Comparative Buddhism

CHRONOLOGY OF SHAKYAMUNI, THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA
(Notes by Chrisandra Davis)
Shakyamuni — the Sage of the Shakyas, World-Honored One, Siddhartha, Gautama — founded Buddhism over 2,000 years ago, around the 6th or 5th century B.C.E. Shakyamuni was born a prince, the son of the ruler of a small kingdom in northern India headed by members of the Shakya tribe. It was prophesied to Shakyamuni’s father, King Shuddhodana, that his son would become either a universal monarch who would rule the world, or a Buddha who would renounce family life and lead the world to salvation. Shakyamuni was a young man of great emotional sensitivity, a seeker of truth and justice. His father arranged an early marriage for his introspective son in the hope that he would settle down and prepare himself to succeed to the throne. But, while residing in the palace, Shakyamuni determined to seek a religious life to find a solution to the four problems of human suffering, birth, sickness, old age, and death. Shakyamuni’s decision to leave his secure upper-class environment and renounce kingship for an ascetic life was not only based on the custom of his time but also fulfilled his goal to open the path to the fundamental truth of human existence and true enlightenment to all people. 

Shakyamuni studied under several teachers of Brahmanism; mastered yoga, the art of meditation; and practiced extreme forms of asceticism. After some time, he abandoned such austerities when he realized that they merely inflicted suffering upon the body and did not lead to enlightenment. He regained his strength, broke his long fast, and determined to purify both body and mind. It was the custom at that time to meditate under a tree and contemplate immortality. Shakyamuni seated himself under a pipal tree, determined to reach enlightenment. There he underwent the rigorous “temptation of Mara.” “Mara,” or the “Evil One,” symbolizes that part of life that permeates the universe and at the same time exists within the heart and mind of each individual. Mara, whose function is to strip human beings of their power of life, wells up within a person who is advancing toward enlightenment and exerting every effort to attain that goal. The appearance of Mara and his armies before Shakyamuni symbolizes Shakyamuni’s actual state of mind — the demons that existed within his own mind — which he defeated to attain enlightenment. The large tree under which Shakyamuni was seated when he gained enlightenment came to be called the Bodhi tree, or Tree of Enlightenment. When Shakyamuni’s enlightenment occurred, “the eye of his wisdom gained sublime clarity and he sensed his life bursting open and immediately discerned the ultimate reality of things” (Ikeda, The Living Buddha). In that moment of enlightenment, Shakyamuni became a Buddha and profoundly changed the history of humankind. 

Shakyamuni’s preaching methods are categorized into four types: 

preaching according to the desires and needs of the hearers, 

preaching according to the intellectual capacities of the hearers, 

refuting and correcting the vices and errors of the hearers, and 

preaching the ultimate truth when the hearers have advanced to the point where they are capable of comprehending it.

Shakyamuni’s last words were, “Therefore you must be your own island. Take the self as your refuge. Take refuge in nothing outside of yourself. Hold firm to the Law as an island, and do not seek refuge in anything beside yourselves.”

BUDDHISM AFTER SHAKYAMUNI'S DEATH AND THERAVADA BUDDHISM (Notes by Jeff Surber)
The First Council met right after Shakyamuni’s death to accurately recall his teachings and put them in order. It consisted of 500 of his disciples including Ananda, who was known for his accurate memory. There was no written record of Shakyamuni’s teachings. The first council agreed on their recollections of his teachings and committed them to memory by reciting them. Because Shakyamuni’s closest disciples had preceded him in death, the council believed there was no one worthy of taking his place. Therefore the first council decreed that followers should rely upon the law, not the person.
 The second council occurred 100 years later when monks from the Vajji tribe wanted a new interpretation of the ten precepts that had been compiled by the first council. Some of the rules the monks had to live by seemed to be outdated and to serve no purpose. The elder monks rejected the proposal to change the rules. Because the Vajji members believed that Shakyamuni taught that Buddhism should be practiced in accord with the people and the times, the Vajjis split from the elder monks and formed a new school of Buddhism. The two schools were now Theravada (teachings of the elders), which stressed strict rules of discipline and enlightenment of oneself, and Mahasanghika, which believed in sharing the sufferings of all people and working toward the enlightenment of oneself and others. Theravada spread though southern Asia while Mahasanghika spread through northern Asia due to the influence of the cultures of these areas. About 500 years after Shakyamuni’s death, Mahasanghika became known as the Mahayana (greater vehicle) school; it referred to the Theravada school as Hinayana (lesser vehicle).

