Chapter 7. The True Meaning of Transferring the Heritage of Nichiren Buddhism

59th High Priest Nichiko Put the Issue of Heritage Transmission in a New Light
The 59th high priest, Nichiko Hori Shonin, was known as foremost in study in modern times. He was well versed in the doctrines and history of Nichiren Shoshu and was also advanced in understanding of the transmission of the heritage.

He analyzed the transmission of the heritage from three different perspectives: 1) personality 2) formalities, and 3) execution. His points were that the person who becomes high priest must have great force of character and ability in order to fulfill the role, and that the ceremony of the transmission of the heritage should be conducted in accord with some basic formalities. Also, Nichiko Shonin stated that the transmission of the heritage can be considered to be valid only when the heritage is transferred to a capable high priest of great personality, in tune with these correct formalities.

What Nichiko Shonin was interested in knowing was why does the transmission of the heritage become authoritative? His question was what about the transmission of the heritage gives it authority? Does it become authoritative because of the formality it follows or because of the authority innate in the person who receives the heritage?

Citing a case in which the heritage is temporarily kept by a third party, Nichiko Shonin asserted that if we suppose that the person who receives the heritage has authority, then the lifeblood of the heritage will not be broken, because the method used is only a formality. But if it is the formality that gives authority (not the person who receives it), then the lifeblood of the heritage is discontinued. And if authority arises from both the person who receives and the way the heritage is transferred, the water of the Law will be temporarily dried up if the heritage is temporarily kept by a third party.

Currently, Nichiren Shoshu insists that the high priest is absolute, which is based on the idea that the heritage has been legitimately transferred from one high priest to another throughout its history. But the fact is that Nichiren Shoshu’s history did not unfold that way, which undermines the very premise upon which the absoluteness of the high priest is built. Nikken himself does not fit any one of the three points that Nichiko Shonin cited.

Therefore, no matter how much Nichiren Shoshu may say that the high priest is absolute, it is no more than a self-righteous opinion.

Nikken is not a man of truth; he is a man of many lies. In this sense, he is not a qualified high priest. And he has not put forth any effort to polish his character while being high priest. He merely uses the formalities of the position to give himself authority over others.

Even a high priest, if he neglects faith, practice, and study, can easily become corrupt. Nichiko Shonin was strict in his view of the person who takes on the role of high priest. 

Nichiko Shonin’s View of the Heritage
In 1951, Nichiko Shonin made a clear statement with regard to the issue of the transmission of the heritage. In those days, the high priest of Nichiren Shoshu was Nissho Mizutani Shonin. Nichiko Hori Shonin was a retired high priest who was devoted to the publication of the Gosho. At Sekizan-so lodging in Hatakege, Nichiko Shonin stated to a priest attending him: 

“When Rev. Nitchu transferred the heritage to me, it was because I asked General Administrator Koga Arimoto (as my messenger) to tell Rev. Nitchu to transfer the heritage to me. Rev. Nitchu would not accept my request at all. Rev. Arimoto did not know what to do, so he proposed a deal to Rev. Nitchu. 

"He promised to pay Rev. Nitchu 3,000 yen, and that successfully convinced Rev. Nitchu to transfer the heritage to me. Actually, I was aware of the contents of the heritage even before I received it. To tell the truth, I did not have to buy it with 3,000 yen. I told Arimoto that, but those priests surrounding me insisted that I should follow the traditional formalities of Nichiren Shoshu. I gave in to their proposal and accepted the heritage unwillingly. A similar thing happened when Sakio took the heritage. Because Yahei Naka and other believers tearfully asked me, I could not disregard their plea, but as I expected, the contents of the heritage was nothing spectacular to a scholar like me.

"On March 8, 1927, Nitchu Shonin transferred the heritage to Nichiko Hori Shonin. The Nichiren Shoshu Assembly recommended to Nitchu Shonin that he resign in November of the previous year. Nichiren Shoshu was split into two camps, one supporting Nitchu Shonin and the other supporting Nichiko Shonin. Their confrontation was so fierce that the police had to arrest some people involved in this conflict. 

