Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived from 1222 to 1282, who tried to convert the entire country to Buddhism as he understood it. His belief was that a nation would be subjecting itself to grave peril unless it abandoned heretical Buddhists sects and embraced what he called True Buddhism. For most of his entire adult life, he was homeless and didn't even have a temple from which to preach. While he had devout followers, they were never more than a handful during his lifetime and beyond. In fact, it wasn't until the end of World War II that Nichiren's Buddhism experienced any appreciable growth.
There are a number of Nichiren sects, the largest of which is Nichiren Shoshu which used to be affiliated with a laymen's organization known as the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). To this day, both Nichiren Shoshu and the SGI believe that Nichiren was a fully-enlightened Buddha. More than that - they regard him as a Buddha even greater than Shakyamuni Buddha. The other Nichiren sects regard him as a great bodhisattva, but not a Buddha. The objection I've always had, which SGI could never refute, was that Nichiren never declared his Buddhahood; that this claim was made by others on his behalf.
The essence of Nichiren's Buddhism is his claim that the chant "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo," which he originated, is the essence of Shakyamuni Buddha's highest teaching - a text known as the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren's belief was that chanting N-M-R-K once was equal in merit to reading the entire Lotus Sutra once, all of its 300 or so pages as translated into English. To me, that defies common sense, since Myoho Renge Kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra (in Japanese) and the word "Nam" simply means devotion. So when people chant N-M-R-K, they're "saying," "I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra." To me, Nichiren's claim about equivalency makes as much sense as someone saying, "I devote myself to War and Peace," without ever having read that novel. And that's the point: The SGI claims it's not necessary to read the Lotus Sutra to gain benefit; it's only necessary to say you devote yourself to it.
When I first joined the SGI is the early seventies, they claimed to have had 10 million members in Japan and 2 million elsewhere in the world. Forty years later, SGI is still claiming those very same numbers, though it's my personal belief that the actual numbers are lower - much lower. And I think that's because they've so actively resisted encouraging their members to read the Lotus Sutra from cover to cover. In fact, I knew a woman who had been a member for over 40 years, who told me she chants N-M-R-K for four hours per day. When I asked her if she'd ever read the Lotus Sutra - even once - she said no. I was struck speechless but thought, "Why don't you take one of those four daily chanting hours and dedicate it to orally reciting the Lotus Sutra?"
I had managed to interest two current SGI members in joining me for a session of reading aloud from the Lotus Sutra (any portion of their choice) for a few minutes and then sharing what they thought about it. Our mistake was doing this in the SGI's Chicago Cultural Center. The Regional Director caught wind of what we did and when I showed up the following week at the Center, without my two friends who couldn't attend, I was told that I would be barred from the Center if I shared my belief about the importance of reciting the actual sutra. So, I agreed to only chant N-M-R-K while at the Center and not share (while at the Center or in its immediate vicinity) my belief that chanting N-M-R-K is an inferior practice.
Two Points to Ponder
The first point concerns the status of the Lotus Sutra in our current era. Shakyamuni speaks of how rare it is to encounter a buddha, and how much rarer to find one who determines the time is right to reveal the LS. It doesn't seem to make much sense for Shakyamuni to have revealed the LS to us, only to have it be considered inferior to the teachings of another a mere 2,000 years after his passing.
The second point concerns how unusual it is for us to have two buddhas appear within such a short period of time in one place - assuming Nichiren is a Buddha. Of course, the whole idea of Shakyamuni manifesting himself for only 50 years or so on earth is unusual, since anything I'd ever read speaks of buddhas teaching in their buddha lands for extremely long periods of time to disciples who have incredibly long lifespans. I can only guess that Shakyamuni showed up on earth at all is due to his great compassion. An average lifespan of 100 years is considered a sign of an extreme lack of merit in a given epoch. And that's the lifespan that Shakyamuni's disciples had. However, it is written that great bodhisattvas will voluntarily descend into hell in order to save people, so I can well imagine Shakyamuni having descended (as he put it) "into the hell that is the three-fold world."
It's hard for us who live in a modern society to consider ourselves backward in any way. But our meager lifespan amply testifies to this status. In short? Even with our great degree of scientific advancement, ours must still be regarded as a society heavy with defilement.