Theravada Buddhists believe that earthly desires cause suffering. The only way to escape suffering is to break the cycle of birth and death by entering another realm. The main practice is Vipassana, insight meditation. The practitioner gains insight about the desires that cause suffering. The practitioner attempts to break free from all of these desires to live a life of enlightened bliss called Nirvana. Once Nirvana is attained, the practitioner is never reborn and thus does not have to suffer. Theravadans believe karma is the effects of one’s thoughts, words, and deeds from current and past lifetimes. As long as these are based on desire, the karmic cycle continues from one life to the next. Once one is enlightened, karma ends.

Theravada Buddhists believe that becoming a Buddha is very difficult and takes many lifetimes. They are encouraged to achieve a lesser form of enlightenment called Arahant. An Arahant is enlightened, but unlike a Buddha does not teach others how to become enlightened. 

Theravadans believe that the teachings of Shakyamuni written in the Pali language and referred to as the Pali or Theravadan Canon are the most accurate Buddhist doctrines. These consist of strict rules to live by and Suttas, or teachings. The Atthakathas, or commentaries from ancient monastic elders, are also a basis for this religion. 

The body of believers is centered on a monastic community. Believers meditate together under the leadership of the monks and receive instruction on meditation from the monks. Believers also receive guidance and lectures from the monks. There are several Theravada Buddhist organizations in the U.S. Some examples are Wat Thai, which is based on Buddhism as practiced in Thailand; Theravada Buddhist Society of America, which is based on Buddhism as practiced in Burma; and Buddha Vihara, which is based largely on Sri Lankan traditions.

ZEN (Notes by Kathleen Dockett)
The noted Zen Buddhist scholar D. T. Suzuki (1964) asserts that “in Zen there are no sacred books or dogmatic tenets … Zen teaches nothing … it has no philosophy, no doctrinal authority ... Whatever teachings there are in Zen, they come out of one’s own mind. We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way” (p. 38). 

The path to Zen enlightenment (satori) involves deep meditation (zazen) focused on solving a philosophical puzzle (koan) put forth by a teacher. Solving koans such as “what is the sound of one hand clapping?” or “what is the sound of a tree falling in the forest if there is no one to hear it?” or “What was your original face before you were born?” is essential to Zen enlightenment because reaching the solution is what produces a change in the way the practitioner views reality. Thus, as D. T. Suzuki (1964) states, “Koan and zazen are the two handmaidens of Zen; the first is the eye, and the second is the foot” (p. 101). 

The goal of Zen practice is satori —  to see into the true nature of things, especially the nature of one’s own mind (Suzuki, 1964, p. 88). It is to discipline the mind to be calm and peaceful; to open the mind to a new way of viewing things. Satori cannot be taught or explained; reading sutras is meaningless. Satori can only be achieved through direct experience. It involves intuitively seeing into “one’s own true nature,” in contrast to seeking analytical or logical understanding (Suzuki 1964, p. 13). More than simply an intellectual understanding, satori must revolutionize the way one perceives, thinks, and understands the world, like a cataclysmic rebirth experience, like “the opening of the mind-flower.” Acquiring satori is “the greatest mental cataclysm (upheaval) one can go through with in life. It is no easy task, it is a kind of fiery baptism, and one has to go through the storm, the earthquake, the overthrowing of the mountains, and the breaking in pieces of the rocks” (Barrett 1956, pp. 84-85).

However, Zen Buddhism as practiced in the monasteries of the East is so different from the Zen practiced by lay communities in North America that the Americanized version is said to be at risk of “throwing the Buddha out with the bathwater” (Hori, 1998). An important difference between monastery practice (sanzen) and lay practice (zazen) is that lay practitioners receive little or no training focused on applying the teachings to daily life. Their training is likened to teaching the theory of swimming without getting into the pool. Thus, practitioners complain they “lose the effects of sesshin [intense practice] soon after they return home and that they cannot apply Zen to their daily lives” (Hori 1998, p. 63). 

