Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post Reply
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

So...

I just heard that SGI built a new hall at their headquarters in Shinanomachi, Tokyo, in which they've enshrined a Nichiren inscribed mandala. As far as I know, they have not revealed how or when this mandala was acquired, except to claim that they've had it for a while... It seems they're suggesting that this mandala is the THE mandala inscribed for Kosen Rufu...

Sigh.

All they have to do is rip the bandaid off and be done with the trap of Shoshu doctrines for good. Instead, they put on a new spin and double down, guaranteeing another generation of doctrinal stagnation.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
amoranic
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:37 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by amoranic »

Can you elaborate on the importance of this specific mandala and on the trap of Shoshu doctrine ?
jiyu-no-bosatsu
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:35 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by jiyu-no-bosatsu »

Queequeg wrote:So...

I just heard that SGI built a new hall at their headquarters in Shinanomachi, Tokyo, in which they've enshrined a Nichiren inscribed mandala. As far as I know, they have not revealed how or when this mandala was acquired, except to claim that they've had it for a while... It seems they're suggesting that this mandala is the THE mandala inscribed for Kosen Rufu...

Sigh.

All they have to do is rip the bandaid off and be done with the trap of Shoshu doctrines for good. Instead, they put on a new spin and double down, guaranteeing another generation of doctrinal stagnation.
Which hall are you referring to Q? The Daiseido or something else?
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

amoranic wrote:Can you elaborate on the importance of this specific mandala and on the trap of Shoshu doctrine ?
amoranic wrote:Can you elaborate on the importance of this specific mandala and on the trap of Shoshu doctrine ?
I'm not sure which mandala you're referring to when you say "this specific mandala". You mean the one Soka Gakkai enshrined in their new hall? As far as I know, the only details that have been released is that its a Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren which has been in the possession of Soka Gakkai for a while. As far as I know, this Gohonzon is not cataloged in the Gohonzon-shu.

What I mean by "trap" of Shoshu doctrine is their unique interpretations of Nichiren's teachings, particularly as it concerns the Three Great Secret Dharmas. This is also related to their identification of Nichiren as the Primordial Buddha. Nichiren Shoshu identifies the ita-mandara enshrined in the main hall at Taisekiji, which they call DaiGohonzon (大御本尊 Great Gohonzon), as the Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren for all humanity. They assert that this DaiGohonzon is to be enshrined at the Ordination Platform of the Primordial Gate (本門の戒壇 honmon no kaidan). Its a trap because it specifically and exclusively localizes the Ceremony in the Air. Moreover, this place sits squarely in the possession of a particular group who adorn themselves with these doctrines and objects to claim exclusive lineage and authority. This is, in my view, incompatible with Nichiren's authentic teachings, and its incompatible with the Lotus Sutra. If you accept these doctrines, it "traps" you into a particular and very limited narrative, which will in turn trap and limit your practice and liberation, and limited liberation is not liberation at all, now, is it?

If you're curious about Shoshu, their doctrines, and the controversies surrounding them, google it. I have no appetite for rehashing all this stuff.

Let's make a clear distinction before going further. Soka Gakkai is not Soka Gakkai International. They are of course related, but if you practice with Soka Gakkai, you are practicing something different than Soka Gakkai International. Soka Gakkai is Japanese. It is infused with traditional Japanese Buddhist culture. Politically, it expresses itself as right of center. Outside of Japan, its a different animal.

Soka Gakkai used to be one of the lay associations recognized and accepted by Nichiren Shoshu. Back in the late 1960's/early 1970's, Soka Gakkai built a hall to enshrine the DaiGohonzon at Taisekiji called the Sho-Hondo. It was insinuated at that time that this building was the Ordination Platform of the Primordial Gate which Nichiren had directed to be built. I don't think this was ever officially stated, but it was a prevalent view. It goes without saying that Soka Gakkai revered the DaiGohonzon as what it was claimed to be, the Gohonzon dedicated to all mankind for Kosen Rufu (widespread propagation).

Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu of course acrimoniously split in the early 90s.

This put Soka Gakkai in an awkward position of still upholding Shoshu doctrines, but being separated from this sacred object of devotion. Spiritually, they've been unhinged. The linchpin of their doctrine was removed.

Well, its been nearly a generation since the split. Arguably, Soka Gakkai has lost it focus on spiritual life, and detrimentally, I believe, directed its energies into national politics. I'm speculating, but I think they realize this and are trying to refocus their energy on their spiritual mission. It hasn't helped that their charismatic leader has been incapacitated for more than 10 years during this spiritually adrift time.

