I just wanted to say that I am sometimes afraid that some people might think they have wasted their time by being in an organization for years on end, or even decades, that they then have become disillusioned with. Oh, why be coy? I am sometimes afraid that people who have left SGI will think that they were suckered and that all their efforts were wasted. I really hope that people don't think that way though, because I certainly don't look at it that way. Of course, I was only in SGI for about two years and for various reasons I joined wary and suspicious and I left with my suspicions confirmed. But my experience with the greater world of Buddhism (and Nichiren Buddhism) taught me a perspective that I would like to pass on.
From the point of view of the Lotus Sutra (read the long verse section of chapter 2) and Buddhism as a whole - all of one's sincere and good intentions will come to fruition. This does not mean that if one is negligent of the truth or delibately lives a lie out of "good intentions" that that will work out well. That is indeed a bad cause. But to honestly think that one is in an organization that is truly trying to uphold and share the Dharma is a good cause, even if one finds out that things are not what they were made out to be later on. They key, I think, is that when one does find out the truth one does one's best to change things (like Nichiren's three admonitions) and then move on.
Shakyamuni Buddha taught that if one can not find wise companions to practice with, one should go off to practice by oneself like a tusker in the woods. He said this after he was unable to reconcile two quarraling bands of monks in the village of Kosambi. Even when the Buddha told them to drop the quarrel for the good of the Sangha they told him to not worry about it. In effect, these monks told the Buddha to mind his own business. They presumed they knew better than the Buddha, their own (presumably) teacher! Sadly, the Buddha left and took up company with an elephant (the tusker) who had left his herd because the young elephants were also getting too rambunctious and disprespectful fo the venerable older elephant. Based on that incident the Buddha gave the advice to not stay with fools but to practice alone like a tusker. Eventually, those monks did reconcile with each other and the Buddha (with Ananda's help) after the laypeople got so fed up they stopped giving offerings to both factions. A real lesson there I think.
Anyway, back to the idea of not wasting one's time. The Buddha did not say that those who had been in the company of fools were fools themselves. He never said that if one were a part of the wrong faction or group, or sect that one had wasted one's time. The important thing was to stick to the Dharma as best one can, and all one's sincere efforts would come to fruition down the line if not more immediately.
Now I don't necessarily think that SGI is a pack of fools. I think many SGI members and even leaders are quite insightful and sincere, and then there are others who are quite clever indeed. I also think that some people can learn some very positive things there - like cause and effect, taking responsibility for one's life, affirming the buddha-nature of all beings, affirming the possibility of attaining buddhahood in one's very body through Odaimoku, and of course the establisment of the daily practice of chanting the Lotus Sutra and Odaimoku. That's great stuff! But then there is the other stuff that is not so great - the peer pressure, the idoatrous adulation of Daisaku Ikeda in some quarters, the threats of dire karmic punishment for dissent or (Buddha forbid!) leaving the org. But every org has bs like that. I, for one, think the Catholic Church is much worse than SGI, and let's not even discuss the Jehovah's Witnesses or some of the truly blood chilling holy roller churches I have had the misfortune to visit in this lifetime. But the thing is, I think there comes a time when one comes to see that perhaps the downsides have become an actual danger to one's integrity if one continues to endorse them or condone them by silent consent. And then there comes a time when the conflict between where one's practice has matured and developed to and where the organization is at that it actively starts to hinder one's further spiritual growth. That is the point at which one must leave so as not to waste one's time on a bad cause. But up until that point, even if it is a matter of decades, I think the merit one has created through sincere practice is tremendous (as per chapter 17-19 of the Lotus Sutra).
I think that for quite awhile, people are going to have to face up to the pervasive dysfunction of Japanese religious institutions. Some are reformable and some are not. Some corruption (or just obtuseness) is redeemable and fixable and some is very pervasive indeed. But for ourselves, I think the bottom line is that we must not allow the orgs to hinder or practice whether we choose to stay with them or not. They can certainly help us (whether we are members of them or not) but we should not let them hinder us. And we should remember not to confuse our practice and the merits thereof with the organizations which ostensibly exist to support the spread of the practice.
I am thinking out loud here - Confucius said "Respect the gods but keep them at a distance." I think we should maybe have the same view towards religious institutions - respect them (because they do have an awful lot to teach and can really support one's faith, practice, and study if they are not too dysfunctional) but keep them at a distance (so be wary and don't buy into the hype or confuse your own sincere practice with the organization itself). Our benefit derives from faith not from affiliation (or even lack thereof).
Rant over.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Comments
Thanks, Ryuei! Well said.
Lisa J.
