For the original see this link:
http://www.sokaspirit.com/f_wrestlinghtm.htm
I read Greg's essay, and found that while I thought it was a good essay and expressed his own opinions and those of our organization well, I couldn't leave it alone. It was such a good essay that it provoked thoughts. Indeed it has led me to revise my own thoughts on the subject. I had to think, if this essay seemed so reasonable why did it's conclusions seem to jar with reality? The more I think about it the more I realize that there are specific logical and religious errors involved. And that resolving these issues is the key to really understanding and defeating the "Three Powerful enemies."
Initially I took exception more to the specifity, , because while I could believe that "Nikken" could be a manifestation of the "Three Powerful Enemies" that is a far cry from saying that he "is the third powerful enemy." That is just confusing general principles with individual human beings. It is mistaken and worse, dangerous to ourselves, to see Nikken Abe as more than a specific case of a mistaken priest. My initial case was that while Nikken may in some respects qualify for the tag of "third powerful enemy", he also sometimes fits the tag of the "second powerful enemy" and in other ways doesn't qualify at all because his group dissassociated itself from the Gakkai and so in some ways is no longer our concern. But the more I study the subject I've come to realize that it isn't even that simple. To follow my reasoning at this point you'll have to read my essay The Three Powerful Enemies and I
Even if you grant the notion that Nikken has channeled the influence of negativity, I still have some critiques of Greg's exposition, and I'll share them with you here. After I started writing this I realized that this essay is not so new. It is, indeed, somewhat dated. That makes the critique a little less fair, but more to the point.
First of all, I share his first point. It is only by our behavior in freeing ourselves of "negativity" that we "make the third enemy appear." Greg Says:
These powerful enemies do not appear at times when no advance of kosen-rufu is taking place. They only appear when votaries of the Lotus Sutra have emerged and are advancing kosen-rufu. They appear to interfere with those efforts. The appearance of these enemies is actual proof, that kosen-rufu is indeed being advanced....It is this passage that I have to take issue with. As I point out in my other essay, the "appearance" of something in response to some cause doesn't mean that it wasn't already there. It was rather like the results of developing a photographic image. The image is already there, it just needs to the workings of the right "chemistry" to make it show it's true nature. Nichiren's argument, which is true, doesn't make the converse true. That is, just because we see evil or "using" teachers and religious people, doesn't mean they weren't there all along. If so, Nichiren would have confined his critiques to living teachers and not gone after the "wise men of the past" such as Jikaku Daishi or Kobo Daishi. If the arousal of counter forces were really proof that one's own teachings were valid, then the persecutions that Honen Daishi encountered should have convinced Nichiren to stick with chanting the Nembutsu as he had been taught as a child acolyte. Every religion through history has tried to justify their teachings in their perverse manner. It just ain't that simple.
Now I would hold my tongue here, because I really do think we are facing the three powerful enemies and "fundamental darkness" in our practice. Except that I've come to believe that these forces are just a wee bit more difficult to excorcise than using holy water and crosses, or daimoku and "close the temple campaigns" would lead one to believe. The reason is that "fundamental darkness" is at work in all of us, and it is indeed in this conflict. Just not the way the "fighters" would like people to believe. Nichiren believed that internal conflict was a signal that people were believing and propagating lies, and the fact of the matter is that is indeed the root of this situation. I love Greg, he is making the case like a good soldier, but frankly the rise of the "Three Powerful Enemies" in our lives only appears to be so frightening if we are frightened by it and don't see that such negativity was there all along. It's not an indicator of anything at the moment, because I'm still not convinced that we have "taken such great care" that fundamental darkness isn't still knocking at our own doors.