They've now built this Daiseido - translates as "Cathedral" - which they call "The Hall of the Great Vow". In Japanese Buddhism, formal vows are made on ordination platforms. Whether officially stated, it is clear that this hall fills the same conceptual place the ShoHondo once filled. It is, in their words, to be a center to focus their energies on Kosen Rufu, and that's more or less the same sort of language once used to talk about ShoHondo. In this Cathedral, they've enshrined a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon. They've actually finally admitted after all these years that the so-called DaiGohonzon at Taisekiji is not what it is purported to be and are insinuating this Gohonzon into the same conceptual space that the DaiGohonzon once filled for them. This is not a doctrinal parallel, but the means of access to the hall, by reservation, is pretty much the same process we used to go through to visit the Sho Hondo.

Here is the thing. Soka Gakkai was built within the Shoshu doctrine framework. Its entire spiritual motivation is molded and formed by Shoshu doctrines. They cannot wholly abandon the framework without also undermining the mission around which they were formed back in 1945. If they abandoned Shoshu's doctrines completely, Soka Gakkai would likely splinter and dissolve. There would be a lot of disillusioned people. Unfortunately, for those who follow its doctrines, it keeps them inside of a narrative confine that more or less is the same as Shoshu except that the Abbott of Taisekiji is replaced by the Soka Gakkai presidents, the Sho Hondo is replaced by the new Cathedral, and the DaiGohonzon is now this Nichiren mandala enshrined at the hall, etc. Their spiritual path is likewise limited - it is trapped.

I have nothing but goodwill toward the people of Soka Gakkai. I very regretfully left my fellows in Soka Gakkai because the trap was stifling my spiritual life. It disappoints me that the path they've chosen is to affirm these limiting doctrines. That said, I can see this as a drawn out weening. Another generation or two and maybe they'll work it all out.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
amoranic
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:37 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by amoranic »

Thank you for a very clear explanation.
User avatar
rory
Posts: 1574
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 8:08 am
Location: SouthEast USA

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by rory »

Interesting topic...as an outsider I'd think they'd need this Gohonzon even more, as Ikeda will be gone and what will they have to keep them together? So that they don't turn into a Nichiren Shu clone. I think an enshrined Gohonzon would be the glue and then Int'l members could make Tozan again. I've heard very nostalgic stories about this from my old Soka Gakkai -NSA friends.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
Ryuei
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:35 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Ryuei »

Two comments that spring to mind:

Who knows what they are thinking in Japan, but I don't think Soka Gakkai needs to worry about being a Nichiren Shu clone. There are many other lay groups of Nichiren Buddhists who hold doctrines and practices compatible with Nichiren Shu but who are able to maintain their own identity while still having good relations with Kuonji on Mt. Minobu. They even make pilgrimages there. The thing is that each of these lay groups has its own style and way of doing things and that will appeal to those who just don't feel affinities for more traditional structures, but that doesn't mean incompatibility on a doctrinal level.

As for being a Nichiren Shu clone, I don't even think the various temples and lineages within Nichiren Shu are clones of each other. Toward the end of my training for ordination at Kuonji we, the trainees, visited various temples nearby including Kitayama Honmonji (founded by Nikko Shonin) and they each had a different style, esp. the latter.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

rory wrote:Interesting topic...as an outsider I'd think they'd need this Gohonzon even more, as Ikeda will be gone and what will they have to keep them together? So that they don't turn into a Nichiren Shu clone. I think an enshrined Gohonzon would be the glue and then Int'l members could make Tozan again. I've heard very nostalgic stories about this from my old Soka Gakkai -NSA friends.
gassho
Rory
When I wrote that Soka Gakkai would likely splinter and dissolve, I overstated the case. It might splinter, to some extent, but on reflection, it is unlikely to dissolve - at least not anytime soon. Soka Gakkai I think has long since reached a critical mass in terms of membership and resources such that it is likely going to be around for the long haul. They've endured through what is likely the greatest threat to its institutional viability ie. the schism from Nichiren Shoshu. They are a very powerful force in Japanese politics - The coalition with the Komeito (Soka Gakkai's political arm) is the reason the Liberal Democratic Party is able to hold power. Soka Gakkai has gone from fringe group to Japanese institution.

The interesting thing, as an observer, is to see what it will be in this next phase. We will probably not see another charismatic leader in the mold of Josei Toda or Daisaku Ikeda again - Japanese institutional culture dynamics have set in which will preclude the emergence of a leader with so much influence. The growth phase has been over for more than a generation, and the hangover of that energetic time is clearing. When Ikeda passes, and that is probably imminent, that will be the punctuation mark.