Moreover, Zen Buddhism in North America, along with Tibetan and Vipassana, has been labeled “elite” Buddhism because it tends to attract practitioners of privileged backgrounds (Nattier 1998). “Most are middle and upper class Americans who have the leisure time and economic opportunity to engage in travel to sometimes expensive training sites to pursue strenuous and lengthy meditation training” (Dockett, Dudley-Grant, and Bankart 2003, p. 42). The Zen training model is less accessible to the masses than is SGI-USA Nichiren Buddhism.

TIBETAN (Notes by Barbara Kraft)
Tibetan Buddhism is the predominant religion of Tibet, Bhutan, the state of Sikkim in India, Mongolia, and parts of Siberia and southwest China. It is also known as Vajrayana, or Diamond Vehicle, and as Lamaism, a term used by Westerners taken from the name of Tibetan monks, or lamas. “The catalytic cultural process that created Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism began in the mid-7th century, when Tibet was expanding into present day China and becoming one of the major powers in Asia. Greater interaction with its neighbors on all sides brought more exposure to Mahayana and one Tibetan King, Songzen Gambo, became particularly impressed with the religion’s ability to unite so many different kinds of people in peaceful industrious harmony. According to legend two of his wives, one from Nepal and the other from China, finally convinced him to embrace Mahayana and support its spread in Tibet.... [W]hen Mahayana Buddhism infiltrated Tibet and mingled with the native shamanic religion called Bon, its Tantric elements took on far more meaning and importance. The eventual result was a form of Buddhism so distinct that it became a separate, third vehicle [Vajrayana].…  As Vajrayana grew increasingly influential in Tibet, so did the monastery as the focus of daily life, a position it retained until the mid-twentieth century” (Maguire, pp. 63-64). In the 8th century, the Buddhist monk and scholar Padmasanbhava traveled to Tibet from Northern India and established the first order of lamas; it grew steadily. 

“In the late 14th century, the Geluk lineage was established to purify Tibetan Buddhism by revitalizing its ethical standards and reemphasizing its original doctrines. Mongol patrons of this lineage declared its third head to be an incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and gave him the title Dalai Lama. It was the beginning of a succession of [14] Dalai Lamas, each another incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, who ultimately became the most powerful political as well as spiritual leaders in Tibet” (ibid. pp. 67-68). During the 1950s China invaded and occupied Tibet, causing the teenage Dalai Lama to flee to Dharmsala, a small village in India, where he has established his base.

In The Flower of Chinese Buddhism, Daisaku Ikeda explains that the Tantric Buddhism that reached China was concerned mainly with “incantations and magic formulas and had very little in the way of philosophical content.” It appears that the Tantric concept of “the true entity of all phenomena,” which is usually associated with Chinese Buddhism, was “borrowed” from the T’ien-t’ai School and added to the body of Tantric teachings. “Thus the T’ien-t’ai teachings were employed to enrich the philosophical content of Esoteric Buddhism, though without acknowledgment of the fact.”

The primary personal practice of Tibetan Buddhism is meditation. Its purpose is to achieve “mindfulness for the purpose of reducing one’s poisons or delusions and arriving at a clear state of mind — the Enlightened Mind of the Buddha” (Tibetan Buddhism Explained, www.mts.net). Worship activities include reciting prayers, reciting sacred texts, singing, and chanting mantras, all of which can be accompanied by musical instruments. Rites performed by lamas involve the use of beads, prayer wheels, prayer flags, charms, talismans, and other paraphernalia. Tibetan Buddhists say the mantra (prayer) “Om Mani Padme Hum” out loud or silently. Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect — it is often carved into stones that are placed where people can see them. This mantra of Sanskrit origin, the most widely used of all Tibetan mantras, is believed to contain the essence of the entire teaching and to allow the practitioner to achieve the perfection of the six paramitas.

The Dalai Lama explains the Tibetan view of death: “We believe, with good reason, that all beings of various forms (both animal and human) are reborn after death. In each life, the proportion of pain and joy which they experience is determined by their good or evil deeds in the life before, although they may modify the proportion of their efforts in their present life. This is known as the law of Karma. Beings may move up or down in the Kure realms, for example, from animal to human life or back. Finally by virtue and enlightenment, they will achieve Nirvana, when they cease to be reborn” (Dalai Lama, pp. 51-52).