Greg quotes this passage
Neither non-Buddhists nor the enemies of Buddhism can destroy the Buddha's True Law, but the Buddha's disciples definitely can. As the sutra says, a parasite in the lion's bowels will devour the lion. A man of great fortune cannot be ruined by his enemies but only by those close to him." (MW1, p. 35)And:
These passages from the sutras speak of powerful enemies of the True Law. And such enemies are to be found not so much among evil rulers and evil ministers or among non-Buddhists and devil kings, or among monks who disobey the precepts. Rather there are those great slanderers of the Law who are to be found among eminent monks who appear to be upholders of the precepts and men of wisdom. (MW 3, p.183)
Then Greg says:
Hence the Daishonin predicted that as kosen-rufu advances, the third powerful enemy of the Buddha, Sensho Zojoman, would appear without fail. He stated that priests revered as saints and respected by the general public would induce the secular authorities to persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
Then he tries to draw this conclusion:
In light of these passages in the Gosho, it is clear that the Third Powerful Enemy has indeed appeared in the form of Nikken, the high priest of the head temple, in order to destroy the path of kosen-rufu. Working-in cooperation with government authorities, he conspires to destroy the True Law. He is the third of the Three Powerful Enemies...
But the problem with the logic of the above statement is that while that description may apply to priest Nikken, it also applies in a more universal sense. We have been insisting that lay folks can fulfil some of the roles of monks (such as performing weddings) that also implies that we can be (expecially those of us paid by organizations) greedy standins for monks, fawning and devious "leaders", ignorant layfolks, or people perceieved as sages who look down on ordinary practitioners. The defining definition of the third powerful enemy is a person who is "poisoned" by arrogance. When Nichiren said that the "devil of the Sixth Heaven" had entered the minds of good sages turning them into evil sages, he was referring to people whom history records as kind, decent, even enlightened people. The devil is in the details, or more specifically in the teachings. And I have seen people showing signs of all the characteristics of the three powerful enemies, in all walks of life. I have also fought those traits in myself.
Greg continues:
...The recent efforts by the LDP party in Japan to revise the religious laws in an attempt to obstruct the religious activities of the Soka Gakkai is living proof that everything the Daishonin warned us about has come to pass. Those advocating this revision have publicly declared that it is intended to destroy the Soka Gakkai and that they are motivated by the desire, to retain political power. It is also now known that these individuals are working closely with the April Alliance which has Nichiren Shoshu priests as active participants. It is also widely understood that behind the scenes Nikken is working closely with this group. Power, fame, and fortune are the motivating factors. It is very clear that Nikken is the Third Powerful Enemy that the Daishonin warned us about.
Indeed the countervailing case can be made. The April alliance was convinced that our Third President was the Third of the Powerful enemies and was using religion for political purposes. I don't see him as embodying the "king devil" and I don't see Nikken as such either. The Gakkai was opposed because of it's involvement with politics and because it's long standing effort to shut down, close, or crush it's opposition from Nichiren Shoshu, the press, or reformers, offended the sensibilities of the "Tabloid Press" and the priests. Nichiren Shoshu was indeed guilty of trying to destroy the Gakkai, fortunately they failed. Unfortunately all the rhetoric convinces me that we have not been innocent of seeking to "defeat" Nichiren Shoshu. In 12th century Japan everyone would have called for a debate and the winner would have been accepted by everyone, but in these days and ages often times it is hard to tell who is righteous and who is not. If the motivations of the "April Alliance" were to crush Nichirenism I might be moved to see this as a manifestation of the "Three Powerful Enemies" but it was a purely political fight, and this is proved by the shifting alliances. The LDP made peace with the Gakkai and apologized for giving them a hard time last year. The opposition was purely convenient all along. From what I understand most ordinary Japanese fear the Soka Gakkai and are afraid if it ever took power it would try to force "true Buddhism" down their throats. We feel differently. But if the Gakkai gives that appearance to ordinary people, could it be something wrong with what we are doing and not simply some diabolic influence?
Rather, the very effort to make the case that Nikken was something diabolical was also a manifestation of fundamental darkness. Nichiren Shoshu has some very specific mistakes in their teachings. These teachings evolved over 700 years and didn't originate only with Nikken. The really diabolical thing is that he probably understands this better than anybody, but goes along with it because it is convenient to his interests as "head of the sect."