There's an interesting passage in Chapter 16 of the Lotus, in which Shakyamuni says:
QUOTE:
Good men, the thus come one observes how among living beings there are those who delight in lesser teachings, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement. For such persons I describe how in my youth I left my household and attained supreme perfect enlightenment. But in truth the time since I attained buddhahood is extremely long, as I have told you. It is simply that I use this expedient means to teach and convert living beings and cause them to enter the buddha way. That is why I speak in this manner.
:UNQUOTE.
When I read those first two sentences, I thought, "Wow! What a slam! Shakyamuni just called his earthly disciples 'those who delight in lesser teachings, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement.'" If that's how the Buddha felt about his disciples back in ancient India, then it seems to me that he had to have had a pretty good reason for choosing this group and this time to reveal the LS. Perhaps he was trying to motivate them to greater diligence by giving his gift (the LS) prematurely. But of course, there is no "prematurely" when the Buddha determines that the time is right to reveal his highest teaching. I guess this just goes to show that he who preaches the LS, as Shakymuni encouraged his disciples to do, doesn't have to be perfect.
Final Comments
When I left the Chicago SGI Center last week, the Director told a senior leader to send me an email showing where, in Nichiren's own words, he says, "I am a Buddha." That was four days ago and I've yet to get this email. However, I already know, due to my own readings and inquiries over the last 20 years, that Nichiren never said any such thing.
Now, you might wonder, why would anyone claim that Nichiren was a Buddha in the absence of any such claim from the man himself? In answer, I cite this quote from the Lotus Sutra's 24th chapter:
QUOTE:
If the form of a buddha will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a buddha form and preaches the Law. Thus he manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for salvation.
:UNQUOTE.
The "he" being referred to in this quote is Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, but could have been any other highly-accomplished bodhisattva who had the power to shapeshift. The way I see it, there are people who need to believe that Nichiren was not only a Buddha, but the greatest Buddha of all time. Whoever Nichiren was, I believe he manifested himself in a form that (to these particular believers) appeared to be a Buddha. And I'm equally sure Nichiren did so for very good reasons. However, it's time to face a harsh reality: That continuing to insist that Nichiren was a Buddha whose teachings are superior to Shakyamuni Buddha's is not only counterproductive but it's actually harming the worldwide propagation of Buddhist teachings.
There's nothing wrong in admitting, after all is said and done, that certain teachings turned out to be erroneous. There is, however, everything wrong in clinging to a fiction which, to any average thoughtful person, is simply no longer believable.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Steven Searle, former candidate for US President (in 2008 and 2012)
Founder of the Independent Contractors' Party
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
Final Comments
When I left the Chicago SGI Center last week, the Director told a senior leader to send me an email showing where, in Nichiren's own words, he says, "I am a Buddha." That was four days ago and I've yet to get this email. However, I already know, due to my own readings and inquiries over the last 20 years, that Nichiren never said any such thing.
Now, you might wonder, why would anyone claim that Nichiren was a Buddha in the absence of any such claim from the man himself? In answer, I cite this quote from the Lotus Sutra's 24th chapter:
QUOTE:
If the form of a buddha will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a buddha form and preaches the Law. Thus he manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for salvation.
:UNQUOTE.
The "he" being referred to in this quote is Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, but could have been any other highly-accomplished bodhisattva who had the power to shapeshift. The way I see it, there are people who need to believe that Nichiren was not only a Buddha, but the greatest Buddha of all time. Whoever Nichiren was, I believe he manifested himself in a form that (to these particular believers) appeared to be a Buddha. And I'm equally sure Nichiren did so for very good reasons. However, it's time to face a harsh reality: That continuing to insist that Nichiren was a Buddha whose teachings are superior to Shakyamuni Buddha's is not only counterproductive but it's actually harming the worldwide propagation of Buddhist teachings.
There's nothing wrong in admitting, after all is said and done, that certain teachings turned out to be erroneous. There is, however, everything wrong in clinging to a fiction which, to any average thoughtful person, is simply no longer believable.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Steven Searle, former candidate for US President (in 2008 and 2012)
Founder of the Independent Contractors' Party
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
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