The teacher-student relationship is designed to promote the student’s growth toward becoming his/her own authority, or in Shakyamuni’s words “a lamp unto yourself.” Jack Maguire explains this relationship: "Even in Tibetan Buddhism, where devotion to a teacher is especially emphasized, official doctrine explicitly cautions the student not to focus on the personality of the teacher as an object of hero worship. Teachers, like their grand predecessor Shakyamuni, are to be venerated for what they represent, not for who they are as individuals. Instead of blindly imitating the teacher, the student is advised to apply the teacher’s message wisely and skillfully to his or her own life" (p. 149). The role of the mentor in Tibetan Buddhism is especially significant. The “instruction of the mentor was more important than knowledge of all the scriptures and their commentaries. This is because the authentic guru, lama, master, or spiritual mentor, is the representative of the immediate applicability of the teachings to an individual who needs methods to put into practice. General knowledge of doctrine is useful but does not always come with the skill to apply it. The mentor is the key element that makes the teachings practicable” (Thurman, p 31).

The essential benefit for the believer is the attainment of enlightenment. Robert Thurman explains this state: “Everything in Buddhism follows from this single chain of propositions that the Buddha is believed to have exemplified: Life has the purpose of achieving supreme happiness through total awareness of itself and the universe” (Thurman pp. 11-12).

NICHIREN SHU (Notes by Robin Meader)
Nichiren Shu has “more than 5,300” temples in the world, including 17 in the U.S. and Canada — 5 in Hawaii, 5 in California (the Los Angeles Nichiren Buddhist Temple was founded in 1914) — and one each in Chicago, Boston (founded in 1999), New York City, Seattle, Portland (founded in 1924), Utah, and Toronto. There are 4 in Asia (Sri Lanka, India, South Korea), and 3 in Europe (U.K., Belgium, Germany) (according to Italian Nichiren Shu website, http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~nichiren/IntroNSE.html).

Nichiren Shu believes that Nichiren was a bodhisattva — a “religious prophet and reformer” — and Shakyamuni the true Buddha for all time: “For Nichiren Shu members, there is only Sakyamuni Buddha. All other Buddhas are manifestations or replicas of the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni” (Kanai, http://la.nichirenshu.org/teachings/buddhism.htm). 

The Nichiren Shu object of worship consists of statues of Shakyamuni and of Nichiren, and often statues of other beings representing the 10 worlds, placed in front of “the calligraphic form Mandala Honzon,” which can be any of several forms of Gohonzon or even simply the Chinese characters for Namu Myoho-renge-kyo (“The Daimoku [Namu Myoho-renge-kyo] by itself can stand as the Gohonzon”—Murano). The Boston Nichiren Shu temple’s website explains, “Our object of worship is the eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, and we follow the teaching of Nichiren Shonin, the manifestation of Jogyo Bodhisattva” (http://www.nichiren-shu.org/boston/). 

The Nichiren Shu practice includes 

to receive and keep the [Lotus] Sutra in each one's body and mind, 

to read the Sutra with the eyes, 

to recite the Sutra, 

to explain the Sutra to others, 

to copy the Sutra. 

The 3 treasures (Buddha, dharma, samgha) are seen by Nichiren Shu as follows: “The Daimoku is the symbol of all the Three Treasures of Nichiren Buddhism: 

“The Original and Eternal Sâkyamuni Buddha is One with the Historical Sâkyamuni Buddha,
 “The Wonderful Dharma of the Equality of All Living Beings, and
“The Samgha headed by Visistacâritra Bodhisattva, the First and Foremost Disciple of the Original Sâkyamuni Buddha” 

(from an Italian Nichiren Shu site, http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~nichiren/IntroNSE.html).

Nichiren describes the suspension of his execution differently: “Finally we came to a place that I knew must be the site of my execution. Indeed, the soldiers stopped and began to mill around in excitement. Saemon-no-jo, in tears, said, ‘These are your last moments!’ I replied, ‘You don't understand! What greater joy could there be? Don't you remember what you have promised?’ I had no sooner said this when a brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see anyone's face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated everyone like bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. The soldiers were filled with panic. Some ran off into the distance, some jumped down from their horses and huddled on the ground, while others crouched in their saddles. I called out, ‘Here, why do you shrink from this vile prisoner? Come closer! Come closer!’ But no one would approach me. ‘What if the dawn should come? You must hurry up and execute me — once the day breaks, it will be too ugly a job.’ I urged them on, but they made no response” (WND, 767). The SGI, following Nichiren, views the Tatsunokuchi Persecution as the moment when Nichiren revealed his true identity as the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.