Greg next writes:
Similarly, the Nikken sect lost faith in the Daishonin as the True Buddha of the Law. Let me illustrate. In the publications Nikken prints the following:
Greg next provides these quotes:
Correct faith lies in absolute, faith in and strict obedience to the High Priest [Dai-Nichiren (Special Edition);p.13]
Nikken possesses the entity and function of the Dai-Gohonzon. [Letter from senior priests to top Gakkai leaders, Se-pt 6, 1991]
In the past the Buddha and the Law were in the forefront and the priest, Nikko was in the background. But, since the Daishonin has passed away the high priest should be in the forefront and the Buddha and the Law in the background. [Letter from senior priests to top Gakkai leaders, Sept. 6, 1991]
One should never worship anything as a Gohonzon that has not been authorized as such by the High Priest who has inherited the Heritage of the Law, even if it was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin himself... ["Soka Gakkai Counterfeits the Gohonzon" Document].
I hate to say it, but while all the above quotes may seem new, they are rather old dogmas. The first one was often parroted by Gakkai leaders prior to the split. I guess that would have made them the first and second of the powerful enemies during that time [since we fawned and flattered them during that time, shared the till at Sho-Hondo and insisted that our lineage was the only correct lineage and only correct faith]. These doctrines that Greg is quoting are truly awful products of a 750 year lineage that has often had to depend on child priests and had to survive interfering lay-families, persecution, and priests who were also inlaws in contending clans.
But then Greg goes on to say:
They no longer view Nichiren Daishonin as the True Buddha, but rather as a provisional one for 700 years ago who has been replaced by the High Priest who is now the Daishonin of Modem Times and who now must be called His Holiness. They have turned the concept of the True Buddha upside down, completely misunderstanding the meaning and significance of the Daishonin's existence. Because of this fundamental error they misread the Gosho and postulate such erroneous doctrines as priests are superior to mere lay believers and the High Priest is infallible.
Like many religious teachers, Nichiren Shoshu would say that their high priest is the Daishonin's representative. If they deny that Nichiren Daishonin is the "True Buddha" they are in good company, since Nichiren consistantly insisted he was the "votary of the Lotus Sutra" and that particular doctrine developed over time from the Nikko School's correct insistance that Nichiren was fulfilling the role of "Bodhisattva Superior Practices."(Jogyo Bosatsu) While Nichiren shoshu dances around this issue, they have done so for some 500 years. Nichiren never asked to be put on a pedestal anymore than our third President has insisted that he be put on a pedestal. It is indeed an error that the High Priest should feel so insecure that he seek refuge in his robe, but that doesn't make him the third of the powerful enemies. He is only fooling a few people. Most of the people I know who are with the Temple are there because of the behavior of the Gakkai not because of any special admiration or veneration for priests. Indeed they respect priests but don't feel any compunction to pay any more attention to these notions than we do to the notion that one can have a media mentor. The other trouble with Greg's argument is that it was pretty close to true "prior split" and so is a case of closing the barn door after the horse got out.
Without doubt Nichiren Shoshu, once the true Buddhism of Nichiren, has degenerated into another heretical Nichiren sect which has betrayed the Daishonin's intent. Although our former fellow members who follow him practice the same as they did with us, little by little the pure faith in Nichiren which they learned from President Ikeda and the SGI is overturned and polluted as they turn toward faith in the High Priest. Once this poison penetrates their lives, their faith is poisoned and they cannot produce benefit. This poisoning of their faith occurs gradually without their awareness.
I can't speak about the "poisoning" of the faith of Hokkeko members, but the sheer amount of negative effort directed at Nikken by our own group seems to be driving off nearly as many. And here you see part of the reason. Greg gives credit to President Ikeda for teaching us "faith in Nichiren" when faith in Nichiren has always been pointed back to the Lotus Sutra and the Dharma embodied in the Gohonzon -- by Nichiren. Not in himself. We received benefit when we practiced the way Greg defines it, though certainly there had to have been problems or we would not have seen so many defections of members over the years. I rather think that 1991 was like someone waking up the next day after a hangover and realizing that the wonderful time he was having was with too much booze and not enough wisdom. If Nichiren Shoshu were that much different now from what it was I'd feel differently.