"Most of the priests sided with Nichiko Hori, and only the head of the Taiseki-ji lay believers and some powerful lay persons supported Nitchu Shonin. Almost no priests supported him. Nitchu Shonin appealed to the Religious Bureau of the Ministry of Education. With that agency serving as an intermediary, an election to elect the Chief Administrator of Nichiren Shoshu was conducted in February 1927. While Nichiko Shonin got 82 votes, Nitchu Shonin only got 3 votes. Despite his obvious loss in the election, Nitchu Shonin stubbornly insisted, “I will give the position of Chief Administrator to Nichiko Shonin, but I will not let him take the seat of high priest.

"Because of this, Koga Arimoto, the general administrator who played a chief role in supporting Nichiko Shonin’s group, proposed to Nitchu Shonin that Taiseki-ji should pay him 3,000 yen as his retirement fees. This resulted in the holding of the transfer ceremony on March 8, 1927."

An important point in this account is included in the following statement made by Nichiko Hori: 

“Actually, I was aware of the contents of the heritage even before I received it. To tell the truth, I did not have to buy it with 3,000 yen. I told Arimoto that, but those priests surrounding me insisted that I should follow the traditional formalities of Nichiren Shoshu.” 

“My Personality Remains the Same Regardless of the Rise in My Position in the Nichiren Shoshu Hierarchy”
Nichiko Shonin mentioned how he felt after he took office as the 59th high priest of Nichiren Shoshu: “I have no idea about whether I have grown in my character or as an individual, after I ascended in the hierarchy of Nichiren Shoshu or after I acquired a new title.” 

He said: “My old name was Jirin. And my new name is Nichiko. But it is certain that my value as Nichiko is the same as I was called Jirin.”

Nittatsu Shonin also once said, “There is nothing special about the heritage. You can see it all written if you read the Gosho thoroughly.” 

From these statements, the following idea (a current Nichiren Shoshu idea) seems ridiculous: “If one becomes high priest, the Daishonin’s soul of the Law occupies his life, making him as worthy of respect as the Dai-Gohonzon.”

“The heritage that Sakio took,” which Nichiko Hori refers to, denotes the heritage received by Sakio, who attended the ailing 57th high priest, Nissho, took just before he passed away. The contents of the heritage at that time are said to have been what was written by the 55th high priest, Nippu Shonin. In short, neither Nippu Shonin, nor Nissho Shonin, nor Nitchu Shonin, had more than what Nichiko Shonin knew through his own study of the teachings.

Not only that, since Nitchu Shonin was aware that he had nothing new to convey to Nichiko Shonin, it is said that he did not tell Nichiko Shonin anything about the contents of the heritage even while he performed the ceremonial part of the transmission of the heritage.

In the winter of 1951, Nichiko Shonin said:

“I have received nothing formally from Rev. Nitchu. The ceremony was very much formality-oriented. It seems that Rev. Nitchu himself did not receive the heritage from his predecessor. That Rev. Nitchu did not transfer any heritage to me came from his good, not bad, will. Since Rev. Nitchu knew that I was more versed in the teachings, he dared not tell me the contents of the heritage. 

“Even if Rev. Nissho, the current high priest should die without transferring the heritage to anyone, I will not transfer the heritage as a retired high priest to a next new high priest, for I am not that conceited. The face-to-face transmission of the heritage should be a product of faith. If you have no faith, no practice, and no study, and you act like a yakuza boss who forces his men to follow him, what in the world can you transfer to a next high priest? If I say such a thing openly, I know I will be destroying the tradition of our school that is still so small today. So I keep quiet. It is said that Rev. Nitchu exerted himself in a ruthless manner within the school. He should have stopped such indecent behavior. Rev. Nitchu was so vulgar that when he visited the Minister of Culture, he mentioned the 3,000 yen that he was promised for his retirement. What a pity that he had to mention such a secular thing as high priest!” 

“Rev. Nichiei said, ‘I’m not an inheritor of the heritage. I am just a caretaker of the heritage.’ Rev. Nichiei was great in saying so. You can perform a face-to-face transmission of the heritage only when you are a complete ‘vessel’ (meaning that your faith is complete). If you are a broken or foul ‘vessel,’ you will be nothing even if your title is high priest. Humorously, some high priests are so foolish that they don’t understand such a simple truth. The high priest is no more than a transmitter of the Law. In no way can a liar be a high priest. An insincere man can’t be a high priest either, but there will be the times in the future when a high priest will persecute common priests and lay believers without any reservation.”

