Quote
I composed a fervent oath that read, “If the two temples Kiyosumi and Futama should come into Tojo’s possession, I will discard the Lotus Sutra!” Then I tied it to the hand of the object of devotion, to which I prayed continuously.
Notice that, for Nichiren, the "object of devotion" was a STATUE of SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA!
This passage certainly reinforces the Nichiren Shu account of the elder priest discord following Nichiren's death and the subsequent schism: Nikko, who fancied himself the favorite, got his nose severely out of joint when Nichiren willed his prized "object of devotion", that Shakyamuni Buddha statue, to
Notice how confused this account, from the SGI's Soka Spirit website, is:
Quote
When the disciples eventually returned to their respective areas, Nissho took with him an annotated copy of the Lotus Sutra, which the Daishonin had instructed to keep by his tomb. And Nichiro took a statue of Shakyamuni, which the Daishonin had received as a gift from the steward of Ito when he was exiled to Izu and had since kept by his side. The Daishonin had also willed this statue to be kept by his tomb.Nissho and Nichiro never returned to Minobu as long as Nikko Shonin remained there, completely neglecting the vigil over their teacher’s grave.
In his “Reply to Mimasaka-bo,” Nikko Shonin explains his circumstances: “[The five senior priests] seem to have abandoned the grave [of the Daishonin]. Though they propounded a teaching not to discard one’s teacher, they have already abandoned their own. It cannot be helped that they may be subjected to criticism in the secular world” (Hennentai Nichiren Daishonin Gosho, p. 1279).
When Nikko Shonin became chief priest of Kuon temple, Hakiri Sanenaga, the steward of Minobu, rejoiced: “I am pleased as if the late sage had come back once again” (Detailed Accounts of Nikko Shonin of the Fuji School, p.164). But after Niko was designated as head of the seminary at Minobu in 1285, Hakiri gradually came under his influence. Niko would not hesitate to bend the Daishonin’s Buddhism to curry favor with Hakiri, which eventually led to slanderous acts. [
www.sokaspirit.org]
Isn't the standard story that, upon having his little spat with the other 5 senior priests, Nikko packed up the Dai-Gohonzon and headed out? Yet here we read that everyone was expected to stay right there, and that Nikko was, in fact, the only one to stay! And then it says that he moved *BACK*! Who's on first??
Quote
In September 1285 Nikko took up permanent residence on Mount Minobu because the rotation system had broken down. The other senior disciples lived further away and were having difficulties maintaining their communities in the face of government persecution. Nanbu Sanenaga, the Lord of Hakii, recognized Nikko as the chief priest of Kuonji Temple at Mount Minobu. Later in 1285, Niko came to Mount Minobu to assist Nikko. Unfortunately, relations between them all broke down soon afterwards due to Nikko’s uncompromising nature and Niko’s flexibility. The first problem occurred when Lord Hakii commissioned a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha for his home shrine. Nikko objected that the statue should be accompanied by the Four Great Bodhisattvas of the essential section of the Lotus Sutra if it was to represent the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha. Niko, however, said that putting a copy of the Lotus Sutra in front of it would suffice. [
fraughtwithperil.com]
Notice what a different scenario this explanation paints from the SGI party line, which states that Nikko was so incensed about a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha being installed at Mt Minobu that he packed up the Dai-Gohonzon and walked. It appears that it was rich patron drama, and Nikko's beef wasn't that a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was being put up, but that TOO FEW STATUES were being put up!
If you're interested in the subject of Nichiren's prized Shakyamuni statue, here's a fun site: [
fraughtwithperil.com]
From an obviously Nichiren Shoshu/SGI site:
Quote
Nikko Shonin, founder of Nichiren Shoshu, is the legitimate successor of Nichiren Daishonin, although the other schools dispute this and claim Nichiren left his teachings to all of them equally.
Nichiren Shu claim that Nichiren’s ashes are still entombed at Mt. Minobu, but Nikko Shonin is supposed to have taken these with him to Taiseki-ji when he left. [
nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.com]
Boy, that Nikko was just scooping up ALL the important relics on his way out, wasn't he?? Would you expect anything less from the REAL founder of the only REAL Nichiren sect??
I think this article is from Nichijew's site: [
kemponhokke.blogspot.com] It addresses the Shakyamuni statue issue, and it's a Q&A-type format with Don Gropp. I had the unpleasant experience of him contacting me (!) uninvited after I made a post on some Nichiren site somewhere. He is quite the dull-witted and dogmatic bureaucrat type, in my experience. You know, one of these who seems to assume that the only reason you left the SGI was because you hadn't heard all the SGI's catch-phrases? *plonk* *plonk* Oops, 'scuse me - I rolled my eyes so hard they fell right out of my head!