This is quite helpful - a topic I still worry about. What if deep inside I did know that I was lying to myself about my practice in the SGI? What if my fear outweighted my common sense for years upon years? I am still unsettled about the
fact that I virtually lived no life outside the SGI for more than l5 years - a sincere seeker and practitioner, perhaps, but very misguided. I can recover from the embarassment, but I worry about the karmic implications. I would appreciate even more from you on this topic. Jan
I think we need to not judge ourselves too harshly. If we were not full to the brim with human weakness, self-delusion, laziness, wishful thinking, outright rationalizations and the rest of the mix then we would have no afflictions (bonno) or suffering in the first place and therefore no need for Buddhism. This is where the teaching about bonno soku bodai (the afflictions are themselves enlightenment) can be helpful if properly understood.
Bonno Soku Bodai is tricky. It is a subtle but powerful teaching that can help a lot or hurt a lot. Like a snake whose venom can be healing, one must pick it up correctly so as to extract the venom for medicine without being bitten in turn. This is a teaching that Shakyamuni Buddha gave about his own teachings in the Pali Canon.
Bonno Soku Bodai means that our Buddhist practice is not about having no afflictions, or denying them or even negating them. It is about becoming more and more aware of them and their workings. It is about observing their rise and fall and the conditions which contribute to them and support them. It is about learning about ourselves and taking the good with the bad (all ten worlds). But in Buddhist practice, one does not try to just force oneself to be good or berate oneself for one's failings, but neither do you excuse the inexcusable or just give in. But it is tricky to do this on one's own. That is why we chant. Everytime you chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo you are affirming your commitment to live in accord with the Dharma, with reality, with the truth that frees us. And eventually we will break out of our laziness or confusion or greed or whatever. And in the meantime, we must be generous, forgiving and patient with ourselves even as we strive to avoid making excuses for ourselves or taking the easy way out.
I would like to point out that the Buddha gave over 200 precepts to the monks in reaction to over 200 different incidents in which they did something that was not in accord with the Dharma. Each time, the monks (or nuns) were castigated but not held accountable for an offense which they may not have fully realized was an offense. And in any case, for the vast majority of these offenses the monk or nun would simply have to acknowledge the fault, apologize to a fellow member of the Sangha and then move on. I think in SGI they may still use the term "from this moment on..." that is very good guidance and very much in accord with the spirit of the sutras. Even in the cases of the four major offenses for monastics (killing, stealing, sexual intercourse, and lying about spiritual attainments) for which one was permanently expelled from the monastic Sangha, this did not mean that the former monk or nun could not strive to overcome their faults and attain enlightenment as a layperson. And this was the advice given to the monastics who had made a specific commitment to the Dharma and then broken it through very serious offenses! So the point is that until one is enlightened it is almost expected that one will make mistakes and that is part of the learning process. But dwelling on the mistakes is not Dharma. Acknwledging them and then moving on (even acknowledging the inability to acknowledge the fault sooner) is the practice of the Dharma. That is what repentence (zange in Japanese) is all about in Buddhism. Awareness and the commiting oneself to doing better and advancing further.
In the Sutra of Meditation on Bodhisattva Universal Virtue that is the closing sutra of the Threefold Lotus Sutra there is a great section on repentence which is followed by verses on the same subject. If memory serves, the sutra talks about how our offences will melt away like frost in the sunlight. That is what the light of the awareness cultivated in our Buddhist practice does. It eventually shines on our very human weaknesses and softens them, warms us up, and frees that blocked energy or insight so that we can move on towards even more clarity and insight.
There is no need to ever be discouraged in Buddhism.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
love the rant. . .it's just so much common sense, really.
it's frustrating to find a practice, a philosophy, a religion that I finally really connect with. . .it just feels right. . .it elevates me. . .gives my life a new lift & balance.
then to hear and witness so much Organization politics, etc that don't quite fit into that original joy of finally finding a practice that works on a very basic level. sort of muddles it up a bit & confuses me. . .a new Nichiren Buddhist.
i'm not giving up yet on SGI. . .i'm a newbie, and have much to learn. . .and having folks to chant with and toss ideas off of, etc is good for me as I continue. And the people I practice with are all great. But many are very into Soka Spririt and Ikeda idoltry which make me uncomfortable in a big way.
But one day the karma may hit the fan for me too. . .because many of the things that have been talked about lately ring true to me.
Although I will not go so far to name SGI a 'cult'. . .I have been hesitant to tell my friends much about the organization, but just of the practice & Buddhism in general. . .and I know it's because there are aspects that I know my friends would wonder. . .
And that says a lot.