Illegitimate High Priests Love To Deify Their Positions
At the beginning of his thesis entitled “A Historical Observation on the Discontinuity of the Transmission of the Heritage,” Nichiko Hori states, “It seems that the transmission of the heritage on the part of the successive high priests of our school was at times overly emphasized and at other times overly de-emphasized.” In this statement is seen Nichiko Hori’s basic view of the heritage of Nichiren Shoshu. In other words, he denies instances of both too much and too little emphasis on the heritage transmission.

Cases of too much emphasis would include such statements as “the Daishonin’s soul of the Law enters into the body of the high priest” or “as long as one has received the heritage, he is a living Shakyamuni or Nichiren regardless of his level of study or virtue.” In the eyes of Nichiko Hori, who was so deeply versed in the history of Nichiren Buddhism, these statements clearly belong to the category of sheer lies.

Interestingly, the high priest who had actually received the heritage (Nichiko Hori) is saying that the heritage he received is nothing so serious. In contrast, since Nikken did not receive the heritage, he is overly emphasizing its significance to deify himself.

While denying the unnecessary enhancement of the heritage, Nichiko Hori acknowledges the value of the face-to-face transmission of the heritage from one complete “vessel” to another complete “vessel.” In the Edo period, Nichikan Shonin appeared after the nine high priests who, coming from Yoho-ji temple of the Minobu sect, adopted the slanderous idea of building Shakyamuni’s statues and reciting the sutra to them. Nichiko Shonin contends that it is even possible that a perfect “vessel” such as Nichikan Shonin will appear again after many wrong high priests.

When Nichiko Hori states, “Even if Rev. Nissho should die without transferring the heritage to anyone, I will not transfer the heritage as a retired high priest to a next high priest, for I am not that conceited,” he is showing his humility, and indicating that he is not a complete “vessel.” At the same time, he is expressing his absolute confidence that the transmission of the heritage between a complete vessel to another complete vessel enables its continuity.

In contrast, Nikken can be compared to a foul, broken, and fully tarnished “vessel.” 

The High Priest Is the Caretaker of the Dai-Gohonzon
The original form of the transmission of the heritage can be seen in the example of the transmission from Nichiren Daishonin to Nikko Shonin, and from Nikko Shonin to Nichimoku Shonin. Their examples are the eternal model for the transmission of the heritage. Let’s go back to the origin of the heritage to find out its true meaning.

In September 1282, Nichiren Daishonin, due to chronic intestinal disease, left Mount Minobu to take care of himself at a hot spring in Hitachi. He may have been aware of the approaching end of his life, because he wrote the Minobu Transfer Document before he left Mount Minobu, which reads:

“I will entrust Nichiren’s lifetime effort of the propagation of the Law upon Byakuren Ajari Nikko. He shall be the great leader for the propagation of the essential teachings. If the ruler should uphold this Law, the high sanctuary of Honmon-ji temple shall be constructed. All we have to do is to wait for the time. This is what the actual sanctuary means. My disciples should abide by the intent of this document. September 1283, Nichiren with his signature. Transmission order: Nichiren to Nikko.”

After designating his six main disciples, he wrote the Ikegami Transfer Document on October 13, 1282, and passed away on the same day:

“I will entrust fifty years of Shakyamuni’s teachings to Byakuren Ajari Nikko. He shall be the administrator of Kuon-ji temple of Mount Minobu. Those lay believers and priests who betray him should know that they are opposing the Law. October 13, 1283, Ikegami in Bushu, Nichiren (signed).”

Let’s look closely at the “Minobu Transfer Document.” This short document contains both the absolute standard and the relative standard in speaking about the transmission of the heritage of the Daishonin’s Buddhism: “Nichiren’s lifetime effort for the propagation of the Law” denotes the absolute standard. The Buddhism that Nichiren Daishonin developed through his wholehearted effort in this lifetime and the Gohonzon he inscribed as the object of devotion are eternal things that transcend the lapse of time and permeate the entire universe. Nothing needs to be added to what he established. Nothing needs to be subtracted from what he presented. He presented the ultimate truth to all humanity. 

“He shall be the great leader for the propagation of the essential teachings.” can be taken as the relative standard that was based upon the circumstances surrounding Nichiren Daishonin. In this sentence, Nichiren Daishonin shows the procedure in the transmission of the heritage of his teachings to a specific individual. Naturally, the method that best suits the condition of the times is to be taken in the transmission of the heritage. The sentence that reads “ … should be the great leader” denotes the appointment of an ultimate leader for the propagation of this Buddhism. 

Then, the Daishonin predicts that a national ruler will appear to shoulder the cause of kosen-rufu and the high sanctuary should be built at a place in the vicinity of Mount Fuji. The Daishonin further instructs that because the time of kosen-rufu will surely come, the important thing is to wait for the arrival of the right time. In this way, Nichiren Daishonin clearly indicated the principle for the construction of the actual high sanctuary. Who will fulfill and complete the vision of Nichiren Daishonin in the future? According to the Daishonin, the appearance of a great national leader is necessary to realize his vision. Through this transfer document, we can sense the Daishonin’s vision for our joint efforts to realize the supreme objective of Buddhism. 

The Ikegami Transfer Document is even more concretely written. Nikko Shonin, as the leader of propagation, was given the responsibility to administrate Kuon-ji temple, which was to be the base of the kosen-rufu movement after the Daishonin’s passing. In the Ikegami Transfer Document, Nichiren Daishonin also refers to various practical matters, such as how Nikko Shonin as the leader of propagation should manage the community of believers, and how he should propagate the Great Law in society, in the nation, and in the whole world.

In general, the Minobu Transfer Document is called the General Transfer Document, because Nichiren Daishonin conferred the entirety of his Buddhism upon Nikko Shonin in it. The Ikegami Transfer Document is called the Specific Transfer Document, because the Daishonin conferred upon Nikko Shonin the role of the chief administrator of Kuon-ji temple of Mount Minobu in that document. One thing that we have to remember is that Nichiren Daishonin gave his Buddhism of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to all living beings, not to the priesthood alone. In other words, the Daishonin’s Buddhism is not meant to be possessed solely by a high priest. The inheritor of the heritage is no more than a person who has received the responsibility to fully convey the Great Law to posterity.

Put another way, the heritage of Buddhism is originally conferred upon all people, and is entrusted to a specific individual as a means to correctly transmit the Law.

For instance, a national treasure is a treasure for the entire populace of a nation. And in order to transmit this precious treasure to future generations, the national museum or a specific individual may be commissioned to protect it. The meaning of the transmission of the heritage in Buddhism can be understood in this light. Such a relative method is very safe for preserving the irreplaceable Great Law.

The chief administrator or high priest is no more than a manager who has been entrusted with the responsibility to manage the effort to propagate the Great Law. If this point is misunderstood, one will find oneself confused, possibly thinking (as Nikken does) that he is as great as the True Buddha. In reality, his responsibility is that of a manager or administrator to protect the heritage of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. His actions then should be to propagate  the Great Law. The transfer from one high priest to the next is an act in which the heritage of Buddhism, which is supposed to be given to all people, is actually transferred to one individual on their behalf.

Let’s repeat this: The first sentence of the Minobu Transfer Document from Nichiren Daishonin to Nikko Shonin reads, “I will entrust Nichiren’s lifetime effort of the propagation of the Law upon Byakuren Ajari Nikko. He shall be the great leader for the propagation of the essential teachings.” In other words, Nikko Shonin’s taking leadership for the propagation of the Great Law is a requirement for him to receive the heritage from the Daishonin. The transmission of the heritage between the Daishonin and Nikko Shonin signifies the change of leadership for the propagation of the Great Law.

Nikken does not share the heart of Nichiren Daishonin, because he is not engaged in any propagation effort at all. He arrogantly excommunicated the Soka Gakkai, the one organization that has been devoted to propagating the Great Law in this world. As a matter of fact, Nikken’s actions are the same as the King Devil of the Sixth Heaven and run squarely counter to the Daishonin’s intent. 