NICHIREN SHOSHU (Notes by Rick Kulick)
In any attempt to study the doctrine and history of Nichiren Shoshu under Nikken, no headway can be made without thorough research into the idea of Kechimyaku, or the Heritage of the Law. Under Nikken, this idea has developed into a complex defense of priestly absolutism and authority. The idea in Nichiren Shoshu begins with a concept called the Lifeblood of Faith, which is transmitted through receiving the Heritage of the Law from the high priest.

The Heritage of the Law can actually be broken down into a number of aspects, starting with the Heritage of Doctrine, which includes the Innumerable Meanings, Lotus, and Nirvana Sutras. 

The next Heritage is that of Inner Realization, which involves the inner enlightenment of Nichiren Daishonin, the Dai-Gohonzon itself and the fact that the priesthood has physical custody of it, which for them signifies they have the Daishonin himself. 

The Heritage of the 10,000 years of Mappo states that the Dai-Gohonzon is the supreme object of worship for this present age of the Latter Day of the Law. There are 3 further aspects to the Heritage of Mappo: The Heritages of the Entity of the Law, of Doctrine, and of Faith, all of which center on the transmission of the teachings of the Daishonin from one high priest to the next. 

The Heritage of the Entity of the Law refers to the Dai-Gohonzon, and specifically to how it is transmitted from one high priest to another. The key phrase from the Daishonin’s writings here is that the Heritage can only be shared “only between buddhas.” Nichiren Shoshu interprets this to mean only between high priests, stating in their commentary, “Seven Teachings on the Gohonzon,” “The successive Shonin [high priests] are all without exception, Nichiren.”

The Heritage of Doctrine refers to the Gosho. In a general sense the Gosho belong to all believers in the Daishonin’s Buddhism; but unless believers accept and understand the Transmission of the Heritages through the High Priest, they will become guilty of slander and demonstrate arrogance and shallow understanding. This means further that the High Priest’s interpretation of the Gosho is the only one that believers in the Daishonin’s Buddhism should accept. To this end, Nichiren Shoshu published a complete retranslation of the Gosho, called Shinpen, in the mid 1990’s. (The Gosho translation on which SGI bases its practice was done by former Nichiren Shoshu high priest in the 1950s.) 

The Heritage of Faith for Nichiren Shoshu refers to believers in Nichiren’s Buddhism chanting together under the direction of the high priest; they further state that anyone who chants together with other Buddhists can only achieve benefit if it is done under the direction of the high priest. 
In contrast, Nichiren Daishonin describes the "heritage" or "lifeblood" of faith in his Buddhism as existing when believers “chant Nam Myoho-renge-kyo with one mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate law of life and death” (MW-1, 23). This is the view of Heritage of the Law embraced by the SGI. Also, the Daishonin writes, “Be resolved to summon forth the great power of your faith and chant Nam Myoho-renge-kyo.… Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate law of life and death” (MW-1, pp. 23-25). There is no room in this view for “entrustment to only one person,” because all believers in the law of Nam Myoho-renge-kyo are equally Buddhas.

Historically, from 1990-1993 Nichiren Shoshu under Nikken attempted to use their ideas of Heritage of the Law to prohibit members of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) from receiving the Gohonzon, by refusing to bestow Gohonzon on SGI members, and then claiming that only the Gohonzon sanctioned by a Nichiren Shoshu priest has power. Nichiren Shoshu publications state, "The sanctioning of the object of worship by the High Priest, who is the only person to be bequeathed the Daishonin's Buddhism, is what makes the attainment of Buddhahood possible" (Refuting the Soka Gakkai's Counterfeit Object of Worship, 100 Questions and Answers, p. 36, NST). By saying that the Gohonzon must be “blessed” by a priest before it can have power, Nichiren Shoshu effectively says that the priest is more powerful than the Gohonzon, a concept not endorsed by Nichiren. 

Rather, Nichiren Daishonin writes: “Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam Myoho-renge-kyo” (MW-1, 213). He also writes, "Abutsu-bo is the Treasure Tower itself, and the Treasure Tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful" (MW-1, 30). “Later in the same letter, the Daishonin equates the Treasure Tower with the Gohonzon.… The Soka Gakkai embraces the Daishonin's view that the Gohonzon is the embodiment of the Buddha's wisdom and compassion. … One's power of faith and practice to the Gohonzon enables him or her to tap the power of the Gohonzon within (http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/SokaGakkai/Study/Temple/Q04.htm). 

