude and sometimes even adulation. This can be intoxicating. I believe this is why President Ikeda is so strict with leaders. As they say in Hollywood, “Don’t believe your own press releases.”
I hear members say things that make me wonder, such as, “If it wasn’t for him or her, I wouldn’t still be practicing.” It is fitting to feel appreciation and acknowledge our debt of gratitude to those who encouraged our faith, but let’s take a step back for a second. We also owe a great debt of gratitude to the organization itself. If that particular person hadn’t been around, there surely would have been someone else who would have stepped up to the plate. That person was available because of the organization founded and nourished by its three founding presidents.
It would be a shame to myopically focus on just one person and not acknowledge the community of believers who made it possible. It is our shared sense of mission with the larger body of believers that is the source of the unity that Nichiren encourages us to attain.
I also believe we should appreciate our own efforts to practice Nichiren Buddhism, to persevere, to reach out for encouragement when we are discouraged and strive to understand how to apply Buddhism to life’s challenges.
But we have to acknowledge the challenge in accomplishing Buddhist unity. In “Letter to Misawa,” Nichiren explains that “Although people study Buddhism, it is difficult for them to practice it correctly either because of the ignorance of their minds, or because, even though wise, they fail to realize that they are being misled by their teachers” (WND, 894).
Ideally, leaders serve to strengthen rather than weaken our bonds to the Buddhist order, and, above all else, they serve to protect this precious gathering.