Nikken’s Delusions Write Him Off the List of Successive High Priests 
It was decided in accord with Nichiren Daishonin’s will, that his disciples (eighteen of them) take turns to protect the Daishonin’s grave in Mount Minobu. The five senior priests, who lived comfortably in their respective areas, did not follow the strictness of Nikko Shonin and did not agree with Nikko Shonin’s admonitions against slander. Eventually, the five senior priests even abandoned their assignment to watch the Daishonin’s tomb. When they decided to conduct a memorial ceremony for the Daishonin in Ikegami, it became evident that their actions would bring about a split between Nikko Shonin and their group.

Three years later, Niko, one of the five senior priests, visited Minobu. Nikko Shonin and the lord of Minobu hailed Niko’s return. Nikko Shonin appointed Niko as study head. However, Niko had been swayed by the loose attitude in faith that permeated the Daishonin’s disciples in Kamakura, and he could not bear the strict lifestyle in Minobu. Soon after, Niko influenced Hagiri Sanenaga, the lord of Minobu, to the point that he began to act slanderously in light of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. Despite Nikko Shonin’s warnings, Hagiri began to complain about Nikko Shonin’s strictness in faith. From then on, corruption in faith began to envelop the entire Minobu area.

Determined to protect the purity of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, Nikko Shonin decided to leave Mount Minobu. He then built Taiseki-ji near Mount Fuji. After dedicating his life to propagating the Law, Nikko Shonin passed away on February 7, 1333, at 88 at Honmon-ji temple in Omosu. His successor was Nichimoku Shonin.

Nichimoku Shonin was born in the Niida family in what is now Shizuoka prefecture, and he practiced Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism under Nikko Shonin since his childhood, based upon his family’s relationship with the Nanjo family. Nichimoku Shonin always served Nikko Shonin faithfully after the Daishonin’s passing.

In transferring the heritage of the Daishonin’s Buddhism to Nichimoku Shonin, Nikko Shonin refers to the content of the heritage in his “Nikko Ato Jojo no Koto” (Matters to Be Observed after Nikko’s Death).

There are three assignments that Nikko Shonin entrusted to Nichimoku Shonin. First, Nichimoku Shonin shall be the chief priest of Honmon-ji temple when it is built in the future. Furthermore, Nikko Shonin instructed Nichimoku Shonin, other priests and lay believers to build temples not only in Japan, but in other parts of the world to strengthen the forces of this school of teachings. Also Nikko Shonin mentions specifically how Nichimoku Shonin should manage his school. From this, we can tell that Nikko Shonin, in the same mind as the Daishonin, was thinking of propagation. 

Secondly, Nikko Shonin conferred upon Nichimoku Shonin the Dai-Gohonzon of October 12, 1279, the same Gohonzon that Nichiren Daishonin entrusted to Nikko Shonin. In other words, Nichiren Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon to fulfill the purpose of his advent, and then he entrusted Nikko Shonin with the mission to transmit the Dai-Gohonzon. In essence, Nikko Shonin had received from the Daishonin the responsibility to achieve kosen-rufu.

Third, Nikko Shonin instructed Nichimoku Shonin to administrate and repair Taiseki-ji where the Dai-Gohonzon was enshrined. Nikko Shonin concludes this third instruction by expressing his hope that the Daishonin’s Buddhism will spread smoothly in the future.

What Nikko Shonin wrote is very clear, and the contents of the heritage that he conferred upon Nichimoku Shonin was practical, concrete, and open. This is so different from the priesthood’s present distorted view of the heritage, which maintains that it is something special and secret that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The core of the heritage is expressed clearly in the following passage of “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” which reads, “Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage and attain Buddhahood” (WND, p. 217). 

The purpose of the heritage is to help the people of the Latter Day attain Buddhahood. The most important point is to transmit to future generations the Gohonzon that the Daishonin established, to practice correctly, and to propagate the teachings widely in the world. Toward these goals, Nikko Shonin instructed his successor to build temples, manage them, and keep them in great shape. In effect, the new high priest’s role was that of the manager of Taiseki-ji for the sake of kosen-rufu.

Also in “Letter to Hara,” which Nikko Shonin wrote at the time of his departure from Mount Minobu, he refers to his view of the heritage. It reads, “As I constantly think, my mission is to inherit our mentor’s teachings and propagate them in society, wherever I may be. … I, Nikko, alone know the correct teachings of our mentor, and I am responsible to fulfill his purpose. I will never forget his true intent.” In this passage, Nikko Shonin describes the standard that should be followed in transferring the heritage. He clearly states that what should be transmitted are “the Daishonin’s teachings,” “the correct teachings of our teacher,” “his purpose,” and “his true intent.”