ANYWAY. I really appreciate your website & all your posts. And I LOVE Lisa Jones. . .I can't wait for the book about all of her experiences. ;-)
Thanks for this post, Mike - I found it very heartening. I was particularly interested in your discussion of Bonno Soku Boddai - this concept is typically itnerpreted in the Gakkai as meaning that earthly desires equal enlightenment because they make us chant. If taken to an extreme, it sort of seems like Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street" with his "Greed is Good" mantra. Sonce I started reading outside (outside of the Gakkai, I mean) sources on the subject of BSB, I was able to broaden my perspective a little bit on earthly desires, and see them as being more tha just a "carrot" to get me to chant.We do need to reflect, that's for sure. Again, thanks for this post and I would be interested in reading more like it.
Byrd in LA
P.S. Do you think the Gakkai will ever move away from Nichiren Shoshu doctrine? It's hard for me to introduce people to something I don't believe myself. Like, impossible. -b-
Jan,
Only we can give up our self identity and self worth. No one can take that from you. You don't need to be a buddhist practitioner to understand this point.
As far as karmic implications, you have nothing to worry about. You have embraced this great philosphy, and it has led you to many things. For myself and the chapter I practice in, I use the Lotus Sutra as a guiding post in terms of my actions in society and my fellow practitioners. Everyone is treasured and leaders are held accountable for their behavior.
Part of my prayer is that we as an organization can change enough to embrace all people and we hold up to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.
i have always heard that the USA is the place where Kosen-rufu will happen first. Well, I must disagree. After spending some time practicing in India with the BSG, I think it will happen there before here. They have a much deeper understanding of the Lotus Sutra than we do, yet we as a country , we look down on them.
Perhaps it's due to our own insecurities. I hope we learn soon
best of luck,
-r
Hi, there - I'm baaaack! I am wondering a lot today about the issue of intent - you touched on it in this posting, Mike, and the entire March issue of Living Buddhism is chock-full of it, partly in preparation for the May contrbution campaign, I assume. There seems to be a sort of internal contradiction in that one the one hand, the "mud pie" kid's offering is hugely rewarded solely on the basis of his intent, whereas Nichiren does say that even the most sincere offerings if made to the wrong object, are essentially evil. Now, the problem is that I myself have difficulty fathoming my own mind, much less the minds of others, so who am I to say who is correctly or incorrectly up holding the Lotus Sutra among Buddhists and non-Buddhsts alike? Besides this, we in the Gakkai have had "Slander of the Law" defined for us in so many mutually contradictory ways over the years that the term has become borderline meaningless. My own background in Christian fundamentalism is triggered when I hear the idea that no matter what good we may do for others, or how compassionate our intent, it will all come to naught and we'll fry in hell anyway if we do not have the "correct" faith (in Jesus Christ as my personal savior or in the organization or whatever.) Also, by making the determining factor of benefit an external one (i.e., the object of our offering - "slanderous" or not), we define our enlightenment by an "outside" factor - like the Lord or the church or whatever. Doesn't this sort of hinder our internal process of moving towards compassion for all and leave us at the mercy of continually shifting circumstances? Aside from chanting a lot (which I am also doing), how do you resolve these conflicts in the area of "intent"? Thanks in advance, Byrd in LA
That qustion above was not just for Mike, but for anybody who has any insight into the matter. Thanks. -b-
Byrd,
you pose an interesting question. i am excited to see the various responses. perhaps i could learn something.
-r
In answer to your question Byrd, I do not see the SGI moving away from it's Nichiren Shoshu Lite doctrinal stance anytime soon. I say that because the SGI only in the last year or so published it's Dictionary of Buddhist Terms in which many key Nichiren Buddhist terms are defined in tems of Nichiren Shoshu doctrine.
Granted, the SGI has been softpedaling things, and also, I suspect, brining its teachings more closely in line with the subtleties of Nichikan's actual views, as opposed to the more ham handed interpretations of later times which went so far as to be entirely dismissive of Shakyamuni Buddha (I am thinking primarily of Josei Toda here - dynamic personality, a man of great conviction, sincerity, and faith, but not a real deep thinker imo).
So unfortunately, it seems to me that the SGI is going to promote Nichiren Shoshu interpretations of doctrine and history for the foreseeable future. I would be happy to be wrong however. I would be especially happy if they would stop slandering (I use this word in its legal sense not religious sense) the other five major disciples of Nichiren.
Nikko (the founder of Taisekiji) is respected highly in Nichiren Shu. His main lineage at Kitayama Honmonji (where he spent the last three decades or so of his life and where his ashes are kept to this day) has been a part of Nichiren Shu since before the war and has remained with us even when it was free to be independent again. So I can truthfully tell you that the lineages of all Nichiren's main disciples (those who left lineages anyway) are all a part of Nichiren Shu. So we do not have the mentality that it is us vs. Nikko's lineage. Nikko's lineage is a part of us. I just felt I needed to make that clear for some reason.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei