The Truth about NST (Nichiren Shoshu Temple) on the internet Foul Behavior online This section examines the malicious and aggressive methods used by Nichiren Shoshu in its campaign against the SGI. Well look at their activities on the newsgroup ARBN, and examine (broadly) some of its more massive websites. This will entail an examination of the methods and character of its primary webmaster, his relationship to the priesthood itself, and his similarities to a rather shady group in Japan. A Nichiren Shoshu member recently asked her temple representative about what the Temple is doing on the Internet. She posted the answer: I quote YOU, temple rep: Dont go on the internet, we have members who have been on it a very long time and they know what they are doing. — ARBN post, Thursday, May 31, 2001 2:12 AM Dont be fooled: Nichiren Shoshu has a calculated stake in the Internet; its priests are involved (despite protestations that they are not); and, as we see from the above, they dont want even their own members jumping in to gum up the works. Nichiren Shoshus activities on the Internet are marked by aggression, cunning, persistence, and the ability to adopt a most innocent persona. It is continually caught with its hand in the cookie jar, and continually is ready with a detailed story of how someone else forced its hand into the cookie jar. Its presence and all of the above attributes — can be witnessed most keenly on a newsgroup, alt.religion.Buddhism.Nichiren (ARBN). ARBN was established by a member of another Nichiren sect, for the purpose of constructive dialogue among all who purport to follow the Daishonins teachings; it was actually called, in its inception, Nichiren Believers Unite. For at least five years, however, the culture of ARBN has been defined by Nichiren Shoshu. There is no dialogue; there are only attacks on the SGI. As an illustration of the nature of Nichiren Shoshu, ARBN is very revealing. The NST members claim is that it is the SGI who is attacking, out to destroy Nichiren Shoshu; while the temple members just want to be left alone to practice their own religion in peace. Since about the middle of 2000, very few SGI members participate there. One would think, then, that with little input of any kind from the SGI, ARBN would become a discussion among Nichiren Shoshu members about the benefits of practicing their religion. Think again. In the ten days from March 2 through March 11, 2001, only two SGI members posted more than two messages, and only four posted at all. None of their posts had anything to do with Nichiren Shoshu doctrine, activities or members: one significant thread had to do with nomenclature for a type of Gohonzon scroll, and the other had to do with ARBN itself, and its hostility to open discussion. SGI members totaled 36 messages — and even this is stretching it, as one of the posters has declared his opposition to the SGI and especially to his local organization. Counting him, though 36 messages originating from SGI members. In the same period, there were 317 posts by Nichiren Shoshu members, of which 168 were unprovoked messages about President Ikeda, about the editor of the World Tribune, and about an SGI member who doesnt post to ARBN. Ten of these were refutations of articles taken from Gakkai publications (not posted by SGI members to ARBN; the temple members had to go looking for them), and 30 were responses to messages posted to SGI members message boards. These boards are supposedly just for SGI members, but the temple members invade, read, and exploit them by responding on ARBN (where, of course, the original poster has no idea he/she is being refuted or, as in most cases, merely mocked). A typical thread is one entitled About This Newsgroup. The first existing message (the thread had started before the 10 day window, and the first few posts had already been dropped by Usenet — about which more later) was about this: Im not naive. I understand whats up with the SGI leadership. They do sometimes expend what I consider to be too much effort on the anti-temple thing. But, as Ive said, Ive never seen or read anything or anyone advocating any sort of destruction or violence towards temple members or property. Its not militant by any means. As for the skits, theyre no more hateful or harmful than any Saturday Night Live skit about George Lee Dubya. Its called parody. You continue to prove my point that NST members consider it shakubuku when an NST member tries to get someone to join NST. But, when an SGI member does it, its considered harassment. Does that make sense? Nah. Is it fair? Nah. But hey...sense and fairness do not seem to be the cornerstones of this here newsgroup. Sense and fairness are what I consider to be important aspects of Buddhism, however. That is what led to my original comments. There were 48 responses to this — 41 by Nichiren Shoshu members, all of them attacking the SGI members sensibilities and his right to distinguish between the SGI and Nichiren Shoshu. Anyone who has observed ARBN for any length of time knows that at one time SGI members posted frequently — often countering Nichiren Shoshu attacks on President Ikeda, pointing out flaws and omissions in tabloid articles posted by Nichiren Shoshu, and making extensive use of the Gosho to discuss doctrine with Nichiren Shoshu members. They also have observed that when their attacks on President Ikeda are rebutted, Nichiren Shoshu members respond by re-posting the original article, or calling the SGI member a name — usually some sophomoric mutation of his/her real name. And when the Gosho is used, Nichiren Shoshu responds first with a line or two from another Gosho, for which they cannot provide context since the line was supplied them by a priest from something which has not been translated entirely into English (hence they have no idea of, and no interest in, the contextual meaning of the sentence they use). Then, when that doesnt work, they denigrate the Gosho, saying it is not the last and only word on doctrine. The temple members actually maintain that there are secret teachings from the Daishonin, available only to Nichiren Shoshu priests; and that these teachings are in fact the real last word. Finally, when they are continually called back to the Gosho, they resort to the namecalling. This is true of every Nichiren Shoshu member who posts to ARBN and meets reasoned argument — every one sooner or later devolves into gratuitous insults of their opponent. Every time. For instance, the posts about an SGI member who doesnt post to ARBN mentioned above: This person used to post to ARBN over a year ago — and made many valid comparisons of the two sects, based on history and his own observations. Nichiren Shoshu members decided that he masturbates frequently. All their responses to him had to do with hair on his hands and crude references to his body parts. For instance: Subject: Re: Is Liap a man? From: [email protected] (Cult Watcher International) Date: 4/2/99 10:06 AM Central Standard Time Message-id:< [email protected]> Just forget about it Paul. It was all my fault anyway when I started talking about Luaps hand. Thats the closest thing he has to a wife and kids and I guess it really offended him so he took revenge. Now, a year later, that SGI member is posting to an SGI discussion board. Nichiren Shoshu members can read whats posted there, and they have been taking isolated comments by this person, posting them to ARBN — and making crude references to masturbation. This is poor, innocent, persecuted Nichiren Shoshu. Nichiren Shoshu has found the Internet to be a useful tool for its relentless attacks upon the SGI. Its members deny vehemently that their activities are controlled or even sanctioned by the priests, but consider: • The webmaster of the largest site receives mail at Myogyoji Temple in Chicago (as noted through an ARBN message from a member of that temple); • By his own admission, he discusses his activities on ARBN with Rev. Kawabe, formerly of the Chicago temple and now chief priest of the Washington DC temple (according to his own posts on ARBN); • Rev Kawabe himself has sent a message to ARBN; • The three most active temple members on ARBN recently met in Spain — one lives there, one is from England, the other from America — and were singled out by the priest at the temple; • They have been given many documents that were either never translated into English — especially snippets from certain Gosho — or would have been available to only a few people within the hierarchy of either the SGI or the priesthood; • They all, every one of them, use methods that originate with the Myokanko, the lay group based at the Head Temple that publishes the anti-Gakkai periodical Emyo. Their methods include: o The repeated dissemination (i.e., spamming) of articles containing charges against the Gakkai, as if they are current, when in fact they have been disproved; o Never responding substantively to rebuttals of their charges; they respond by repetition of their original charge, or with a new and unrelated charge; o Instant and massive responses. For instance, one post by one SGI member on ARBN will, within hours, have five or six responses from Nichiren Shoshu, all with the characteristics described above; o Intimidation of those who challenge them, through name-calling, massive responses questioning the character of the respondent, and searches for and publishing of irrelevant private information about the respondent such as lifting their posts from unrelated newsgroups or copying information from their private unrelated websites); o Interference with SGI communications on the Internet So the activities are most certainly sanctioned by the priesthood, and these activities consist entirely of trying to destroy the SGI. The SGI uses the Internet to disseminate information about itself and about Nichiren Daishonins Buddhism; individual members have established discussion groups online; others have websites and still others have electronic newsletters. And, obviously, people curious about Buddhism — from students, to individuals who might want to practice, to academics — use the Internet as a research tool. The SGI has made great efforts in recent years to establish common ground with other institutions in the areas of peace culture and education; the temple does its best to sabotage these efforts. Nichiren Shoshu does have websites dealing solely with their own religion; these are generally the ones that are obviously connected to the temples. But their most active websites — the ones updated most frequently, the ones from which anti-Gakkai material is disseminated around the world — are the ones the priests allow their lay members to take credit for. These are in no way attempts to propagate their own religion. They are meant solely to undermine the SGI. ---- to be continued ----
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 01:43:53 +0000
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