The origin of the idea of the sole transmission of the heritage (which is described in the “Minobu Transfer Document” as “The above is transmitted from Nichiren to Nikko”) is clearly depicted in the above letter written by Nikko Shonin. What is written in it serves as an eternal standard that should be used to judge what is correct and what is incorrect.

In this light, the current theories of the Nikken sect — which claim that the high priest alone is capable of deciding on every aspect of the formalities and teachings of the Daishonin’s Buddhism — is truly against the original spirit of Nikko Shonin. The current practice of mystification of the personal authority of the high priest, is no more than a delusion. 

Nichiren Daishonin states in “The True Object of Devotion,” “Know that in the time of the practice of shakubuku, the four bodhisattvas will appear as worthy rulers who rebuke and convert ignorant rulers. In the time for the practice of shoju, they appear as priests to embrace and spread the correct teaching.” (WND, p. 375)

This passage can be said to be the basic formula for achieving kosen-rufu. According to this, the person who conducts shakubuku and applies Buddhism to society appears as a wise king or ruler, while the person who conducts shoju or simply embraces the True Law, managing it and transmitting it, appears as a priest. In other words, the same mission may be shared by different individuals, fulfilling their respective functions for kosen-rufu. The priest mentioned here is part of the flow of the sole transmission of the heritage, and both priests and lay leaders should be considered as equal, in terms of the significance of the role they respectively play.

The act of shakubuku is considered to be the greatest action that we can take as human beings, and it is to be performed by lay believers in society, as symbolized by the term “ruler.” The role of the priest is to perform shoju. In this light, since lay people will play a major role in kosen-rufu, a vital part of the heritage is not to be carried on by the high priest alone. Originally, the heritage was intended to be something shared between lay people and priests. In this vein, Nikken’s claim that “I am absolute as high priest” is a distortion of the correct view of the heritage.

Nikko Shonin described his successor, Nichimoku Shonin, as an inheritor in his transfer document. The original meaning of the transmission of the heritage is very easy to understand, if we see it in light of the inheritance of the family lineage.

Traditionally, after the passing of the father, the eldest son would take over the administrative position in the family. No matter how many brothers he might have, the eldest son had the responsibility to take charge of the whole family. This system was in place because if it is not clear who is in charge of the family, there will be great turmoil. The important point in this example is that what is great is what is inherited, not the position that is taken. In the case of Nichiren Shoshu, what was inherited was the immensely great asset of the Dai-Gohonzon, which is something that was given to all humanity. The high priest, just like the eldest son, is given the role to preserve the asset of the Dai-Gohonzon, and the high priest is supposed to fulfill his important role to administrate it. It is a responsibility, not an award.

Therefore, the eldest son has the responsibility to maintain and develop the family. If he wastes the family’s assets and invites a family crisis, he will naturally be dismissed as the administrator of the family treasures. 

Nikken has foolishly chosen to destroy Nichiren Shoshu because of his jealous emotions against the Soka Gakkai. While using his authority for his personal reasons, Nikken has put time-honored Nichiren Shoshu on the brink of self-destruction.

As Nikko Shonin clearly mentions in his “Twenty-six Admonitions,” “Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s Law and propounds his own views” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1618).

According to Nikko Shonin, the high priest is not infallible; if he comes up with his own teachings that are different from the original teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin, he has already lost his basis as high priest. It will mean that he has actually abandoned his position of high priest as the inheritor of the Law. Nikko Shonin was indeed strict about the authority of any future high priest. And he also acknowledges the authority of the high priest, saying, “Even if a view is set forth unanimously by a conference [of believers], the high priest should repudiate it, if it goes against the Buddha’s Law.” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1618)

In case of the Nikken’s abuse of his authority, the lay people are in agreement with Buddhism, and to abolish him as high priest is a natural action in light of Nikko Shonin’s admonitions. A person is not great simply because he is the eldest son, but because the family assets are great. Especially in the case of Nichiren Shoshu, distorting, deifying, and mystifying the role of the eldest son has proven dangerous. 

