The Daimoku Anniversary thread has attracted several thoughtful comments. Markp wrote:
We are not slandering the Law when we practice the Law differently.
So, in our community of diverse styles and histories, what differences are minor and which are major? For example, one can chant Nam or Namu and still be a Nichiren Buddhist.
Is there a threshold though, where differences are so different that, whatever it is, it's not Nichiren Buddhism any more?
Some examples of major differences of opinion in Nichiren Buddhism involve:
1. Nichiren is the True Buddha; Shakyamuni and all other Buddhas are "provisional" and should be discarded.
2. Unless your Gohonzon is "connected" to the Daigohonzon, it won't work.
3. Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren can be heretical; all gohonzon not obtained through proper channels are heretical.
4. One must accept Daisaku Ikeda (or some other person) as one's mentor to "inherit the lifeblood" of Nichiren.
5. Daimoku and gongyo should be chanted in your native language.
6. Studying sutras and commentaries outside the Nichiren tradition is heretical.
7. Eschewing formal clergy is heretical.
These are just a few off the top of my head. I know you can think of more.
Why do these issues divide us? Should they divide us? How can we develop an inclusive understanding of Nichiren Buddhism without slipping into an attitude of "anything goes"?
19 comments
8. Daily practice only consists of the opening portion of Chapter 2, and the verse portion of Chapter 16, chanted in shindoku.9. Practicing any form of meditation other than chanting Odaimoku is heretical.10. Taking photos of Nichiren's Omandala is heretical.11. Any Gohonzon not enshrined in a butsudan is heretical.12. Offering flowers on your altar is heretical.13. Statues on your altar are heretical.Next?They divide us be cause we choose to allow this to occur, for a wide variety of reasons.
Shoshu may never change, and that is fine by me, but change will come in the future, I am sure. However, some of the change people want is not good for them. If left to their own devices they would totally obscure the practice, so it is a good thing that the priests keep a reign on us. And by priests, I mean all Nichiren priests, not just Shoshu priests.I have nothing against Nichiren Shu or any of the sects, but I don't understand why they think they need to change what I see as an effective and basic practice when it appears not to make much of a difference anyway. You get benefit, I get benefit, but my practice takes 25 minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night, and I assure you I am in the best rhythm of my life right now. I chant a lot during the day while driving, because I work a lot.
I said because you practice differently you are not a slanderer, but does putting flowers or a statue on your alter mean that you now are able to understand Buddhism? No. Does having the belief that the Dai Gohonzon is the only Gohonzon add to your understanding of the theory of Buddhism? No!Do all these things that the priests of all sects tell you that you must do really help you to understand the core principle of Buddhism, which is ichinen sanzen? A resounding NO!Does this matter? Absolutely not! You will understand Buddhism only when you are ready, and if you think all these differences make a difference, then you're not ready. However, if you stop practicing you'll never understand.Find your practice and do it every day without fail. That is the best advice anyone can give.
It may be change from your perspective, Mark. From another perspective it hasn't changed at all; just that most folks didn't learn it properly to begin with. Not their fault, of course.
My understanding is that the Daimoku itself is an expression of the threshold - either one recognizes the Lotus Sutra as the ultimate expression of the Buddha's wisdom, or one does not. If one does, then everything else is practice of the Lotus Sutra.Is it the whole text? or is it just the second half? Or just the second and 16th chapter? Or just the 16th? Or Chapter and Two Halves? Or just the title? Does it mean ichinen sanzen? Is it something that transcends words and only shared between Buddhas?Let's discuss it and work it out. If any of us gains an understanding, let them be sure to come back and share it with us!
