| NST | heritage | Sokagakkai | Kenshokai | Fuji School | Daisaku Ikeda |
| Kechimyaku | lineage | Master Disciple | High Priest | Nikken Shonin | Nichiren |
Introduction
The Shoshinkai are one group of Fuji School believers and priests who are pitted against both Nichiren Shoshu and also against the Sokagakkai. They originated in a three way dispute between young disciples of Nittatsu Shonin, the Sokagakkai and Nittatsu's successor, Nichiren Shoshu's then new high priest Nikken Shonin. One tabloid version of the story is that the "evil" Yamazaki manipulated some young priests into getting themselves excommunicated but the truth is a bit more convoluted. The truth is there are a lot of tabloid versions of the story and some of them contradict one another. I first heard about the Shoshinkai in a booklet that was mailed to my home called "Toward Our Common Goal of Correct Faith." When I read the book at the time I was pretty pleased at the way the Gakkai youth division was "fighting" the "sin" or "hobo" of slander by "dealing with" the "evil monk" Reverend Kando Tono who was at the center of the weird things going on in New York City. In truth, the weirdness from Japan has no place here. When I read the booklet again years later however, I realized that the pamphlet embodied the same weirdness. Neither Tono nor the pamphlet were aimed at anything like "right thinking" or "correct faith" -- they were about religious politics. Although I don't think any of the partisans involved realized this themselves. For them the issues were important. Failure to follow the "correct teaching" as defined by their own masters could lead to the paths of hell.
The Future Shoshinkai priests, called themselves what they did because they believed they were a "true faith group" (Sho Shin Kai) -- as opposed to other groups who were entirely too liberal about traditional matters. These priests more mostly young priests who considered themselves direct disciples of Nittatsu Shonin. These priests were offended because their deeply held traditional understandings of Nichiren Shoshu doctrine and practice, were being challenged on the one hand by the Gakkai's popular and therefore somewhat "liberal" attitude towards study and faith issues, and on the other hand by the new High Priests insistance that they shut up about these things.
In 1978, in November, Nittatsu Shonin had commented on the friction between the Gakkai and the priests as follows:
"There certainly has been friction between Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai during the last several years. As you know this recently developed into disturbances. In the light of the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin, it obviously is a very unfortunate thing to continue to see such a plight. Allowing it to linger will not only make us a laughing stock but also result in destroying Nichiren Shoshu itself."Nittatsu later was, ironically, quoted from in the Publication "The Correct Path of Faith" published by the Gakkai to "refute" allegations made by the American Priest Kando Tono. In 1979 Nittatsu Shonin made Ikeda, Hojo, and Mr. Tsuji, all make apologies for their misbehavior.
Nittatsu might have thought that was enough, but if he did he was sorely deluding himself. The apologies were not seen as legitimate by many of the senior leadership of the Gakkai. Instead they were seen as a power driven humiliation of the senior Gakkai leadership and as reflecting the "arrogance" of the priests. Instead of resolving issues, these apologies led to an "uchi iri" campaign of vindication in which the Gakkai began to "train up" leaders who would fight the priests the next time they came into conflict and not bow down to them.
The Japanese members knew all about these events. Nittatsu wasn't exaggerating when he called them things that made a "laughing stock" out of Nichiren Shoshu and the Gakkai. Nevertheless, The material came as a surprise to us members with the February 5th World Tribune. Our Japanese teachers had mostly been trying to insulate us from the insanity in Japan. They wished to paint a saintly picture of Ikeda and an at least sanitary picture of the priests. I can't vouch for many things that Craig Bratcher has saved, but these articles I remember reading, though the exact dating had become hazy with time. You can read them at these links (if they don't work -- sorry, websites come and websites go):
- Nittatsu's speech
- Mr Tsuji's words
- Mr Hojo's words
- President Ikeda's words
Even so, by the beginning of 1979 the dispute between the Gakkai and the priests of Nichiren Shoshu had come once again to a head. There is just no hiding forever the fact that the head of one's religion is fighting with the head of one's lay organization. Ikeda "did the right thing" and resigned his position in order to "keep harmony" with the priests. Some priests were not satisfied with that. They wanted the Gakkai disbanded. They didn't trust the Gakkai to make good on promises or to teach Gakkai members to be loyal Nichiren Shoshu Members. The Gakkai taught it's own flavor of Nichirenism and was in hot water for playing fast and loose with Nichiren Shoshu dogmas and for teaching their own doctrines which seeme to them to make Ikeda almost into a saint superior to Nichiren himself.
