Today's post is the next installment in my series, the first of which was entitled "TO: SGI (Part 1)," which was posted on August 24.
These "TO: SGI" posts are primarily addressed to current and former members of the Soka Gakkai International. Of course, anyone else is invited to read and ponder this post, but please keep in mind that it would be helpful if you are familiar with the details of SGI Buddhism's practices and terminology.
This link will connect you to the homepage of my Lotus Sutra Champions blog so you can access links to other essays I've posted and so you can read a general introduction to this new site:
http://lotussutrachampions.blogspot.com/2013/07/lotus-sutra-champions.html
Specific Introduction
Today, I'm going to write about the cancer that killed Nichiren Daishonin, the cancer I'm struggling with, and how both fit into the general scheme of Buddhist things.
Nichiren Daishonin's cancer
Nichiren died when he was 60 years old, though the SGI doesn't say more than "he was sick." Years ago, I was in a university library and came across a book written by a professor in Japan which was published in the 1930s. I wish I could recall the author's name and the book's title, but I can't. He related that Nichiren died of some kind of stomach or intestinal ailment which was most likely a form of cancer. Then it hit me like a bomb: Could this cancer have been caused by sumi ink, a known carcinogen, due to Nichren's lifelong exposure as he engaged in his prolific writing career and inscription of gohonzon?
It's ironic, then, that Nichiren's last sermon was on one of his most famous works, Rissho Ankoku Ron which means "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land." The RAR's main point is, only by establishing true Buddhism within its borders could the Japanese nation be assured of "peace," taken to be the absence of war, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. He saw these evils as punishments or consequences of the embracing of false teachings by the general population and the persecution of those who promoted his own brand of Buddhism.
The irony I speak of stems from a comparison in terms of another concept Nichiren embraced - the oneness of mind and body. In my comparison, Nichren's body can be likened to "the land" in which Nichiren's mind lived. And I mean "the land" as it's meant in the title of the RAR. Since true Buddhism was established in Nichiren's mind (or so he believed), then it must follow that his body - which is the "land" I'm referring to - must have been assured the "peace" referred to in the RAR's title.
But his body, in the end, didn't know that peace - that is, protection from physical affliction which was supposedly guaranteed when the "correct teaching" was established in his mind. Of course, if Nichiren were a fully-enlightened Buddha, then he could not have succumbed to disease. So there are two conclusions to be drawn here:
I wonder if any of Nichiren's disciples who were with him toward the end were at all bothered when he was puking blood, even if he'd managed to show no pain while doing so. Or did they agree among themselves not to speak of any gory details, in the name of protecting the members? Who knows? Maybe they thought the protection of the Buddhist gods somehow inexplicably failed at the very end (for which they would, in turn, be punished), though had been present earlier in his life when Nichiren could very well have perished due to harsh living conditions or by his almost being executed though saved from that by a miracle truly from heaven.
The Cancers I'm Struggling with
I, Steven Searle, was diagnosed with Stage IV liver cancer (and early stage colon cancer) about a year ago. My doctor told me the colon cancer was insignificant, that it would be the liver cancer that would kill me - probably within 6 to 8 months. However, I have responded miraculously to chemo treatment and my demise isn't scheduled for any time soon. However, statistically speaking, only 7% of patients with Stage IV liver cancer last 5 years.
I, however, am praying to beat this thing - to drive all traces of cancer from my body. So for now, I am treating my cancer as a "good Buddhist friend" who has much to teach me - even though I am telling this friend that he can't stay in my body. I don't know if I'll succeed in beating cancer, but I am happy that I've already managed to extend my lifespan beyond my doctor's wildest expectations. Not only that, but I've regained a lot of my vitality and sense of mission. Not to mention that I am not in pain most of the time and I manage to go out on my own quite often. I feel tired and drained at times, mostly due to the effects of my chemo treatment, but I am managing to rebound more quickly from those IV treatments as time goes on.
The cancer in my liver is now only 5% of its original size but that doesn't mean it can't come roaring back. So I do my best to keep a positive attitude, engage in almsgiving, and practice what I believe true buddhism to be - as Shakymuni Buddha said, "correct practice means reading, reciting and pondering the Lotus Sutra and teaching it to others to the best of your ability."
Does the Rissho Ankoku Ron apply to me, in terms of my "land" (i.e., my body) having to succumb if indeed I am wrong and I don't have true buddhism established in my mind? Well, perhaps it will. But I don't claim to be a Buddha and don't anyone dare make that claim on my behalf - as if anyone would! I would chalk up my demise to my not having had enough time to practice correctly so as to offset the negative karma that gave rise to my cancer in the first place.
The General Scheme of Buddhist things
I'm not going to make a big deal out of the fact that I outlived Nichiren by two years. Even if I outlive Shakyamuni Buddha, who died at the age of 80, I wouldn't think of myself as superior to him in any way. And that's mostly because the Lotus Sutra makes it clear that Shakymuni didn't die as is historically related. He merely gave the appearance of his death as is made quite clear (to me, at least) at the end of the Lotus Sutra's 16th chapter. He said, I am always here preaching the law, but through my transcendental powers I make it so that living being in their befuddlement don't see me even though I am always close by.
