Opening of the Eyes
Daisaku Ikeda's remarks at the Hawaii Community Center, March 10, 1981
Buddhism in Action, By Daisaku Ikeda, 1984 ed., pages 273-274. All Rights Reserved.
One of the criticisms was about the way Nichiren did Shakubuku. They said it was too severe and uncompromising, and that was why he invited many persecutions. He and his disciples, should be well advised, they claimed, to propagate Buddhism more gently. Those ignorant disciples who had no faith failed to realize that shakubuku is the very practice that Shakyamuni Buhha had taught them; instead they catered to the "mild" practice which they considered to be more acceptable to the people. They did so in their own interests, not for the sake of Buddhism. They lost sight of the Buddha's guideline of shakubuku, the practice of true Buddhism in the Latter Day of the Law, and finally took to criticizing Nichiren Daishonin, their master in Buddhism.
However, such criticisms were only based on the superficial understanding of common mortals which is incomparably inferior to the understanding of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. Rather than rep- rimanding them, Nichiren Daishonin describes the cowardice, timidity and ignorance of those disciples as "pitiful."
Today, a similar situation has arisen. Faithless disciples criticized High Priest Nikken, who is the only legitimate inheritor of the Law as the "emissary" of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. Those who for whatever reasons criticize the high priest are traitors against the orthodox lineage of Nichiren Shoshu.
SGI World Tribune
June 28,1993, page 4:
"They [the priesthood] are enemies of Kosen-rufu
and enemies of Buddhism who seek to render the Buddha's words meaningless.
For this reason, we must resolutely crush them. Between the
Buddha and devilish functions, there is no middle ground..."