As for Tozan, Shinanomachi, the section in Tokyo where Soka Gakkai has its headquarters is as bland and uninteresting as the blandest parts of Central Tokyo. There are few trees, let alone parks. Just ribbons of asphalt and concrete buildings. Maybe its upgrading little by little, but its basically ugly, post-war Tokyo without the kinds of innovative architecture that is going up in other parts of the city. Hardly an inspiring environment. And Soka Gakkai architecture is positively awful. Sho Hondo was a beautiful, awe inspiring structure, and Taisekiji sits in a rural landscape on the slope of Mt. Fuji providing a view that simply can't be replicated. Also, its not really Tozan (which literally means climbing the mountain). Its a pilgrimage of sorts, but pilgrimage without the purifying experience of getting to the pilgrimage site. It would presumably entail a coach flight of over 10 hours, and then buses and/or trains through a futuristic urban environment - Its on the main train line through Tokyo. I don't think pilgrimage to the Cathedral will be inspiring the same kind of feelings as Tozan to Taisekiji once did. Maybe some other experience providing for some comparable spiritual impact.

If you are a Nichiren Buddhist, and want to do a pilgrimage, I would recommend visits to Kominato (where Nichiren was born and first chanted Daimoku), Kamakura (where he spent much of his public life), and/or Minobu (where he retired). Within Tokyo there is Ikegami Hommonji where Nichiren passed away, or Hokekyo-ji, the temple founded by Toki Jonin where Nichiren gave a 100 day lecture on the Lotus Sutra after getting chased out of Kamakura.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

Ryuei wrote:Two comments that spring to mind:

Who knows what they are thinking in Japan, but I don't think Soka Gakkai needs to worry about being a Nichiren Shu clone. There are many other lay groups of Nichiren Buddhists who hold doctrines and practices compatible with Nichiren Shu but who are able to maintain their own identity while still having good relations with Kuonji on Mt. Minobu. They even make pilgrimages there. The thing is that each of these lay groups has its own style and way of doing things and that will appeal to those who just don't feel affinities for more traditional structures, but that doesn't mean incompatibility on a doctrinal level.

As for being a Nichiren Shu clone, I don't even think the various temples and lineages within Nichiren Shu are clones of each other. Toward the end of my training for ordination at Kuonji we, the trainees, visited various temples nearby including Kitayama Honmonji (founded by Nikko Shonin) and they each had a different style, esp. the latter.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Nice to "see" you here, Reverend. :smile:

Just want to express agreement with your point about the diversity of Nichiren Shu. It really does seem to me more like a loose confederation of Nichiren temples and believers than a monolithic sect with a single set of doctrines and beliefs.

I would also disagree with the suggestion about Soka Gakkai turning into a "clone". In the West, the largest Nichiren group, SGI, comes from the Nichiren Shoshu, which in turn is one of the more stridently sectarian Nichiren groups. Another vocal group is the Kempon Hokke, or whatever the splinter group is in the US - another extremely sectarian group - so much that they can't seem to help splintering into sects of one. This fact I think tends to create a particular image of Nichiren Buddhism in the West as a bunch of virulent sectarians ... Tasmanian Devils of the Buddhist world who can't stand even their own species. This is unfortunate. The broader Nichiren community in Japan I think has a generally mellower attitude. Even Soka Gakkai has mellowed. Suggesting that it might become a clone carries seems to suggest some negative assumptions. If Soka Gakkai starts to look more similar to other Nichiren groups, I would suggest its because we all draw from the same basic source - Nichiren, and his writings. I think it would be much more healthy for our community in the West to give up this sectarian mindset and adopt the mindset that things like the Nichiren Shu confederation tends to encourage which is a mutual respect acknowledging that we share the common goal of seeking to live the life of votary of the Lotus Sutra. As the Bodhisattvas of the Earth were a diverse bunch with various appearances and practices, so should our community allow for such diversity.

I would add, my understanding is that the Nichiren community in general has cordial relations for the most part transcending sectarian lines. Scholarly correspondence basically has no lines, and even Soka Gakkai regularly contributes. Most groups are able to put their differences aside for these common purposes. Nichiren Shoshu tends to be one of the more obvious exceptions.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
illarraza
Posts: 1257
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by illarraza »

Supposedly a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, the viewing of which [by outsiders] they suppress more than the revelations at Fukushima by virtue of Japan's State's Secret Law.