Nittatsu Shonin in March of 1979 at the "Danto Convention" he gave a speach in which he documented the cause of these disputes. For him the key error was this one, Nittatsu said:
It was around 1975 that a few people in the Gakkai published a booklet entitled, Hi no kuni (Land of Fire). A passage in this text clearly states:
"The President is a Buddha."By promoting the President as a Buddha they were acting very like a cult, and endangering the lives and livelyhoods of people who might act erroneously based on trust for a man, who after all, was basically only fundamentally different from other members in that he was head of the organization. Moreover, this was a doctrine, that aside from being false and "reifying", is one that makes a direct challenge to the authority of the high priest. Reifying teachers isn't just a mistaken doctrine, it is the kind of mistaken doctrine that leads people to follow someone like lemmings off of a clift. Elevating teachers to the status of Gods or immortals is one of the causes of suffering in this world. To such followers it is a way of setting aside their own ego. But in reality it is a way of subsuming one's ego into a great beast of an ego of a group. It is difficult for anyone to live up to the kinds of expectations and unreality that develops around such "gurus" or "mentors" -- therefore it inevitably leads to deluded behavior, often by entire groups. Nittatsu had to take action.(see nittatsu.html for more)
In January of 1979, Nittatsu Shonin, in a fiery speech (follow link for full text) said:
"There are more than three hundred young priests here. Some of these priests come from families of priests, some are from Hokkeko families, but the majority are from families who were originally members of Soka Gakkai. These priests have pointed out the Soka Gakkai's errors, and, together with you, have formed the Danto in order to protect Nichiren Shoshu. Such sincerity is profound. This I wish you to recognize, because true Kosen-rufu must be accomplished based on the fundamental spirit of Nichiren Shoshu."
"There are still some priests, however, who are seemingly unconcerned that erroneous doctrines are being spread. They are, in any case, priests within Nichiren Shoshu, and so, with forbearance, I am simply protecting them. I hope you will understand this point, but that you will continue, from this time onward, to pursue and refute erroneous doctrines, thus protecting Kosen-rufu of the Daishonin's true teaching. This is the very manifestation of sozoku itchi [oneness of priests and lay believers]. I want you never to forget this."
...."To regard the Dai-Gohonzon as the center, to focus our faith upon it, to realize the condition of attainment of Buddhahood together with one another, to bring this teaching to those who do not know if it, assisting one another, and spreading Nichiren Daishonin's teaching into the tens of thousands of years of Mappo, into the eternal future - these things are Kosen-rufu. Thus, for the sake of Kosen-rufu, it is disastrous that the Daishonin's teachings should be mistaken, even slightly. From this time forward, I want those of you who have become aware of such things, even a bit, to spread the true teaching toward Kosen-rufu, without taking mistaken steps off the path of the Daishonin's Buddhism, arm in arm with these young priests who are here today."
Nittatsu was very angry. It wasn't just that the Gakkai was teaching that the President had the buddha nature in him, something that true buddhism teaches everyone has, but that they were teaching a teaching that was flawed and dangerous.
These speeches forced President Ikeda resigned on April 24th 1979. He would later write about it in his essay "Stormy April 24th" placing most of the blame on the attourney Yamazaki, who had once been a "direct disciple" and protege of his. He also seems to have blamed the late High Priest Nittatsu Shonin, the Late Fourth President Hojo and just about everyone involved, except himself; even though in his resignation speeches he took the blame for "our excesses."
Ikeda also reveals his inner feelings in a later essay called "A New Revolution Dawns" in which he made quite clear what his feelings were. He vowed to get justice/revenge. But I'm getting ahead of the story.
One would think that the dispute between the Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu had been somewhat settled by having President Ikeda resign and the top leaders of the Gakkai take responsibility for their "errors and deviations". Nittatsu seems to have felt that an apology would be enough. In the same speech in March 1979 alluded to above he also says:
We, the priesthood, have no intention of crushing or dismantling the Gakkai. Over the years the Gakkai has become prone to making mistakes in the Nichiren Shoshu doctrine. We merely wish to correct their mistakes and bring them back to the pure faith of the old past days.This word "pure faith" was to become the name of the spin off group the "Shoshinkai." Perhaps Nittatsu thought things were settled when Ikeda resigned in April. Alas it was not to be so easy.
The main reason for things not settling down is that unfortunately for Nittatsu, and even more unfortunately for Nichiren Buddhism and Nichiren Shoshu, the peace of the Gakkai with Nichiren Shoshu, and for Nittatsu Shonin Nittatsu died suddenly, in July of 1979, before the dispute had even been fully reconciled. This was really unfortunate for a number of reasons. For one thing Nittatsu hadn't designated a formal successor a "Noke". And there weren't any retired High Priests to perform a proper transfer ceremony. A legitimate successor might have required an election, or a found transfer document, or something. The second reason Nittatsu Shonin's death was unfortunate is that his successor decided to "wing it" while there were all these fired up young and idealistic monks ready to challenge him. And that is what they did.
