If anyone is interested, I recently found a new website that deals with controversial Buddhist groups:

[www.viewonbuddhism.org]

from [www.sokaspirit.com]

This is an interview posted on www.sokaspirit.com several years ago. Jisai Watanabe was a Nichiren Shoshu priest who left Nichiren Shoshu to support Ikeda and the SGI.

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Long-Time Priest Risks All To Support Kosen-rufu
Jisai Watanabe, a member of the Association for the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, recently visited Los Angeles along with four other members of the association and ten leaders from the Soka Gakkai in Japan. The following is a compilation of his remarks at small group discussions, question-and-answer sessions and home visits in the Los Angeles area.

My name is Jisai Watanabe, and I am chief priest of Daikyo-ji temple in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. I seceded from Taiseki-ji on October 18, 1992, having made the determination to sever all my ties with Nikken and those who blindly follow him and stand up to protect Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism together with President Ikeda and the SGI members.

Please don't worry about being unable to worship the Dai-Gohonzon at this point. When you pray to the Gohonzon in your home, it is the same as praying to the Dai-Gohonzon I remember when the previous priest, Nittatsu, visited a temple in Odawara that is close to my temple. On that occasion, he stated that the Gohonzon enshrined in your own home embodies the life Nichiren Daishonin.

Next, I would like to comment on the SGI conferring Gohonzon and the tradition of the 'eye-opening' ceremony. When I was an assistant priest at Myoko-ji temple in Shinagawa, Tokyo, from 1952-56, President Toda came to ask the chief priest if he would confer the Gohonzon on the Soka Gakkai members. I had never heard of a 'Gohonzon Conferral Ceremony,' because at that time Gohonzon were rarely conferred, usually in cases when Hokkeko members moved away from their families, establishing a new household or when a substantial donation was made to the temple.

The chief priest decided to comply with Mr. Toda's request. However, there were practical problems to be solved. In those days, the Gohonzon were reproduced using a wood block printing technique. We had just a limited number of unmounted Gohonzon on hand. Soon after Mr. Toda's request, some members arrived to receive the Gohonzon. However, they were not ready, because we had to send the few Gohonzon on hand to be mounted professionally. The first ceremony was held a week later and the recipients were asked to make one pledge, not the three that were familiar during later temple gojukai ceremonies.

As the membership began to grow, other temples in the area began conferring Gohonzon on the Soka Gakkai members. However, all of the Gohonzon in the various temples were not transcribed by the same high priest. For example, Myoko-ji temple, where I was assigned, reproduced and issued a Gohonzon transcribed by Nippu Shonin, the fifty-fifth high priest. Another temple in Tokyo, Jozai-ji, issued a Gohonzon transcribed by Nissho Shonin, the fifty-seventh high priest. And Hodo-in temple issued a Gohonzon transcribed by Nichio Shonin, the fifty-sixth high priest.

The chief priests of the temple issued those Gohonzon without ever sending them to the head temple to ask the high priest to perform any ceremonies, such as the 'eye-opening ceremony.'

We priests in the temples around Tokyo often encountered the problem that our supply of Gohonzon would be depleted. This being the case, as the assistant priest, I would be sent to another temple to ask if we could have some of their Gohonzon. Whenever possible, the chief priests cooperated with each other in order to provide Gohonzon to the new Soka Gakkai members. So as you can see, the members in those days had Gohonzon that were inscribed by different high priests.

In light of this, I would like to say that it seems perfectly natural to me that, just as President Toda accepted the offer of Gohonzon transcribed by former high priests of his day, President Ikeda would follow suit and accept the offer of Chief Priest Sendo Narita of Joen-ji temple, Tochigi Prefecture, to make it possible for Soka Gakkai members to receive okatagi Gohonzon based on Nichikan Shonin's Gohonzon [originally inscribed in 1720].

As for the 'eye-opening ceremony,' which I understand Nichiren Shoshu claims must be performed on all Gohonzon, I consider this a distorted application of the tradition that I have only rarely observed at the head temple. This Nichiren Shoshu tradition of the 'eye-opening ceremony' was actually performed -- not on Gohonzon -- but on statues and painted images of the Daishonin that were sometimes kept in temples.

If this 'eye-opening ceremony' were essential, the retired high priest would have had to send a Gohonzon to Taiseki-ji to have this ceremony performed before conferring it on the members. He never mentioned to me during my service to him, an 'eye-opening ceremony' or the necessity of sending transcribed Gohonzon to Taiseki-ji to have this ceremony performed.

(Seikyo Times, March 1994, No.392, p.20-25) © 1994 by World Tribune Press, Soka Gakkai International - USA
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So, if the Reverend Watanabe is correct and truthful:

1. It never really was necessary to go to see the DaiGohonzon (which he appears to consider legitimate.)

2. Soka Gakkai members have Gohonzons that were transcribed by various high priests. SGI would basically take any Gohonzon it could get, simply to have one to hand out to a new member. (And yet they object to people downloading a Gohonzon from a website, printing it out, and enshrining it.

3. The eye-opening ceremony was not necessary, and in fact it was usually done on statues and painted images, not Gohonzons.

Yes, this is all the truth -- until SGI decides to tell its members something different.

Well, there ya go. Just like TVs, cars, and cell phones, you need have some way to mass-produce "happiness machines", eh?

From the link tsukimoto posted, I found this site here.

This article here is pretty damning as far as SGI is concerned. This article has a list of red flags that are common in Buddhist cults. Guess what? SGI has all of them!