There are SGI members who I used to practice with who predicted that terrible things would happen to me because I had destroyed my gohonzon 36 years ago, even though I had been issued a new one in 1996. One member even said I was afflicted with cancer because of my heretical views. If that is so, then all I can say in my defense is, "I had a seeking mind strong enough to challenge what I saw as profound flaws in SGI's doctrines and even Nichiren's claims. I embraced what I came to understand is true buddhism, but if I was wrong in this, I am willing to pay the price of death by cancer if that will teach me, in my next life, how I should proceed instead."
Steven Searle, just another member of the Virtual Lotus Samgha
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
It's ironic, then, that Nichiren's last sermon was on one of his most famous works, Rissho Ankoku Ron which means "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land." The RAR's main point is, only by establishing true Buddhism within its borders could the Japanese nation be assured of "peace," taken to be the absence of war, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. He saw these evils as punishments or consequences of the embracing of false teachings by the general population and the persecution of those who promoted his own brand of Buddhism.
The irony I speak of stems from a comparison in terms of another concept Nichiren embraced - the oneness of mind and body. In my comparison, Nichren's body can be likened to "the land" in which Nichiren's mind lived. And I mean "the land" as it's meant in the title of the RAR. Since true Buddhism was established in Nichiren's mind (or so he believed), then it must follow that his body - which is the "land" I'm referring to - must have been assured the "peace" referred to in the RAR's title.
But his body, in the end, didn't know that peace - that is, protection from physical affliction which was supposedly guaranteed when the "correct teaching" was established in his mind. Of course, if Nichiren were a fully-enlightened Buddha, then he could not have succumbed to disease. So there are two conclusions to be drawn here:
- That Nichiren was not a buddha;
- That the correct teaching was not what was in Nichiren's mind.
I wonder if any of Nichiren's disciples who were with him toward the end were at all bothered when he was puking blood, even if he'd managed to show no pain while doing so. Or did they agree among themselves not to speak of any gory details, in the name of protecting the members? Who knows? Maybe they thought the protection of the Buddhist gods somehow inexplicably failed at the very end (for which they would, in turn, be punished), though had been present earlier in his life when Nichiren could very well have perished due to harsh living conditions or by his almost being executed though saved from that by a miracle truly from heaven.
The Cancers I'm Struggling with
I, Steven Searle, was diagnosed with Stage IV liver cancer (and early stage colon cancer) about a year ago. My doctor told me the colon cancer was insignificant, that it would be the liver cancer that would kill me - probably within 6 to 8 months. However, I have responded miraculously to chemo treatment and my demise isn't scheduled for any time soon. However, statistically speaking, only 7% of patients with Stage IV liver cancer last 5 years.
I, however, am praying to beat this thing - to drive all traces of cancer from my body. So for now, I am treating my cancer as a "good Buddhist friend" who has much to teach me - even though I am telling this friend that he can't stay in my body. I don't know if I'll succeed in beating cancer, but I am happy that I've already managed to extend my lifespan beyond my doctor's wildest expectations. Not only that, but I've regained a lot of my vitality and sense of mission. Not to mention that I am not in pain most of the time and I manage to go out on my own quite often. I feel tired and drained at times, mostly due to the effects of my chemo treatment, but I am managing to rebound more quickly from those IV treatments as time goes on.
The cancer in my liver is now only 5% of its original size but that doesn't mean it can't come roaring back. So I do my best to keep a positive attitude, engage in almsgiving, and practice what I believe true buddhism to be - as Shakymuni Buddha said, "correct practice means reading, reciting and pondering the Lotus Sutra and teaching it to others to the best of your ability."
Does the Rissho Ankoku Ron apply to me, in terms of my "land" (i.e., my body) having to succumb if indeed I am wrong and I don't have true buddhism established in my mind? Well, perhaps it will. But I don't claim to be a Buddha and don't anyone dare make that claim on my behalf - as if anyone would! I would chalk up my demise to my not having had enough time to practice correctly so as to offset the negative karma that gave rise to my cancer in the first place.
The General Scheme of Buddhist things
I'm not going to make a big deal out of the fact that I outlived Nichiren by two years. Even if I outlive Shakyamuni Buddha, who died at the age of 80, I wouldn't think of myself as superior to him in any way. And that's mostly because the Lotus Sutra makes it clear that Shakymuni didn't die as is historically related. He merely gave the appearance of his death as is made quite clear (to me, at least) at the end of the Lotus Sutra's 16th chapter. He said, I am always here preaching the law, but through my transcendental powers I make it so that living being in their befuddlement don't see me even though I am always close by.
There are SGI members who I used to practice with who predicted that terrible things would happen to me because I had destroyed my gohonzon 36 years ago, even though I had been issued a new one in 1996. One member even said I was afflicted with cancer because of my heretical views. If that is so, then all I can say in my defense is, "I had a seeking mind strong enough to challenge what I saw as profound flaws in SGI's doctrines and even Nichiren's claims. I embraced what I came to understand is true buddhism, but if I was wrong in this, I am willing to pay the price of death by cancer if that will teach me, in my next life, how I should proceed instead."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Steven Searle, just another member of the Virtual Lotus Samgha
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
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