Just before Nittatsu died, Nikken Abe had visited his death bed. At least that is Nikken's story. Nikken had quite a bit of power. He was head of the Study department and the leader of a large wing of related monks (literally related -- Nikken claims descent from one of the branches of the Nanjo Family and his father was also a controversial HP). Thus Nikken made sure that he was the only person in with him when he died, and he came out saying that the heritage of the law the "face to face" transfer and the "golden utterance" had been transfered to him. Since no one else had a claim on the position that was any better -- or had been allowed in to see Nittatsu as he died -- it was his word against that of a dead man. Nikken was supported by one faction of priests, opposed by others, and needed help if he was to keep his new job.
Nittatsu had both asked his priests to Unfortunately Nikken felt he needed the Sokagakkai to protect his new position as High Priest against factions that would oppose it. And of course the Gakkai needed an ally in Nichiren Shoshu. Things were still far from settled between the Gakkai and the priests. There were some priests who felt more should be done. They didn't believe the protestations of the Gakkai that it would correct its practices and doctrines. These were people who took seriously the admonitions of Nichiren that people should follow the Law and not person. The notion that the high priest was an infallible messenger of Nichiren was the farthest thing from their thoughts.
The future Shoshinkai priests had had little reason to trust Nikken, the new high priest. He was ambitious and had a strange reputation. Even though he'd been head of the Study Department, it seems Nittatsu didn't trust him either (and if you read the Kawabe Memo you can see the feeling was mutual). Nittatsu had never formally designated him, nor anyone else, formal successor. Thus his death was a disaster for the efforts of the young priests to either bring the Gakkai in line with what they felt was "correct faith and doctrine" or to excommunicate them, as Nikken would eventually do some ten years later. Reverend Tono tells us that they simply had some questions about his succession. Nikken insisted that he didn't have to answer such questions.
Nikken needed the support of the priests. He forced the Gakkai to make a parade of apologies and to have an apology Tozan in the fall, but he didn't move fast enough to satisfy the Shoshinkai priests. They formed the Shoshinkai group. By the following year (1980), This is what Reverend Fujimoto says:
On August 24, [1979] however, the Shoshinkai ignored all the advice and warnings it had received and brazenly held its convention of direct temple believers at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo where it fiercely criticized the Gakkai.
The Shoshinkai priests also asked questions about the legitimacy of Nikken's heritage. They wanted to see proof of some of the traditional outer symbols of that transfer. Nikken, instead of providing those proofs, issued an ultimatum:
The priesthood was inevitably forced to discipline the priests who attended this meeting, according to the by-laws of Nichiren Shoshu. The disciplinary procedures were varied according to the degree of involvement of each of the priests.
From there the results could only be downhill. Neither the Gakkai nor Nichiren Shoshu are Democratic organizations. They are governed by hierarchies. In a hierarchy the twin paradigms of the Peter Principle and loyalty trumph any common sense or real justice. One of the reasons for the revenge stories that make up so much of Japanese History is that most questions are rarely settled fairly by elections or in courts. Authoritarian leaders tend to suppress dissent instead of dealing with it fairly or with genuine consensus.
"Protesting against this disciplinary action, the Shoshinkai brought the matter before a legal court. In the process, the Shoshinkai priests made reference to the notes of Masatomo Yamazaki, an attorney who was formerly a Gakkai member, which were published in a weekly magazine in December of 1980. Based on those notes, they implicated that Nikken Shonin's Heritage of the Law was questionable and presented him with a letter of inquiry."
Religious Politics and Self Interest
According to folks from the Gakkai, they were also frustrated that they weren't sharing in the growth in membership and income that the Gakkai was showing. According to that version of events, the priests were frustrated that an organization of some 10 million members should not deliver the two hundred temples promised the priests, nor find room in its activities for more than symbolic participation by the 600 or so priests of Nichiren Shoshu. According to that view they were afraid that they might not be able to share in the growth and eventually receive their own temples and communicants. The Gakkai had shifted in 1979 from supporting the construction of new temples, to building more community centers.
Land Deals and Wagoso
"Correct Faith" For more on the subject you might want to read it.However, the anti-clerical attitude of the Gakkai probably contributed to both the blow up with the Shoshinkai and their eventual divorce from Nichiren Shoshu. The Gakkai limited the priests to participation in weddings, funerals, and an occassional ceremony. Outside Japan they tried to enforce a firewall between the priests and Gaijin members. Priests abroad were forbidden to give guidance, and were discouraged from participating in Gakkai activities. The priests went along with this because they got paid. There is a saying in Japan that the "nail that sticks out gets hammered down." As can be seen by what the Gakkai and NST tried to do to the Shoshinkai, this is no metaphor. But it is still a shame that the priests went along with this and that the Gakkai had such little respect for them (and for us Gaijin members) as to think they could continue such a deal indefinately. Other Nichiren groups have reached much more harmoneous solutions to such tensions. Nevertheless the priests developed personal relations with many members anyway. And when NST and the Gakkai split us "Gaijin members" were forced to chose between the two groups. Some chose NST.