For your reading enjoyment:

[www.buddhistchannel.tv]

Quote
Nichijew
We look upon Daisaku Ikeda as the Devedatta of the modern age and the third of the Three Powerful Enemies described in the Exhortation to Hold Firm Chapter [13] of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin teaches in the Opening of the Eyes, one of his two most important writings:

I think I would have to agree with wakatta1 here. As much as you, Nichijew, may believe that your path chosen is the right one I believe this forum is not the right one to warm up sectarian divides with you said, he said and such an suchlike head has to be broken into seven pieces etc....
I hope you get me right what I am trying to say. Most of us want to discuss the cult we all have been a part of.
To be honest I am sick of people calling each other devadata and so forth … those conflicts are typical for Japanese Buddhism these days and even though I do consider myself quite knowledgeable on philosophical issues on Nichiren Buddhism I do not consider this site to be the appropriate one to discuss them.
I am still a Nichiren Buddhist but it has been that verbal warmongering that caused me to rethink SGI and finally leave it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2010 02:57PM by Rothaus.

Dear Rothaus;

Nearly everything anyone has ever posted here proves our assertion that Ikeda is the Devedatta of the modern age. For those here who don't know the story of Devedatta, he was a the cousin of Shakyamuni Buddha and a learned monk who had memorized all the teachings and practiced the 250 precepts. He held a grudge against Shakyamuni Buddha. He plotted to kill him because the Buddha was revered while he felt slighted. Ikeda too, a most learned man, attempts to appropriate the rightful place of Shakyamuni Buddha. Does this not, in the light of Buddhism, make him the Devedatta of the modern age?

Buku

Hi Nichijew,
In your eyes this may be so and who knows even in mine at times. But to base ones argument on religious grounds is in my opinion a slippery road. I have witnessed this use of somewhat medieval vocabulary far too often when SGI was beating the drums against NST. I may not agrre with Nichiren Shoshu but I can base my arguments on a philosophical level but also on one without referring to Buddhist principles, analogies and metaphors.
As I said I am still a Nichiren Buddhist and all those "battles" between SGI, Nichiren Shshu, Nochiren Shu or the group you are a member of do not interest me. To me Nichiren gave a means to practice the Lotus Sutra and thereby underlining the incredible amount of appreciation the Lotus Sutra holds for life and our abilities as human beings. I do not want to indulge too much though, as I said I do not believe that this forum is the right place to do so.
To me SGI and Ikeda are a business and cult that show just some minor differences to lets say Scientology. And I would hold no grudge against anyone who after their SGI experience leaves Buddhism behind as the foremost important reason for this forum is to heal.
So please do not get me wrong and I do not doubt your good intentions. Its just that to me using a religious motivated argument to show the dangers of SGI is like to replace one evil with another.

Quote
wakatta1

As a Chapter Chief I enshrined and unenshrined Gohonzons, and the rules were to keep it upright when you rolled it up, don't breathe on it when you do, and place it in it's envelope and perhaps even wrap the package in a scarf against the possibility of it being handled by soiled hands. That is what I did with my big Gohonzon when I returned it to the temple near Chicago. That was that.

Wakatta1

Thank you Wakatta for this tip. Is there any other protocol in regards to storing a Gohonzon, and also taking it down?

I joined SGI way after the SGI split from the temple. I am wondering if anyone can tell me if there is any focus on shakabuku, or is this an Ikeda created idea. Thanks.

Dear Rothaus;

The SGI can be battled on many fronts. They claim to be the one true Nichiren sect and this claim should be evaluated in light of the teachings of Nichiren. They give the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren a bad name by virtue of both their secular and religious behavior. Many of us believe their aberrant behavior derives from their aberrant religious faith. Secular and religious realms are fused at the most fundamental level. In the Lotus Sutra this level is termed, "Thus". It would be shortsighted to discount the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren in evaluating the SGI's history, behavior, structure, practices, faith, implications [influences], and especially the means to expose their errors so they are never repeated and the people can be spared the grief we experienced. Some have gone so far to call what we have experienced at the hands of the SGI, "spiritual rape". Nichiren teaches, "all who enter the battle are on the front lines." Although Nichiren never actively sought the help of non-Buddhists and non-Lotus Sutra Buddhists in his battle with the provisional sects or even in his battle to stay alive, he would never turn away a sympathetic ear or protector.

The SGI employs both secular and religious [non-Buddhist] authorities and intellectuals to prove the "righteousness" of their cause. Let us not turn away those who can contribute to the cause of opening eyes to the evils of the Soka Gakkai. I believe I have something to contribute from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren.

Nichijew

Hi Nichijew,

I do understand where you are coming from and the reasons for the way you put your argument forward. Nevertheless I regard this as a forum which serves several purposes:
- to offer a place of exchange for people who have undergone similar experiences
- to offer a source of information to those who
a.) are in SGI
b.) thinking of joining SGI
c.) who know people (loved ones) in SGI
Especially for people in b) and c) a secular approach is in my eyes much more helpful as they are unfamiliar with the jargon in use. Its just a thought about the intentions of this forum or what I regard the intentions might be – maybe I am wrong. Having said that I find it hard to declare any 'right' or 'wrong' when in comes to matters of religion to the extend that if religious matters fail to meet standards of the secular world (i.e. laws, human rights, physiological and mental well-being ) then those issues become a 'wrong'.