The 26 Admonitions

Both Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin warn us about "evil priests that pretend to be sages" that will arise to challenge our faith and disturb our practise.  It can be difficult to know who is or isn’t a bad priest, and whether we should or shouldn’t speak up, but fortunately we have the guidance of the Gosho and Nikko Shonin, the 2^nd high priest who we give thanks to in our daily prayers  and who left us a list of 26 guidelines that Nichiren Shoshu priests and high priests should follow.  Throughout his life he had dealt with many slanderous priests, some of whom doubted his legitimacy as Nichiren Daishonin’s appointed successor and when he wrote this list a few weeks before he died, he was obviously concerned that in the future similar priests and high priests would emerge and try to interrupt the flow of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

With this in mind, let’s look at the 26 points, Nikko Shonin left us:

Article 1: “The doctrines of the Fuji school must not differ in the least from the teachings of the late master.”

Second president Josei Toda ensured that everyone could have access to the Gosho, taking some of the power away from the priests and allowing us to read the teachings for ourselves.  President Ikeda often delivers lectures to bring out the message of the Gosho or Lotus Sutra, but we can also access the writings ourselves and confirm whether we are being deceived or not. 

Article 2: “The doctrines of the five senior priests differ in every regard from the teachings of the late master.”

This refers to Nichiren’s five senior priests that failed to watch over him after he died, denied their allegiance to him after he died to avoid persecution, rejected some of his Gosho as being fake without real justification and/or allowed Mt. Minobu to become a place of slander.

Article 3: “There will (in the future) appear persons who slander our school, saying that the Gosho are forged writings. You must not associate with such evil priests.”

Both the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho point out that slander and evil priests will emerge, and here Nikko also let’s us know that they WILL come.  It’s a case of WHEN not IF.  He obviously strongly believed they were coming or he wouldn’t have bothered to make this list of 26 points to watch out for.

Article 4: “Those who produce forged writings and say that they are Gosho, or who practice with the view that the essential and theoretical teachings (of the Lotus Sutra) are the same, are parasites in the lion’s body.”

Here we are being warned about priests that will deliver fake teachings and also people who will misinterpret the true intent of Nichiren Daishonin’s words to benefit themselves.

Article 5: “You should refrain from indulging in poetry or non-Buddhist works, or from engaging in idleness and chatter without (having the aim of) rebuking slander.”

Don’t forget this advice is for priests, not lay members.  As professional teachers and guardians of Buddhism, priests shouldn’t be wasting time watching TV and gossiping instead of fulfilling the duties they have vowed to undertake.  Their prime mission as priests is to ensure the continuation of Nichiren Buddhism and to achieve the goal of kosen-rufu.  

Article 6: “Lay believers should be strictly prohibited from visiting (heretical) temples and shrines. Moreover, priests should not visit slanderous temples and shrines, which are inhabited by demons, even if only to have a look around. To do so would be a pitiful violation (of the Daishonin’s Buddhism.) This is not my own personal view; it wholly derives from the sutras (of Shakyamuni) and the writings (of Nichiren Daishonin).”

This is one of the articles that seems the hardest to understand – a strict ban on visiting all heretical temples and shrines, especially as Nichiren spent many years visiting these same temples while deciding what the true message of Shakyamuni’s teachings was.  I believe the intention is that as Nichiren Daishonin has clearly explained the contradictions in these heretical Buddhist groups’ beliefs, by continuing to reject and slander the superior teachings of the Lotus Sutra, these temples have become tainted.

But does this apply to the places of worship of other faiths, such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism?  I don’t believe so.  During Nichiren and Nikko’s time, some of the other ancient Chinese and Indian religions were known, but these places of worship are not specifically referred to in the same way that heretical (Buddhist) temples and Japan’s native Shinto shrines are.  Why?  Because religions that are not based on the teachings of Shakymuni are not specifically behaving slanderously by rejecting the Lotus Sutra.  The closest analogy I can think of is, if you're a Manchester United football fan, why would you even want to watch Chelsea play (but there may be times that you visit their grounds to watch your team play)  At the same time, I don't have any problem going to see a basketball game when I visit my cousin in the States or going to watch a sumo match when I visit Japan, because I don't have any strong feeling either way for basketball or sumo.