When the Daishonin was alive there was no institution of high priest, no Nichiren priesthood. The Daishonin, following his proclamation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in 1253, spent his entire life fighting corrupt priests and interpretations of the Lotus Sutra, so Nichiren Shoshu’s attempt to depict him as an upholder of priestly orthodoxy himself goes against the entire logic of his life. Nikko Shonin (1246-1333) composed 26 admonitions for the priests, of which Article 17 states, “Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s law and propounds his own views.” On this basis the SGI resisted the priesthood’s acceptance of the Shinto talisman during World War II, and questions the priestly doctrine of enlightenment occurring only because of the high priest’s benevolence today. 

NICHIREN BUDDHISM AS PRACTICED IN THE SGI 
(Notes by Barbara D’Emilio)

Theoretical Proof (the reasoning process and its relation to fact):

The eternity of life — one’s life/essence has no beginning or end;

The oneness — the inseparability — of life and the environment and the ability of each human being to powerfully influence both;

Simultaneity of cause & effect — each thought, word, deed has cause & effect on the individual and the environment — manifest & latent (visible/immediate)effects;

The mutual possession of the 10 worlds

All life manifests the Mystic Law (Nam Myoho-renge-kyo); to chant the Mystic Law attunes one to the perfect rhythm of the universe.

Three essential elements: practice, faith and study. 

Practice for oneself and others: Practice for oneself includes morning and evening gongyo, which consists of chanting Nam Myoho-renge-kyo as well as reciting sections of the Lotus Sutra. Practice for others means to introduce them to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Faith is the realm of life that lies beyond the intellect. When one’s limited thinking says things are hopeless, faith opens the heart to other possibilities. Study entails understanding the Buddhist teachings and being able to explain them to others. 

Gohonzon — graphic representation of the enlightened life-condition of the universe, of human life, of Nichiren’s enlightened life.

The goal of the practice is to improve all aspects of one’s life, attain true happiness and kosen rufu — world peace which includes the widespread acceptance of Buddhist philosophy as the foundation of society.

Achieving Buddhahood: Not a matter of “becoming a Buddha,” but of revealing what already exists; not a superhuman state but the process of developing one’s humanity; chanting Nam Myoho-renge-kyo enables one to grasp the mystic truth within oneself. 

Nirvana in terms of Nichiren Buddhism means to attain enlightenment while undergoing the cycle of birth and death — while living in ordinary society.

Karma: The accumulation of causes and effects, lying deep within life, which exert an often unseen influence over the present and the future; in overcoming karma one starts a chain reaction to change the karma of one’s family, community and the world.

locus of control:  the individual interconnected with the cosmos

human revolution: inner change — the law of oneness of life and its environment; SGI aspires to achieve an "environmental revolution" and a "global revolution" through the medium of "human revolution."

Which sutra the theory is based on: Lotus Sutra

Other documents valued: Writings of Nichiren Diashonin provides explanation of the basis of practice and is regarded as the “Lotus Sutra of today.”

Commentaries by Buddhist scholars:  Following Nichiren’s evaluation of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo as the most learned Buddhist teachers — having the fullest comprehension of the Lotus Sutra — to precede Nichiren; writings by the successive SGI presidents, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, Daisaku Ikeda

Actual proof means that the teachings are borne out in actual results, when put into practice, in the form of increased good fortune, protection, happiness. Benefits are conspicuous and inconspicuous.

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a worldwide movement dedicated to peace, education and culture based on the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Soka means value-creation and Gakkai means society. The international society was formed in 1975 in response to an increasing worldwide membership. This had grown from the original Soka Kyoiki Gakkai founded in 1930 in Japan by educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. Josei Toda, who regarded Makiguchi as his mentor, introduced the idea that lay believers should practice Buddhism as Nichiren taught and expanded the membership to more than 750,000 by the time of his death in 1958. In 1991 Nikken, high priest of Nichiren Shoshu, excommunicated the entire SGI membership in an attempt to destroy the movement. SGI has been able to flourish even more in its secular role contributing to peace, education and culture in concert with like-minded people.