Given the rhetoric of "support the priests" and "harmony between priests and layfolks" that we received from the Gakkai at the time this always seemed strange. In the light of other Nichiren groups who successfully intermesh priests, laypriests and layfolks, such as the Rissho Koseikei this seemed strange at the time. But the facts later came out that the leaders of the Sokagakkai despised priests on principle and is now trying to do without them entirely, on the premise that they are all "incorrect priests. But at the time of these occurances, the official rhetoric was that priests and layfolks had different jobs but had to work together in harmony.
About a year after the Reverend Kando Tono was expelled in 1981, this booklet was sent to the members:
The irony of this expulsion, is that most everything they complained about with regard to the Gakkai came to be complained about by the Nichiren Shoshu, with the exception of the principle of "Not follow the high priest if he goes against Buddhism" which Nichiren Shoshu conveniently reinterprets. Likewise, all their complaints about the High Priest and the legitimacy of his inheritance, came to be championed by the Gakkai ten years later, only more so. Thus the irony that the prosecutor and champion of the authority of the high priest during this period (1979-1989) should be the Gakkai, which later was to face the same sort of attack from the high priest and then turn around to be even more anti-high priest than the Shoshinkai ever had been.
The Shoshinkai priests may include some very bitter human beings. But in retrospect, they probably knew what they were getting into. After all they could hardly expect gratefulness for questioning the two most powerful groups and people in their own religion. Being right is not always a good thing for your career ambitions. I somehow don't think Ambition was what motivated them. The Shoshinkai may have been vindicated in their views but you will never see either the Gakkai or Nichiren Shoshu admitting that. In this country the issue is best exemplified by the case of Reverend Kando Tono, who was excommunicated for refusing to follow the High Priests orders and allow himself to be recalled to Japan. He, according to one legend, would rather drive a cab in Brookland than apologize for his efforts on behalf of "true faith."
Links and Further readings
- More on NST related Issues,
- Literal Proof, SGI related issues, The temple issue
- Priest Kando Tono, and his experiences with NSA and Shoshinkai
- At this link a priest answers questions about why the Shoshinkai exists and still exists:
- http://www.geocities.com/ufound/Answerstoquestions.html
- Typical post about Yamazaki and the Shoshinkai, from "Nichiheret".
- Artie Shaw (Myodog) sometimes defends the Shoshinkai (which used to mean slamming both the Gakkai and NST, but now mostly just NST), here is a typical dialogue on the
- subject at link:http://groups.google.com/groups?q=shoshinkai&hl=en&group=alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren.*&safe=off&rnum=7&selm=35832F19.B8C95E35%40dcdu.com
- also:
http://www.geocities.com/chris_holte/Buddhism/IssuesInBuddhism/ArtieExplains.html- Artie provided material from a speech by Nittatsu Shonin
- Reverend Tono talks about Gongyo and the "oral" origins of NST teachings:
- http://www.geocities.com/chris_holte/Buddhism/IssuesInBuddhism/tonoko.html
- A number of Hokkeko, SGI and NST members have discussed the Shoshinkai.
- Reginald Carpenter:
- post from him:http://groups.google.com/groups?q=shoshinkai&hl=en&group=alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren.*&safe=off&rnum=1&selm=23679-3A791020-104%40storefull-115.iap.bryant.webtv.net
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sokagakkaibuddhism
- messages: 8820,8820,8829, have interesting discussions.
- Nichiren Shoshu
- http://www.cebunet.com/sgi/histsplit.htm
- Gakkai:
- http://http://members.aol.com/nichiheret/masatomo_yamazaki/shoshin.htm The same page as the "Nichiheret" post as a webpage.
- A little bit of more official background on the Shoshinkai issue:
- http://www.homestead.com/Affirm/Allegation7.html
- http://www.udumbarafoundation.org/ is a group affiliated with them that has a nice home page
- Other readings:
- http://sokagakkai.info/html3/news3/newsletters3/00newsltrs3/n3_000325-f.html
- http://www.nichiren.com/upe20001205.htm
This page will make more sense (I hope)as I fill in details from my previous research and such. I also plan to embed real footnotes. Ultimately the Shoshinkai were expelled from Nichiren Shoshu for criticizing the High Priest, but they also criticized the Gakkai. Some of their criticisms were based on the dogmas of Nichiren Shoshu, some of them were later echoed by the entire of Nichiren Shoshu. Some of these priests may be seedy manipulators, but they also could have had some valid concerns. Those concerns were dealt with in an authoritarian way in the end.