The Daishonin's Buddhism, due to the tenacious and painstaking efforts of the members under President Ikeda's leadership, has spread throughout the world. In contrast to this, Nikken is preaching that the basis of practice must be the high priest instead of the Gosho and the Gohonzon. Only by looking at one reality it is crystal clear that Soka Gakkai is the only organization of correct faith where members can enjoy true benefits. The Nikken sect, having deviated from the path of correct faith -- the path of kosen-rufu -- is in other words practicing heretical teachings (faith). Thus, there will naturally be real benefits even though they chant to the same Gohonzon.
The Nichiren Shoshu maintains that it is the "only true sect" of Nichiren's teachings and that people are connected to Nichiren through the current high priest and the Dai-Gohonzon. Greg is asserting that this connection is only through the Gakkai and Ikeda. How are these assertions to be reconciled with the reality of Nichiren's teachings? What is the "Third" of the powerful enemies is manifesting itself in both of them at times? Couldn't it not be fundamental darkness that prevents them from talking together to resolve their differences and keeps them at war with one another? Is not there fundamental darkness in any manifestation of Negativity?
Greg quotes "The Daishonin states,"
"When truth and error stand shoulder to should and when Mahayana and Hinayana dispute which is superior. At such a time, one must set aside all other affairs and devote one's entire attention to rebuking slander of the Law. This is the practice of shakubuku." [MW 5, p. 103]
"However, if there is one who can cause others to awaken to and take faith in a teaching such as [the Lotus Sutra], then he is their father and mother, and also their good friend. This man is a person of wisdom". [MWS, p. 167]
He then says:
When the great slander of the Nikken sect and the justice of the Soka Gakkai stand shoulder to shoulder in dispute, at such a time, as the Daishonin states, those who set aside every thing and devote their entire attention to rebuke the slander of the Law will receive the great benefit of enlightenment. In this light, if we are to consider ourselves to be Daishonin's disciples, then this battle against Nikken is not unrelated to us. We must consider it as our own struggle, our own direct problem concerning our own enlightenment.
Here Greg is on more solid ground. Except it isn't a battle against Nikken at all, but a battle to master and share Buddhism. Nikken's views would never have gained currency if the Gakkai itself were correctly teaching the Lotus Sutra teachings of Nichiren. This is not a dispute between "Hinayana and Mahayana" but a dispute between rival schools of Nichiren's teachings. And therefore if one were going to quote from Nichiren's writings it should be in this regard. Nichiren says in On Flowers and Seeds":
The rice plant flowers and bears grain, but its spirit remains in the soil. Therefore, the stalk sprouts to flower and bear grain once again. The blessings which I, Nichiren, obtain from propagating the Lotus Sutra will return to Dozen-bo. How sublime! It is said that if a master has a good disciple, both will attain Buddhahood, but if a master fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell.
If master and disciple are not of the same mind, they cannot accomplish anything. I will elaborate on this point later.
You should always talk with one another and surmount the sufferings of life and death to attain the pure land of Eagle Peak, where you may agree to speak in one mind.
The sutra reads, "They will display the three poisons and appear to cherish misleading philosophies. This is the means by which my disciples save the people."
Be sure to keep in mind what I have stated thus far.
Nichiren admonished his disciples to always discuss Buddhism together so that we can eventually be of "one mind". He didn't say we would always be of one mind on every particular. Indeed the above passage implies that there will be disagreements. One meaning of "Fundamental Darkness" is also "Mara" or illusion, and another name for this "devilish function" is the "Deceiver." It is by discussing Buddhism honestly that we can "surmount our sufferings." Discussing Budhdism honestly means that we should not be angry when we meet what seems to be a "misleading philosophy." After all they could be right and we could be wrong. Rather, we should follow, as Nichiren himself did, and as President Ikeda advocates, the spirit of dialogue. Expecially with other Nichiren believers. We should neither be bamboozled by their apparant wisdom, nor should we look down on them if they happen to know less than we do.
Anyway My point is that, seeing Nikken and our former sect, as "the manifestation of the three powerful enemies" is a position of ignorance, and so is itself a manifestation of the Three powerful enemies.
Links have been built into the paragraphs. Here is a link to Greg's essay:
http://www.sokaspirit.com/f_wrestlinghtm.htm