Subject: Re: WHO ARE THE EVIL MONKS?

        The Ninno Sutra, for example, says: "Evil monks, hoping
to gain fame and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler,
the heir apparent or the other princes and take it upon
themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the
Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation.
[...]
Which sect gains fame and profit through the
use of relations with rulers, heir apparents and princes?
You guessed it....<<<<<<<<<<<

To The Honorable Kosugi Takashi
Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture
Japan.....

Nichiren Shoshu therefore strongly requests the Minister of
Education to take speedy action to disband the religious corporation Soka
Gakkai. If this cannot be done, Nichiren Shoshu requests that the Minister
at least take measures to have Soka Gakkai¹s bylaws altered to reflect its
dissociation from Nichiren Shoshu.

Respectfully submitted on this day, November 18, 1996
Abe Nikken, representative director (Chief Director) [official seal
affixed]
Fujimoto Nichijun, executive director (General Adminis-trator) [official
seal affixed]
Yoshida Nichiyu, executive director (Director) [official seal affixed]
Nichiren Shoshu, a religious corporation
2057 Kamijo
Fujinomiya, Shizuoka
Names and seals of 720 other signatories appended.

The "Abe Nikken" guy whose signature leads off the list is the High Priest
of Nichiren Shoshu.  So I guess the one cozying up to the government to
curry fame and profit is Nichiren Shsohu.  To say nothing of its
involvement with the April Alliance and it's refusal to take a stand
against the Religious Reformation Laws.

And geee, I almost forgot -- and let us never forget -- "If we just
protect the castle of the Law, we cannot reply to the Daishonin's true
intent.  As he states, 'Should an emergency arise I will give my life for
my lord'.  Our sincere and loyal dedication to serve the nation and thus
reply to His Majesty's great expectation is the mission and life iof us
believers of Nichiren Shoshu."  (HP Nikkyo's 1940 New Years message)

(Double whammy here -- the gosho he quotes is what the Dishonin tells
Shijo Kingo HIS attitude toward Lord Ema ought to be.  Are we surprised
that a High Priest is distorting the gosho?  Not any more, not for years)

And "Today His Majesty declared war on the United States of America and
the United Kingdom.  I can hardly suppress my awe and joy at this." 
(Nikkyo, message of 12/8/41)

One can almost see Nichiren Shoshu with it's tongue out and tail wagging,
hoping its master will give it a little scratch behind the ears.

Meanwhile, Craig, you have failed to tell us what special favors the SGI
has gotten, what laws have been passed, what actions taken by various
governments (including Japans) as a result of President Ikeda's
establishing warm relations with  leaders?  SOME of the consequences have
been exchanges of humanitarian aid, links between universities of various
countries, and an acceptance of people chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  In
other words, all these meetings have been for the uplifting of actual
human beings.  Is this what you think the Daishonin meant by "famer and
profit" and "leading to the destruction of the nation"?  And since you
choose to interpret this passage in such a narrow and specific way, would
you share with us exactly which "nation" Nichiren means?  Should we all be
dedicating our lives to Japan's welfare?

>>Have we ever seen any Nichiren Shoshu priests meet with communist
dictators?
This description totally disqualifies NST as possibly being  the "evil
monks." <<

Sorry -- this gosho passage does not say "communist dictators", whom YOU
define as evil, though I don't see that Nichiren did  --  unless you think
he thought anyone who is not a member of Nichiren Shoshu is "evil". 

And Nichiren Shoshu has met with NO communist dictators -- or elected
presidents, heads of organizations who are trying to engender peace and/or
compassion, great thinkers, or anybody other than the anti-Gakkai faction
in the Japanese government.  Nichiren Shoshu has little or no contact with
the real world, but I'm not sure that's what this gosho demands.

>>[...]
There will be monks in that evil
age with perverse views and hearts that are fawning and crooked
who will say they have attained what they have not attained,
being proud and boastful in heart....
[...]

