Okay, so I've now posted two introductions and the first four chapters of my book and a combination of circumstances have convinced me it's time to make a sharp left turn and head in a new direction.

You see, one of the problems with what I wrote two years ago was that I was not quite sure who my target audience was. All I knew was that 30 years of experience chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon had left me wanting nothing other than to communicate what I knew to as many people as possible. I had been detached from both lay and priestly organizations for so long, isolated in the Black Hills of South Dakota and I was concerned about what I knew to be the growing internal strife amongst Nichiren believers. So, I set myself to the task of putting on paper what I hoped would be unique insights into the Daishonin's teachings that would somehow help people, if nothing else, to be more gentle with themselves and others.

Unfortunately, those insights don't really start until about the 100th page of the book and this process of serializing the tome, arrived at jointly between Lisa Jones and myself, doesn't seem to be working.

First of all, the beginning chapters are quite generic and shotgun in their approach, taking liberties with complex Buddhist history and theory and, frankly, having little to do with the meat of my experience and beliefs.

Secondly, although I have repeatedly said that this book is nothing more than a recounting of my history, perception and opinion, many readers still seem to think that I am writing as some "voice of authority."

Now, I don't know if this is because Americans are continually obsessed with notions of "what is right and what is wrong" (a great cultural deficiency, I believe, in a universe where phenomenal reality bubbling up from the void is generally registered in shades of gray), or if I somehow come across as arrogant or pompous.

Whatever the reason, I want to once again make it clear that I am happily contributing this material at the request of BuddhaJones' editor. I never solicited Lisa Jones and it was never my intention to foist my teachings off as gospel.

[Editor's note: No, I don't believe I have ever been solicited by anyone.]

That said, I do believe I have something unique to say predicated on many years of both exactingly consistent practice and a personal passion for Nichiren, the man, that I have unfortunately not encountered in many of my peers. So, with an amazingly cooperative effort from Ms. Jones, which, to my mind, moves her closer to the role of co-author than editor, we are going to make a fresh start, in the spirit of Hon'nin-myo. We will attempt to present a writing that is more reflective of who I am and gets much more quickly to the core of what I want to say.

And a big part of what I want to say is this, in my best Rodney King voice: "Can't we all just get along?" If we don't, we doom the propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's supreme teaching. I wholeheartedly agree with the "Down the Slippery Slope" article penned by Christian Oaks in the last BuddhaJones. The only exception I take is that I believe the erosion began in the early 1970's and that is where my perspective may come in handy.

So I will join Mr. Oaks in shouting it from the rooftops -- the time has come for all believers in Nichiren Daishonin and the Gohonzon to transcend differences and meet together on Eagle Peak.

If we do not, we will destroy any short-term potential for the spread of this ultimate Buddhist teaching and we will be liable. Humankind needs Nam-myoho-renge-kyo now more than ever and our petty bickering has mired its propagation in a murky swamp from which it may take decades to emerge.

The Lotus is drowning. Emerge it ultimately will. But if it is not in our lifetime, then it will not be either to our credit or our joy. And joy is what it is all about.

Two things have convinced me of this. From a macroscopic view, it is evident to me (living outside the organizational bubble as an objective social observer) that there has been fundamentally no growth in the ranks of Western Nichiren believers in the last 30 years. Flawed, bogus statistics aside -- it is quite clear that for every person who comes in the front door to receive his or her Gohonzon, at least one or more have left the building -- generally because of something experienced in the organizational context.

From a microscopic view, and to prove to myself that my perceptions were right and that I bore no ancient grudge from early experiences in the Gakkai or NSA, I attended a couple meetings over the past several monthssomething I had not done for two decades. I will not contend that my experiences were universal or apply to the lay organization as a whole. I simply maintain that what I saw does not bode well for future propagation efforts because, at some point, the leaders at the top must bear full responsibility for what is happening at the bottom.

Without going into great detail, suffice it to say that nothing had changed in 30 years. At the meetings, grown people were still acting infantile in their obvious and sincere desire to both shine and convince others to follow the "true" path (not a whole lot different from evangelical functions I have attended). More attention was paid to age and gender divisions within the organization than the needs of individual humans. All experiences were framed in the context of organizational activity and function rather than personal attributes and endeavors.

Finally, in the last meeting I attended -- one week ago -- the name Ikeda was mentioned (by actual count) more than 25 times. The name Nichiren or Daishonin was mentioned zero.

To add insult to injury, the evening came to an end as a most sincere gentleman approached me and said, "You know, we've made Gongyo shorter now. You don't have to do it that (long) way anymore."

I gently responded, "Why would I change? Why would I shorten it? It's been working beautifully for 30 years. Whenever I chant to the Gohonzon I always get so much more than I put in. It's the very least, literally the very least, I can do. It is all the Daishonin asks of me."

The poor guy looked absolutely befuddled.

People, you must understand that this approach will never allow Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to spread.

And lest you think I am letting the priests off the hook, the same applies to them as well. In their monolithic, 14th century, feudal mentality and approach to organization, the priesthood has overreacted to its "perceived" betrayal by the lay organization by swinging toward the ridiculous notion of a high priest "papacy."

There is no communal place for people to truly and personally discover what the Gohonzon is. It is all too tragic for words.

But the real tragedy is in the culture of hostility and acrimony that has filtered down to so many Nichiren believers as a result of all this. Those who adhere to the true spirit of the Daishonin and the primacy of his Gohonzon are so busy bickering amongst themselves, they have, through their schism, opened cracks so wide that literally any impostor with any definition of Nichiren's teachings can be viewed as legitimate. This is the scenario Nichiren feared the most and we, his supposed disciples, have allowed it to happen.

Yeah, yeah, I know The next question is: So who are we supposed to believe, Roman? You?! Absolutely not. That is not my point, though I believe I do have some valid ideas. You will soon have a chance to read some of them in my new, improved and greatly abridged serialization here.

My point, and the epiphany I woke up to between the hours of the Ox and the Tiger some two weeks ago, is that all those who say they are believers in Nichiren must reunite, respecting each others' Buddha natures and all differences in order to create a monolithic momentum that will turn the tide which has allowed the Daishonin's teachings to fade into modern-day irrelevance.

Start with being kind to each other and speaking words of lovingkindness. Continue by attempting to maintain those warm feelings, even in the absence of those you disagree with. Walk the Bodhisattva Fukyo walk, don't just talk the talk -- and keep in mind that acrimonious Internet postings and hostile phone calls and ugly gossip are bad deeds in action, not just thought and speech. There will be serious repercussions.

Every religion and the organization of believers that attaches to it has its karma. And all religions have the karma of schism. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo chanted to the Gohonzon has the power to transform our karma. As individuals we all know that, but as a community of backbiting believers we have come to the point where the power of the Gohonzon no longer infuses our communal efforts. That is why there has been no growth.

I challenge all believers of Nichiren to overcome and transform the karma of schism and make this the first religious teaching in the history of humankind to do so. In the accomplishment, all humanity will be informed of the power of the Gohonzon and we can accomplish an historic first -- the first major, global spread of a religious teaching created by a harmonious synergy of individual believers rather than an archaic or corrupt organizational agenda. Consider the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo within your own life and then consider, truly consider, the group possibilities.

There is still time to do this but, within the context of this lifetime, not much.