This is my general understanding. If you embrace daimoku as your primary practice, then you're a Nichiren Buddhist.But this idea also gives me pause. There are stories of kamikaze pilots in world war ii chanting daimoku as the crashed their planes into u.s. warships. Were they Nichiren Buddhists?There is a global religious corporation that advances a questionable philosophy of "value creation" in the Japanese government/elections and even in American elementary schools. They claim to be Nichiren Buddhists...but are they just using Nichiren Buddhism to advance a much different agenda, which some call "Ikeda Buddhism"?There are fanatical fundamentalists who say they are Nichiren Buddhists (and that they alone uphold Nichiren's teachings) -- they chant daimoku, so are they Nichiren Buddhists?If we want to be inclusive (and really, I do want to be inclusive) it seems that there's a lot of stuff to accept that (in my opinion) is a misrepresentation of Nichiren Buddhism.So I understand that if we accept the threshold of "anyone who chants daimoku," then we're making the biggest tent, so to speak.But are there really no other essential criteria that define Nichiren Buddhism?
Engyo, would you elaborate on what you mean by "learn it properly"?I hear from lots of newbies who want to practice Nichiren Buddhism, but there are so many conflicting views on what is the proper way.I'm not asking you for a dissertation. A link to a NShu page or something that explains the "whats" and "whys" of proper basic practice would help.
On a theoretical level - even the Kamikaze pilot who defiles the Daimoku by making it a symbol of murder, will attain enlightenment someday.On a practical level, people who reduce the Sangha by identifying the chosen and the damned will self-select themselves out of fellowship with those of us who want the broadest tent.They can't handle the Absolute Myo! It burns their minds to think that the practice of Never Disparaging could ever really be practiced.Does that make sense?
Of course it makes sense. But the implications are rather hard to stomach.Sure, even murderous kamikaze pilots will be/inherently are Buddhas. So will/are child molesters. So are criminals of every stripe.That's the message of the Lotus Sutra: Everyone will be a Buddha sooner or later.So does that mean, in the eyes of Nichiren Buddhism, it's OK to murder or do whatever the hell you want and hurt whoever the hell you want just as long as you keep chanting? I don't think anyone seriously believes that.Is it OK to exploit and misrepresent Nichiren Buddhism because, ultimately, you're telling people about daimoku, so everything's hunky dory?That kind of end-justifies-the-means mentality is a mistake, I would argue, and is not consistent with the Buddhist canon.I think it would sicken Nichiren to learn that his teachings have been hijacked by some people into a form of "prosperity Buddhism" that is just thinly disguised materialism and greed.If Nichiren Buddhism means that everyone is enlightened no matter what, then it means absolutely nothing at all. There is no point to faith, practice, and study because everyone who has ever even chanted once is a guaranteed Buddha, no questions asked.This isn't about "identifying the chosen and the damned." It's about developing a meaningful norm of what constitutes Nichiren Buddhism."Anything goes because we're all Buddhas" just doesn't cut it. To me, it sounds like a lazy cop out.
We can't white wash history. We can't stop people from seizing the daimoku and using it for their own personal interests. What we can do is stop looking back and worrying about defining ourselves against these travesties. Instead, how about orienting to the Lotus and letting that play out. If its right, this approach will drown out chanting kamikaze pilots and prosperity dharma preachers. They will become the blip on the screen, the anomaly, but that's not something you change intentionally. It happens by reorienting that stuff in a different context. Seize the narrative and thereby redefine.
Hi, mroaks -That was a sort of tongue-in-cheek poke at the idea that 'whatever I learned first' is the correct way, and anyone advocating something different is 'changing' things.In Nichiren Shu, the entire Sutra can be chanted if one wishes (not in one sitting, of course). If one wishes to do nothing other than chant the odaimoku, that is also fine. Nichiren gave specific instructions to this effect. One thing to remember is that many of his letters giving instruction were written to specific , individuals, and the answer that was appropriate for that individual may not have been the right answer for another or a large group of folks.'Proper' practice in Nichiren Shu as I have learned it would be to practice daily at a minimum, and morning and evening if possible. 'Practice' in this case could be anything from studying the Sutra or Nichiren's writings, to chanting odaimoku, to doing a full service at home, to doing service with others. Maybe one spends an hour doing shakyo or shabutsu rather than chanting. These are just some possibilities; the overall concept is quite flexible and adaptable to an individual's life.I hope this helps.........