It Is Vital to Recover Nichiren Daishonin’s Original View of the Heritage, Not What It Has Become in Nichiren Shoshu Today 
Many facts can be used to prove that Nikken did not receive the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin. In addition, his behavior is not appropriate for the high priest of Nichiren Shoshu. What is the difference between what we advocate and the ideas of the Shoshinkai group, headed up by Hosho Kubokawa?

The Shoshinkai group claims, “From the beginning, the lifeblood of the heritage has two vessels through which it flows. Traditionally, the heritage should flow through the vessel of the high priest, but when that is clogged or broken, it can flow through the vessel of other priests. Presently, since Nikken did not receive the heritage, it is flowing through the other vessel of many other priests. Therefore, we will soon see the appearance of a new high priest.”

Mr. Asai, president of the Kenshokai Group, advocates a different theory. According to him, “We can’t support Nikken and the current Nichiren Shoshu. Someday, there may appear a legitimate high priest who maintained the Daishonin’s spirit in his past existence. All we have to do is to wait for his rebirth.” However, using this theory, Asahi suggests that he himself is a rebirth of a correct high priest of the past.

We want to make a clear distinction between our viewpoint and that of these other two groups. This will shed light on the essence of our view of the heritage.

Both the Shoshinkai argument and the Kenshokai theory treat the heritage as something religiously absolute and sacred. Their “new” teachings are really no different than Nichiren Shoshu’s traditional view of the heritage. In fact, their ideas are no more than a reflection of their desire to sanctify the heritage.

We feel strongly that it is necessary to put aside the school’s traditional view of the heritage. It is time now to focus on the Daishonin’s original view of the heritage and to restore it. Our source for the Daishonin’s view of the heritage is the Two Transfer Documents and Nikko Shonin’s “Matters to Be Observed after Nikko’s Death.”

In short, Nichiren Daishonin intended that the transmission of the heritage be nothing but the entrustment of his goal for posterity. And the whole content of the heritage that should be transmitted is the treasure of the Law that was established by Nichiren Daishonin. It is important to know that it is fundamentally wrong to regard the transferred heritage as anything ther than the treasure of the Law. This point is clearly reflected in these transfer documents.

Nichiren Daishonin’s treasure of the Law and how it will be transmitted are obviously two different things. This is the point we realize when we base ourselves on the Daishonin’s view of the heritage. Nichiren Daishonin’s treasure of the Law belongs to the Buddha, while how we transmit it belongs to the people. Once this is understood, then any problems about transmitting the heritage can be overcome. The history of Nichiren Shoshu shows us that there were many problems in the transmission of the heritage, but Nichiren Daishonin’s treasure of the Law remained intact.

There is no purpose in saying that the fundamentals of the Daishonin’s Buddhism lie in the argument over whether the transmission of the heritage was maintained or disrupted. Whether the transmission of the heritage was continued or discontinued has nothing to do with Nichiren Daishonin’s treasure of the Law. And the Daishonin’s treasure of the Law is the eternal Law, which the Daishonin described in the contents of this passage: “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more” (WND, p. 244). The Daishonin’s view of the heritage is all contained in this passage of the Gosho.

Our aim is to discard the traditional view of the heritage through thorough reexamination. Our effort is not to simply destroy the traditional view, but instead to restore the Daishonin’s view of the heritage. As 9th high priest Nichiu wrote, “Faith and the heritage are the same thing” (Ushi Kegisho Chukai).

Based on the original meaning of the transmission of the heritage, we would like to emphasize the following seven points.

The current high priest Nikken’s authoritarian character, his lack of dignity and intelligence, his secularism, his poor human qualities, and his irresponsibility as the highest leader of the school.

Lack of faith on the part of Nikken’s supporters, who have abandoned Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin’s original objectives: salvation of the people and the achievement of kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law.

The erroneous contentions concerning the transmission of the heritage and the discriminatory ideas of the high priest’s absolute infallibility and the priesthood’s superiority to the laity. 

Denial of the equality between priesthood and laity.

Centralization of authority upon the high priest.

Nikken's personal misuse of authority as chief priest of Taiseki-ji.

Lack of basic understanding about the formation and functions of the order of Nichiren Shoshu.