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Questions and Answers on the Temple Issue
4. WHAT IS THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
TEMPLE AND THE SGI?
The difference between the Soka Gakkai International
and Nichiren Shoshu clearly can be seen in at least four key
areas:
The Lotus Sutra is a teaching of absolute
equality - it affirms that all people, regardless of station,
gender or background, are potentially Buddhas.
Nichiren Daishonin reaffirms this in many
places throughout his writings. To
a lay believer named Abutsubo, he writes:
You, yourself, are a true Buddha who possesses the
three enlightened properties. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
with this conviction. (MW-I, 30)
There should be no discrimination among those who propagate
the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day
of the Law, be they men or women. (MW-I, 93)
While the SGI bases itself on absolute respect
for the individual, and its activities focus on thorough dialogue
with people on all levels of society, Nichiren Shoshu staunchly
asserts that it is a "sin" to speak of the equality
of priests and lay practitioners, as we can see in a letter
to the SGI from the temple's chief administrator, Nichijun
Fujimoto: To talk about the priesthood and laity with
a sense of equality are expressions of great conceit. In fact,
they correspond to the five cardinal sins.... (January 12,
1991)
Representative of such beliefs is the following comment from
a priest's sermon at a temple in Japan:
A priest who wears this robe is special and
different from lay believers. He is always seated with the
Gohonzon behind him, but whatever the priest may do on other
occasions and no matter how luxuriant his lifestyle, it is
totally all right.You lay believers are confused about this
point. These matters are of no account. (Seido Oyabu, at Horin-ji,
January 1991)
Around this doctrine of absolute clerical
superiority, it created an atmosphere in which the actions
and intentions of priests can never be questioned; in which
lay believers are obliged to serve priests, but priests have
no obligation to serve the believers. Even funeral and memorial
services are conducted with the expectation of receiving donations,
and with undisguised dissatisfaction if those donations fall
below par. This is in stark contrast to the attitude of Nichiren
Daishonin, which was one of appreciation, respect, service
and support of the believers.
Nichiren Daishonin clearly indicates in the
Gosho that the Gohonzon is a manifestation of his life as
an enlightened human being, and that it is no different from
the enlightened potential within all ordinary people.
Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon
exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people
who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
(MW-1, 213)
In another letter, he writes: "Abutsu-bo
is the Treasure Tower itself, and the Treasure Tower is Abutsu-bo
himself. No other knowledge is purposeful" NW-1,
30). Later in the same letter, the Daishonin equates the "Treasure
Tower" to the Gohonzon.
Nichiren Shoshu's position is that these
teachings by the Daishonin are to be interpreted by priests
only, not by lay believers. Their teaching on the Gohonzon
is as follows: The Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not inherent
in all phenomena or in the lives of ordinary people. It exists
only in the physical object of the Dai-Gohonzon and
in the life of the current high priest, who has received it
through a secret ceremony conducted with his predecessor.
Only the high priest can empower a Gohonzon by personally
conducting a special ceremony. Any benefit comes to the believer
directly through the auspices and sanction of the office of
the high priest. Temple publications state, "The sanctioning
of the object of worship by the High
Priest, who is the only person to be bequeathed
the Daishonin's Buddhism, is what makes the attainment of
Buddhahood possible" (From an NST publication, Refuting
the Soka Gakkai's Counterfeit Object of Worship" 100
Questions and Answers, P. 36).
The temple's stance is that believing the
Law or the Gohonzon to exist within one's own life will send
that person to hell.
Nichiren Shoshu's position on the Gohonzon
stands in stark contrast with that of the Daishonin himself.
The Soka Gakkai embraces the Daishonin's view that the Gohonzon
is the embodiment of the Buddha's wisdom and compassion. The
Daishonin inscribed it so that we can awaken the same wisdom
and compassion within us. One's power of faith and practice
to the Gohonzon enables him or her to tap the power of the
Gohonzon within to which the Daishonin so adamantly refers.
For the high priest or anyone to claim sole possession of
the Law and control over the power of the Gohonzon is the
basest form of exploitation of the Daishonin's teachings.