Proud and boastful...let me see...
I got it!:<<<

DaiNichiren Special Edition 2, 1991:  "When the priests and lay believers
of the faith of Nichiren Shoshu have the occassion 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, which has been passed down through the generations since the
lifetime of the Daishonin."

To say nothing of calling Nikken  "His Holiness" and "omniscient".

Your WT quote, meant to characterize the SGI as "proud and boastful" does
the opposite -- it shows that the SGI recognizes that it practices for
kosen-rufu, and so is "of the same mind as Nichiren".  

>>
>"Let us PROUDLY put to an end the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood."
>Daisaku Ikeda, World Tribune<<

Usually you are so fastidious (that means "careful"  or, in some cases,
"anal retentive") about your citations that it's a wonder you don't
provide us with the date of this issue of the WT.

But anyway, are you interpreting the gosho to mean that being proud of
oneself is wrong?  That being proud to proclaim the truth amidst a storm
of lies is wrong?  Just wondering.

>>[...]
 Constantly they will go about among the populace,
seeking in this way to slander us.  They will address the rulers,
high ministers, Brahmans and great patrons of Buddhism as well as
the other monks<<<

How are the Shoshinkai monks doing? Nichiren Shu monks?  Don't know?  Ask
Nikken - he's their good
buddy now.  Or wishes he were.  

I just posted Nikken's address to "the rulers".  Scroll up a bit and
you'll see it.

>>
Well, there we have it again...Nichiren referring to them addressing
rulers
and high ministers...and "other monks" (such as the pope)
something that $oka Gakkai is PROUD of, and NST
does not partake in. Why? Because Kosenrufu will not be achieved through
coddling the dictators of the world...<<

He says they address these people "to slander us".  I imagine that would
be like Nikken trying to ally himself with the Shoshinkai and Yamazaki, or
like that same "address to the rulers"you can find by scrolling up (as I
just pointed out).  I'm afraid I can't find an example of President Ikeda
using a meeting with a government official -- any government official of
any country -- to try to get Nichiren Shoshu "dissolved", as Nikken has
tried to do to the Gakkai.  So I guess you're wrong about this applying to
the Gakkai.

>>[...]
        "At that time there was a monk named Kakutoku who
observed the precepts.  There were many monks at this time who
violated the precepts, and when they heard this monk preaching,
they all conceived evil designs in their hearts and arming
themselves with swords and staves, attacked this teacher of the
Law.<<

I guess we can say Nikken violates the precepts only if we include in
"precepts" things like denying the Gohonzon to those who desire it,
attempting to destroy the organization that works to achieve the will of
the Buddha, attempting to re-write the gosho and the words of Nikko
Shonin, saying the gosho does not mean what it says, declaring that laity
cannopt criticize priests,  patronizing a Zen temple, and inventing for
himself a status equal to that of Nichiren Daishonin.  

I'm sure I left out a few, but you're so fastidious you probably know what
they are.

>>
"On April 13, 1991, some 300 young men dressed in navy blue 
suits and white shirts, a mob of Soka Gakkai members, marched into the
Kaishinji temple during a religious service. Shoving aside worshippers, 
they seized Yahiro and Kashiwazaki.<<

This report has been shown to be a crock so many times its getting tiring.
 Perhaps it would be less so if even once you answered any of the points
SGI members have raised, such as :  Yahiro not knowing where his "injury"
is from one conversation to the next;  no police investigation, no arrests
despite there being no doubt, if this report has any credibility at all,
who is guilty and what they're guilty of;  no one else being aware of a
mob of 300, all dressed alike, rampaging through the Japanese countryside;
the influence of "kisha clubs" on press reports coming out of Japan; and
the failure of the reporter to get the opinion of any of the Gakkai
members allegedly involved.  Just once.

>> when Soka Gakkai members stormed the temple
and carried out mob violence. 
http://coyote.accessnv.com:80/tamonten/doc04001.html<<<

Is this web page "mainstream" or "niche"?  Can we rely on it as an
objective source of hard news?

<sniperoo of more of the same>
Have a happy day.
Jim