Repudiating the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood under Nikken

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Key Points / Summary:

Some Background:

1. Post Nichiren Daishonin demise, Nikko Shonin carried forward the legacy by forming organization called - Nichiren Shoshu.
2. The organization based on the principle of Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings (Gosho)
3. It continued to carry the legacy through 700 years.
4. If someone needs to practise Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism, they need to affiliate to Nichiren Shoshu.
5. This is what was done by Makiguchi Sensei as well when he formed Soka Kyoiku Gakkai.
6. However, while Nichiren Shoshu over the period of time became more of ritual practice focusing more on ritual practice such as visiting temple, conducting memorial service, funeral service.
7. In essence, it became like the case with the most Buddhist schools in Japan.
8. However, Makiguchi Sensei ran Soka Kyoiku Gakkai in the most democratic and open way. Sticking to the essence of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism.
9. Conducting discussion meeting, enabling each person to actualize happiness in the midst of life’s real challenges and to contribute to the peace and prosperity of society.
10. Also, during military government mandate to accept Shinto Talisman, while Soka Kyoiku Gakkai and Makiguchi Sensei refused to accept it, the Nichiren Shoshu succumbed to the pressure and infact also mandated Soka Kyoiku Gakkai to accept it.
11. Since its establishment, the Soka Gakkai grounded itself completely on faith that is directly connected to Nichiren Daishonin.
12. Taking actions to spread the Daishonin’s teachings to create happiness for all people and bring about world peace.

Nikken Sect:

1. Refers to the priesthood of the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist school in its corrupt state under the leadership of Nikken Abe.
2. Nikeen Abe claimed to be the 67th in the lineage of its high priests.
3. The sect has taken the position that they are chief administrator, possess absolute and uncontestable authority and power when it comes to anything related to Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism.
4. Similar to Ryokan of Gokuraku-Ji temple during Nichiren Daishonin’s time, who outwardly garnering respect from people, got revered from people while covertly harbored animosity toward the Daishonin.
5. Ryokan conspired to have Nichiren Daishonin persecuted.
6. Ryokan personified “an arrogant sage” as mentioned in Lotus Sutra as “Three Powerful Enemies”
7. In contemporary times, the same “an arrogant sage” was personified by Nikken who tried to destroy Soka Gakkai, an organization working to accomplish the Daishonin’s will of kosen-rufu.
8. Even though he transferred the office of high priest to a successor, Nichinyo in 2005, but the lineage he has passed on continues to be muddied by his slander of the law.

Overview of the Priesthood Issue

1. As Soka Gakkai started to make great strides in spreading kosen-rufu not only in Japan but around the world under Ikeda Sensei, Nikken started harboring animosity against Soka Gakkai.
2. He felt as if he losing control over Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism.
3. In 1990, he conceived and ‘Operation C’ where ‘C’ means to cut the Soka Gakkai. His aim was to sever relations with Soka Gakkai and take control of its members, turning them into subservient followers of the priests.
4. In Dec 1990, they announced that they are dismissing President Ikeda from his position as chief lay representative of Nichiren Shoshu.
5. They refused to conduct any discussion with Soka Gakkai regarding this decision.
6. On Nov 7, 1991, the priesthood sent the Soka Gakkai a document titled ‘Remonstrance to Disband” and on Nov 28, a document “Notice of Excommunication”.
7. There was no justification or reference from passages for Nichiren Daishonin’s writings to support their notice of excommunication. It simply repeated its assertion in an authoritarian and emotional manner that the Soka Gakkai was not obediently following the priesthood.
8. They also refused to confer the Gohonzon upon members of the Soka Gakkai
9. They used Gohonzon as a bait to attract members to leave Soka Gakkai and follow priesthood.
10. Nevertheless, in 1993, Soka Gakkai with the cooperation of a temple that had opposed Nikken’s actions decided to confer upon its members around the world a Gohonzon transcribed by Nichikan Shonin.
11. In 1998, Nikken Sect demolished the Sho-Hondo (Grand Main Temple), an edifice at the Nichiren Shoshu head temple, Taiseki-Ji, built in 1972 by the Soka Gakkai through sincere faith and contributions of some eight million people.

The major offenses and erroneous doctrines of the Nikken Sect

1. Premise that there is a secret mysterious heritage or lineage that gets passed on from one high priest to another. However, there is no evidence in Daishonin’s writings to justify or support it.
2. This is far removed from the essential meaning of the heritage of faith, the heritage taught by the Daishonin.
3. It amount to a fiction concocted in later times in order to bolster the status and authority of the high priest.
4. Deluded belief that they are superior and followers need to worship them and look down on lay believers
5. They started regarding themselves as infallible and an object of worship or veneration, one must follow him without any questions.
6. They started claiming that high priests and Dai-Gohonzon are inseparable and that faith in both must be absolute. Equating themselves or a person to Dai-Gohonzon.
7. This belief is in total contradiction to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.
8. In “The Twenty-Six Admonitions of Nikko”, Nikko Shonin writes, “Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s Law and propounds his views”
9. From these “Admonitions of Nikko”, it is clear that the view that the high priest is infallible promoted by Nikken sect is completely misguided.
10. Promoting religious rituals practise as a means of making money. They started funeral and memorial service, the bestowal of posthumous Buddhist names, issuing of wooden memorial tablets to be placed beside the grave.
11. However, these rituals were not instituted by the Daishonin but became established in later times. Nichiren Daishonin always stressed that attaining Buddhahood depends on own’s faith and practice while alive.
12. Nikken sect also consistently behaved in a corrupt and self-indulgent manner, in stark violation of the Daishonin’s instruction.
13. Committing “Cardinal Sin” of Causing Disunity in the Buddhist order.
14. Creating Disunity in the Buddhist order is one of the greatest offense a person can commit as the ‘five cardinal sins’
15. Five Cardinal Sins are
    1. Killing one’s father
    2. Killing one’s mother
    3. Killing an arhat
    4. Injuring a Buddha
    5. Causing disunity in the Buddhist Order
16. Nikken created disunity in Buddhist order by creating disruption and division among the body of Buddhist practitioners.
17. Trying to destroy Soka Gakkai, the only organization who was striving to achieve worldwide kosen-rufu. A grave slander of the Buddhist Law and the great offense of betraying the Daishonin’s spirit.

Spiritual Independence:

1. On Nov 28, 1991, the day when Soka Gakkai was delivered a notice of “ex-communication” from the Nichiren Shoshu actually became the day when Soka Gakkai members got their spiritual independence.
2. It freed them from the chains of the corrupt and misguided priesthood.
3. Soka Gakkai members have emerged from all over the globe, the number grew steadily and now actively practising in 192 countries and territories worldwide.
4. While Nikken sect membership is continuously on decline with total membership less than 2% of Soka Gakkai.
5. By striving to achieve the Daishonin’s will for kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai has succeeded to the true heritage of Nichiren Buddhism