Hi, Mark -I am responsible for my own practice. My minister is not responsible for my own practice, nor is my sangha president, or anyone else. Just me.My teachers and/or leaders are responsible to teach me about my own responsibility, but not to stand over me and force me to do it (whether physically or metaphorically). Just like going to work every day in order to earn my paycheck, I get out of my practice what I put into it. If I am not getting what I want from it, then it is up to me to change that. My teachers help me to understand this, but they don't stand ready to spank my hand with a ruler if I choose not to do so. Just my 2c; YMMV.
I didn't mean this to reflect on you Mike. I was just trying to point out that in Nichiren Buddhism there is a discipline that is required. I know that you are quite disciplined in your practice, but others may not be, and the biggest problem I see is that a person that is undisciplined in their practice then begins to question the efficacy of Nichiren Buddhism. Young people especially have this problem, and so I also can see a need to make the practice as flexible and easy as we can, but I believe the basis has to be at least morning Gongyo every day without fail. A person that does Gongyo every morning will build a rhythm over time that is undeniably attributed to Nichiren Buddhism, so that even though they may quit for periods of time that initial discipline will keep them coming back.
I didn't take it personally. I was trying to illustrate the general feeling I get from my teachers about practice discipline.The teachers monitor and assist new folks fairly closely, but there is no begging or forcing anyone to practice. What used to be called 'seeking spirit' is required; if your practice isn't working or you are having a hard time, then it is up to you to tell your teacher or minister you are having difficulties or need assistance. If someone just chooses not to practice regularly, then that is their choice. It's not up to clergy or sangha members to twist their arms, guilt trip them or otherwise try to enforce practice discipline on them. I look at it as the ultimate in personal responsibility.
I think it's a bit dogmatic to insist that everyone perform a specific practice each and every day as a Nichiren Buddhist.Doing gongyo every morning at 7 a.m. puts my life in a good rhythm. Going to bed and getting up at the same time puts my life in a good rhythm. Jogging every other day puts my life in a good rhythm.My point is that being on a regular schedule in life tends to make me more productive. That has nothing to do with Nichiren Buddhism, though.If you don't feel like chanting, don't force yourself. The sky will not fall if you miss gongyo. It doesn't matter if you blow off chanting for years. You can still come back to it fresh as ever. I think it's really important to chant joyfully because you WANT to, not because you think you should, or because you're expecting to get something in return.Remember, the "results" of chanting are almost always inconspicuous. If you feel like you're "gaining" from your practice, I think that's a sign that you may be using the practice to bolster the creations of your ego rather than opening to broader consciousness.Paradoxically, when it doesn't seem to be working, it's working best. Sometimes.
This is a fine line that has to be walked. On one hand you need to instill a practice that works, and this can be seen as dogmatic. On the other hand, if the practice is too open to personal preference, the young will always choose to procrastinate.So this is the dilemma. I think in this instance it is better to be seen as a bit dogmatic than to let people procrastinate, which eventually leads to them quitting. No matter what people think of SGI or SG, they did a great job of instilling the virtue of consistent practice and respect for the Gohonzon. They failed only because they introduced the Ikeda as mentor aspect, and of course their blatant materialism.
I was thinking about this when reading the obituary for Phoebe Snow. By all accounts, the woman was a Nichiren Buddhist. Yet people didn't say that. Shambhala Sun took pains to specify that she was Nichiren Shoshu.Similarly, people want to know if Tina Turner is in Nichiren Shoshu or SGI.Celebrities like Herbie Hancock are usually very specific that they are involved with SGI (and they obligatorily mention Ikeda.)All of the above are Nichiren Buddhists. That is the most inclusive label. Why don't we all happily join under the common name "Nichiren Buddhist"?It comes back to this question of what is normative. People in SGI claim that their invented doctrines and idiosyncracies define Nichiren Buddhism, and other sects make similar claims.So this is the Catch 22: Our differences are not more important than our similarities, and yet our differences make all the difference.