I’ll leave it up to you as an individual to decide how strictly you choose to follow this 6^th Admonition, but in a lecture from the end of 1992, Richard Causton, the head of the SGI-UK between 1975 and 1995, said:

“As lay people who live in a non-Buddhist country, it is not so easy for us to relate to the great significance of this. As a foreigner, if we go to Japan we may be taken sightseeing by somebody to some ancient heretical temple. We will probably be told that as long as we quietly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo on arrival and departure and do not give offerings, we are not committing any form of slander. The important point is that we view our visit to such a place as a museum concerning the culture of Japan and the history of Buddhism, not as a place of worship.

In the same way in our own country, we may be invited to a church, for example for a family wedding. A church is not even a heretical Buddhist temple and it may well be important for us to be at that particular event from the point of view of respecting the rest of our family and the happiness of the occasion. While the service is going on, we can chant silently inside ourselves and offer our own prayers.  However, as a Japanese member living in Japan, surrounded by heretical temples, strictness in these matters is important.”

Article 7: “Disciples of ability should be allowed to devote themselves to the study of the Gosho and other doctrines of Buddhism, without being pressed to perform miscellaneous services for their teachers.”

Nichiren Buddhism is a religion that encourages study, but this study should be free and open.  In particular, trainee priests should have access to the Gosho and have time to study it, rather than going through months and years of un-scholarly apprenticeship tasks such as cleaning and looking after the more senior priests.

Article 8: “Those of insufficient learning who are bent on obtaining fame and fortune are not qualified to call themselves my followers.”

Priests that are unfamiliar with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin are more prone to adapt the teachings to suit their lives and then use these to advance themselves within society.  This is equally true of the laity, and members who are unfamiliar with the Gosho are more likely to worship senior leaders and put them on a pedestal rather than simply respecting them as role models of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism and as equals.

Article 9: “Until they are well versed in the difference between the provisional and true teachings, followers of later generations should visit this temple, setting aside the debt of gratitude they owe to their parents and teachers, and undertake various studies in order to free themselves (from the sufferings of birth and death and attain the Way).”

This desire to study is one of the reasons why we have study exams and study courses.  We should make time daily or monthly to study and become more familiar with the Gosho and the teachings of the Lotus Sutra independently, but there are also occasions where we can study as a group.  We may struggle to get time off work and to be away from our loved ones to take part in these study events but it is an important part of our faith in Nichiren Buddhism.

Article 10: “Unless you have a thorough understanding of and firm faith in the teachings (of Nichiren Daishonin), you should not study T’ien-t’ai’s doctrines.”

In “The Selection of the Time” Nichiren is asked “The sutra passages you have cited clearly prove your point. But are there any prophecies in the writings of T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, or Dengyo that would support your argument?“  (WND-1, p543) He mentions that it’s not really necessary given the excellent examples from the Lotus Sutra, but as they find the explanations of a commentary easier to understand he goes on to do so. 

Remember these articles are for the priesthood themselves and Nikko is saying that priests SHOULD understand the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and his commentaries on the Lotus Sutra, rather than relying on the commentaries of pre-Nichiren religious figures.

For many Japanese people the Gosho is difficult to read and understand as it is written in an old style of Japanese (think Shakespeare or Chaucer’s English), so it is okay for priests to “understand the time” and try to illuminate Nichiren’s teachings and make them more accessible to modern followers.  They just need to ensure that they don’t distort the teachings as they do so.

Article 11: “Followers of this school should engrave the teachings of the Gosho in their lives and thereby inherit the ultimate principles expounded by the master. Then, if they have any leisure time, they should inquire into the doctrine of the T’ien-t’ai school.”

Followers refers to both us and the priests and this article is directing us to really get to grips with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and his commentary on the wisdom and benefits of the Lotus Sutra.  We may, or may not, need help from a teacher to truly engrave these teachings into our lives, but we are told we don’t need to worry about the commentaries of people between Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin, unless we have time to do so.  To be honest, within the Gosho itself, Nichiren sometimes quotes previous scholars, such as T’ien-t’ai, so the main aspects of their commentaries as they relate to Nichiren Buddhism will already be covered anyway.

Article 12: “You should be inclined to engage in discussion or deliver lectures (on Buddhism), and you should refrain from pursuing secular concerns.”

We can see from this article that it is okay for priests or high priests to lecture on Buddhism and they should also be engaged in discussion with others.  They are warned however to refrain from taking part in non-religious activities, but as has been mentioned before this advice is primarily for the priesthood, not for the laity, so we must find a balance within our lives between the two.

Article 13: “Until Kosen-rufu’ is achieved, propagate the Law to the full extent of your ability without begrudging your life.”