In his letter "Heritage
of the Ultimate Law of Life," Nichiren Daishonin clearly
describes and defines what it means to receive the "heritage"
or "lifeblood" of faith in his Buddhism:
Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless aeons
ago, the Lotus Sutra which leads all people to Buddhahood, and
we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate
from each other. Therefore, to chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this
realization is to inherit the ultimate law of life and death.
(MW-1, 22)
In addition, the Daishonin writes:
All disciples and believers of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
with one mind, transcending all differences among themselves
to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they
swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission
of the ultimate law of life and death. (MW- 1, 23)
And:
Be resolved to summon forth the great power of your faith,
and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith
will be steadfast and correct at the moment of your death. Never
seek any other way to inherit the ultimate law and manifest
it in your life. (MW-1, 25)
Before 1991, Nikken himself supported the view
of the heritage as expressed by the Daishonin in these passages,
saying: "This lifeblood of faith is inherited not only by
a high priest. It is also inherited by all priests and lay believers
who inherit the true teaching. When these priests and
lay believers carry out pure faith in the true
teaching and practice accordingly, they unlock the pure water
of the law within their lives and equally attain enlightenment
through believing in and understanding the Law." (Dai-Nichiren,
April 1987) The priesthood today repeatedly refers to the
exclusive transmission of the heritage of the Law to the high
priest through what it calls the "Face to Face Bestowal of
the Living Essence of the Law," insisting that the nature
of this bestowal is beyond the capacity of ordinary people to
comprehend. In a section called "Absolute Faith in and Strict
Obedience to the High Priest," we see the following passage:
When the priests and lay believers of the faith of Nichiren
Shoshu have the occasion to be in the presence of the High Priest,
with palms pressed earnestly together in sincere gratitude,
we pay prayer- like reverence to him as the Master who embodies
the Living Essence of the Body of the entirety of the Law of
all existence.... In short, with perfectly sincere faith and
self-imposed, strict obedience, we should hold the High Priest's
instruction in deepest reverence and we must realize that it
is right there (sic) that the great, direct path of the true
relationship of unfiltered, unrestricted faith between Master
and disciple, which leads to ultimate enlightenment in this
lifetime, is to be found. (Dai-Nichiren, Special Edition:
On the Soka Gakkai Problem (11) pp. 13-14)
The SGI firmly rejects this idea of the exclusive
possession and bestowal of an intangible "essence" of
all Buddhism to a single individual by virtue of his religious
position. Not only does Nichiren Daishonin never mention such
a rite, he clearly refutes it.
The most essential difference lies in
the realm of commitment and action taken toward the accomplishment
of kosen-rufu and the people's happiness, toward securing a peaceful
world based on the spread of the Daishonin's Buddhism.
SGI members have continuously exerted themselves
for decades to spread Buddhism, devoting their evenings and weekends
to chant and work for the happiness of their friends. SGI President
Ikeda, in particular, has met with one person after another, Buddhists
and non-Buddhists of all nations and fields of society, to share
his commitment to peace and engender an understanding of Buddhist
humanism.
It is evident, however, that priests have played
a far more passive role, spending most of their time at the temple
attending primarily to ceremonies and services. While many Gakkai
members were at activities in the evenings, visiting and encouraging
friends or studying Buddhism together, most priests remained at
home. It also became clear that many were indulging themselves
by joining expensive country clubs or frequenting night-clubs,
lavishly and frivolously spending money earned from the members'
donations.
Nevertheless, Nichiren Shoshu priests continued
to maintain an air of superiority and even condescension toward
hard-working Gakkai members. Their aloofness toward the laity
is still evident in their relationship with Hokkeko or temple
members. For example, at a May 1997 ceremony at a temple in Los
Angeles after which the lay temple members held a pot-luck lunch
in the parking lot, the dozen or so priests in attendance quickly
exited to a separate room to enjoy their own catered feast. There
was no exchange or interaction with the laity, other than with
a few appointed representatives.
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