Donald Shimoda

Current reflections...

Seems every time I write it’s about study.

I like study, I like to study.

Our new SGI study direction is, hands down, a continued improvement over previous programs. Everyone I’ve spoken to shares this feeling. Our Study Journal, Living Buddhism, is now an utterly more sophisticated publication than it’s predecessor Seikyo Times.

A bi-monthly journal, Living Buddhism now contains two months worth of study. The March-April edition has in it both study sections #11 for March and #12 for April. Oh, the joy of a numerically indexed program!

It is becoming clear to me that in official publications the truly controversial topics of Nichiren Buddhism are left out. We don’t refer to the Daigohonzon any longer, nor the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo. These sorts of holdover doctrines from our previous affiliation are still out there, but they’re mostly sitting on the shelf collecting dust.

Soka Gakkai International is focusing these days more on what I believe in my heart is our most valuable treasure, our tradition of practice and our tradition of member care. This is what I believe to be the true Soka Spirit, the spirit of introducing others to Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and continuing to help them learn how to practice this wonderful law.

We in SGI have some hugemongous (my kid’s term) challenges ahead of us. Our fear of the internet, our incongruence regarding Buddhist history and our evolving awareness of how to effectively run a world-wide religious corporation. If you’re been IN SGI, you can see these things evolving, slowly but certainly.

More and more we are developing a true Soka organization. Not a Japanese one, but neither soley an American one, rather a true Soka organization”. It’s a long time coming, and has a long ways to go, but I have faith we will all get there.

Donald Shimoda

On practicing in the Soka Gakkai

Well, study for 2008 is off and running. The new Living Buddhism study series seems much more “grown up” to me, especially looking back to the old NSA days. SGI spends quite a lot of time discussing the Lotus Sutra in this period, something we didn’t do before.

Interestingly to me also is that mention of the Buddhism of Nichiren Shoshu is very much in decline. Members still talk about things they are familiar with, such as the Daigohonzon, but official publications mention it rarely if at all. In the March-April 2008 Living Buddhism Nichiren is referred to as follows;

“Bodhisattva Superior Practices. Having received the heritage of the Law from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, is a bodhisattva who appears in this actual saha world as an ordinary human being. In order to realize the Lotus Sutra’s ideal of universal enlightenment, is necessary for him to not only practice the ultimate Law of cause and effect for attaining Buddhahood but also to embody it in his own life as a human being, and to then convey it to others in the Latter Day.”

For those of us who have practiced in NSA/SGI for awhile, we know how revolutionary an explanation such as this is, especially to be found in an official SGI publication.

Our view and beliefs in Nichiren’s Buddhism is evolving, this is clear. Certainly not fast enough for some, but too fast for others, as is the way of life. As the years have flown by, and especially after 1990 and the split with our former priesthood, I have tried to keep up on the goings-on of the other Nichiren sects, no easy task to be sure. To begin with I, like most Gakkai members, had no clue previously there was such a diversity of Nichiren groups in the world, both priest-based sects and lay organizations.

Clearly no group receives as much criticism than does the Soka Gakkai. Needless to say this can be hurtful to someone such as I who has been practicing in intimate districts and chapters for nearly 3 decades. One thing I’ve noticed, and which truly troubles me, is the effort to which many go to in order to criticize and oppose SGI-USA.

If there was one thing that could be pointed to as a cornerstone of SGI, in my opinion that would be “practice”. It’s what we do that perhaps other groups don’t, though obviously I intend that only as a literary generalization. Soka Gakkai’s tradition above all others is a tradition of practice, daily practice, practice for self and others, practice for Kosen Rufu. In the end its all practice.

Many of the more “orthodox” groups seem so intent on NOT being SGI that they overlook what I believe is a very simple truth, that in order to truly experience Nichiren’s Buddhism, the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra, one must practice. Without practice, chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo often to the Gohonzon (or without), Nichiren’s Buddhism in this modern age really seems more like an esoteric and obscure belief system grounded in ideals and values from medieval Japan. This of course is my opinion only.

I have met and talked with former members who have tried to practice in other Nichiren sects. It’s not in my nature to brow-beat them or refute their actions, but in my conversations I have noticed a disconnect - a sort of missing link - in their new found “faith”. Their Gakkai training, the training that taught them to chant consistently, study, have discussion meetings and practice for other’s happiness seems to leave them subtly “dissatisfied” with their new groups. Yet many members suffer from experiences in the Soka Gakkai that make it impossible to continue to be members.

As a Gakkai leader it’s difficult to admit this, especially in writing. One thing I have had to accept is that not everyone will be able to practice in SGI. No doubt it’s the fault of inept leaders like myself. All I would wish for those who chose not to practice Nichiren’s Buddhism in the Soka Gakkai is not to become so opposed to SGI that they are unable to benefit from our most basic of values - the value of practice.

Cheers all!

Don

Master and Disciple Relationship

Mentor and disciple relationship. If memory serves I recall first hearing this principle in the late 80’s. It was introduced as the “Master and Disciple relationship”. Members, not sure which members, just “members’ threw a conniption fit. Actually I am surprised that my spell check program actually has the word conniption in it. Funny that.

Again if I am recalling correctly it had been said that Black American members had been angry or at the very least uncomfortable with the term “Master and Disciple” mainly due to the American meaning of the word Master. The term was quickly changed to Mentor and Disciple. It always seemed to me to be missing something in the translation. Master to me has always denoted someone who has mastered something, someone perhaps higher level than a mere Mentor, but Mentor works well too.

Suddenly out of no where everything I hear from SGI-USA has Mentor and Disciple in it. I personally have never had an issue with the thing - it always made perfect sense to me. I’ve had many Mentors in my life, and Pres. Ikeda is certainly my Buddhist Mentor. Nonetheless the over-use of the term seems to be drawing out caution, weariness and even suspicion from my members, some of whom are wondering “whats up with that?”.

So what IS up with Mentor and Disciple? I really don’t know, and I wish I did.

Since the last study review “Mentor and Disciple” has taken on the sound of a gospel, maybe even the formation of a new religious canon. Let’s review that word;

Definition of the word canon;

a rule or body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy

Recently Greg Martin explained, in regards to hypothetical or actual members who had asked him if the Mentor and Disciple relationship was something new created by SGI-USA, that the Mentor and Disciple relationship was really the basis of Buddhism, stemming all the way back to Shakyamuni.

I’m ok with this - mostly. The principle of Mentor and Disciple could be said to be the basis of many things, including virtually ALL religions so I don’t know why he even brought it up.

In short, why the big fuss about Mentor and Disciple? I ask this both of the membership who have become suspicious AND the leaders who are using this self-evident concept and slogan as the very cornerstone of our movement for Kosen Rufu?

So whats up?

Don