Illarraza
Myoho-Nameless
Posts: 520
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:00 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Myoho-Nameless »

Why is it important to have a "THE gohonzon" like this at all?
"Keep The Gods Out Of It. Swear On Your Heads. Which I Will Take If You Break Your Vow."- Geralt of Rivia
illarraza
Posts: 1257
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by illarraza »

Myoho-Nameless wrote:Why is it important to have a "THE gohonzon" like this at all?
I would imagine because the members are questioning why they have a Nichikan rather a Nichiren Gohonzon. Both Nichikan and Nichiren's teachings are antithetic to the Soka Gakkai's though for different reasons. By all rights, they should have an Ikeda inscribed Gohonzon.

Illarraza
illarraza
Posts: 1257
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by illarraza »

Myoho-Nameless wrote:Why is it important to have a "THE gohonzon" like this at all?
Perhaps I didn't understand your question. There is the Nin-Gohonzon or statue arrangement Gohonzon that is equally efficacious. However, the scroll Gohonzon was preferred because, during persecutions, it could be removed, hidden, and protected readily.

Illarraza
Myoho-Nameless
Posts: 520
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:00 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Myoho-Nameless »

what I mean is, why do people see fit to have an extra special gohonzon in some extra special temple or center somewhere. the whole "dai gohonzon" idea, the extra special specific one in an extra special specific place which is more extra special than mine, or even more so than the ones used in lay member's homes. what makes one gohonzon better than another? and why do they feel the need to make one out to be? I just don't get it. I can't help but feel like its a dependency thing.
"Keep The Gods Out Of It. Swear On Your Heads. Which I Will Take If You Break Your Vow."- Geralt of Rivia
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

Speculation: to establish a material proof of metaphysical claims derived from a particular interpretation of "specific" and "general" teachings.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
illarraza
Posts: 1257
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:30 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by illarraza »

I agree with you both. Still, why would anyone prefer a Gohonzon or copy of a Gohonzon inscribed by someone other than the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin, someone without incontestable bona fides?

Illarraza
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

illarraza wrote:I agree with you both. Still, why would anyone prefer a Gohonzon or copy of a Gohonzon inscribed by someone other than the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin, someone without incontestable bona fides?

Illarraza
So, Doc, that's the thing... they've enshrined a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon in their new cathedral... I haven't read it, but the Soka Gakkai study department circulated a statement explaining why this is OK (after years of denigrating Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, other than the ita mandara at Taisekiji). They've also apparently begun to distance themselves from Nichikan Shonin... though, they assure the membership, the Nichikan Gohonzon distributed in the past are still valid and fine. Gohonzon are Gohonzon, apparently.

Their evolution is curious.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14462
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Queequeg »

Myoho-Nameless wrote:what I mean is, why do people see fit to have an extra special gohonzon in some extra special temple or center somewhere. the whole "dai gohonzon" idea, the extra special specific one in an extra special specific place which is more extra special than mine, or even more so than the ones used in lay member's homes. what makes one gohonzon better than another? and why do they feel the need to make one out to be? I just don't get it. I can't help but feel like its a dependency thing.
Some more thoughts - I've mentioned some of these points above -

1. To have a material/geographic focus point for the group. I don't think this is necessarily a bad or pernicious thing. In the Pali Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the Buddha explained that his relics should be distributed among the laity to be enshrined under stupas for the benefit of the laity. He also explained that four places of pilgrimage should be established for the benefit of the laity. People could visit these places and experience the fellowship of other Buddhists and feel inspiration that in some sense they are in the presence of the Unsurpassed Teacher. It gives people something to focus their devotion on that is common across the entire community. These things help to foster the community consciousness, which is beneficial for the propagation of the Dharma. To suggest that such a place is fundamentally superior to any other place of practice is problematic, but as an expedient, it has purposes beneficial to the Dharma.

2. I don't think Soka Gakkai is suggesting that this Gohonzon in the cathedral is superior to any other. This particular Gohonzon has however been dedicated to the eternal prosperity of the dharma. It can certainly serve the symbolic purpose intended. If people go there and feel inspired to perpetuate the dharma - then I think the place has fulfilled its purpose. The science of ritual. Ritual can be an amazingly empowering activity.

3. Nichiren Shoshu's claims about the DaiGohonzon are of a different nature than Soka Gakkai. Nichiren Shoshu claims the DaiGohonzon actually is what they claim it to be. Soka Gakkai implicitly suggests that this is the purpose to which they have chosen to dedicate this Gohonzon - that this is a deliberate choice.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Myoho-Nameless
Posts: 520
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:00 am

Re: Soka Gakkai built a new hall...

Post by Myoho-Nameless »

Sounds reasonable I suppose. The problem is me, its not a thing I click with. Whatever works for others though....
"Keep The Gods Out Of It. Swear On Your Heads. Which I Will Take If You Break Your Vow."- Geralt of Rivia
Post Reply

Return to “Nichiren”