This is advice for priests again.  I’m not sure what the growth figures for Nichiren Shoshu are, but in today’s society it seems to be the members of the Soka Gakkai that are contributing the most to the spread of Nichiren Buddhism.

Article 14: “As for practitioners who treasure the Law more highly than their own lives, even if they are but humble teachers of the Law, you must hold them in great esteem, revering them as you would the Buddha.”

Article 15: “You should revere a teacher of the Law who engages in its propagation as a sacred priest, even though he may be your junior.”

Article 16: “Even though they may be lowly, you should deeply respect and regard as your teachers those whose understanding of Buddhism surpasses your own.”

Article 17: “Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s law and propounds his own views.”

These four points all have the same thing in common and express Nikko’s desire that anyone who teaches the Law should be respected as a Buddha irrespective of their status within society or the priesthood, and that we should not respect or follow those who go against the Buddha’s law even if they are of a high status. 

In “Letter to Niike”, Nichiren supports this point saying “There are two kinds of wisdom, correct and perverse. No matter how wise a person may appear, if his assertions are warped you should not listen to him.  Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of high rank. But if a person has the wisdom to know the true meaning of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how lowly he may appear, pay respect to him and make offerings to him as though he were a living Thus Come One.”  (WND-1, p1026)

Article 18: “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.”

President Ikeda’s commentary on this is as follows: “The basic point is that truth or falsity should be determined neither by authority (i.e. by the High Priest), nor by the weight of the view of the multitude  (i.e. by a conference of believers). In all matters what counts most is whether something accords with the correct Buddhist teaching.  And it goes without saying that the Daishonin’s golden words are the standard that is to be used in making any such determination.”

We have seen in the past that the temple has encouraged Nichiren Shoshu followers to enshrine Shinto talisman with their Gohonzon and they changed the wording of the silent prayers to reflect an allegiance to the Shinto gods and the military power of Japan during World War II.  Mr Makiguchi, the first president of the Soka Gakkai remonstrated with the priests at that time not to deviate from Nichiren Buddhism, but he, Josei Toda and a handful of others (who later recanted) were alone in this respect and went to prison for their refusal to follow these heretical teachings.  Richard Causton asks “How many of us would have braved the wrath of the military government in those times and stood firm?  Amazingly, at crucial times of crisis somehow such people appear. Another example of this was the persecution at Atsuhara during Nichiren Daishonin’s lifetime, when three lay believers were beheaded because they refused to succumb to the pressures of the authorities and give up their faith.”

It’s believed that the significance of this event indicated to Nichiren that the time had come to inscribe the Dai-Gohonzon as the object of devotion for the enlightenment of all humanity.  Priests would usually inscribe their first mandala once they had achieved enlightenment and realized the true way to practice.  This wasn’t considered important enough to Nichiren Daishonin though and he waited for the emergence of followers with steadfast faith that would be prepared to stand up for their belief in his Buddhism.  This was proof that Nichiren Buddhism based on Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra was being carried out correctly by his followers and worthy of a mandala.

Article 19: “Black robes should not be worn priests”

Article 20: “Jikitotsu should not be worn by priests”

Nichiren Shoshu priests should differentiate themselves from other Buddhist orders by not wearing the same black robes as other sects, nor should they wear a jikitotsu (often in black or other dark colours) which was a more elaborately designed robe used while on pilgrimages and travelling, rather than during services.

Article 21: “You should not sit together with slanderers of the Law (at religious ceremonies) for fear of suffering the same punishment as they.”

Like Article 6, this refers specifically to priests and to religious ceremonies within Japan, a Buddhist country.  Other non-Buddhist faiths are not seen as heretical, but it is ultimately up to us to decide how strictly we follow this Article.

Article 22: “You must not accept offerings from slanderers of the Law.”

One of the “rules” of the SGI is that people wishing to make voluntary contributions MUST be members.  You must have received Gohonzon and be a member of the SGI.

Article 23: “Carrying a sword or staff in order to protect the Buddhist Law is permissible. However, (weapons) should not be worn when presiding over religious services, though accompanying priests may be permitted to carry them (to protect themselves and others).”

A strange one for 21^st century Japan which is relatively crime free compared with some other countries today, but obviously the intent is that the priest should not be thinking of violence and attack while carrying out a service for others.

Article 24: “(At religious ceremonies) young acolytes should not occupy seats lower than those of high-ranking lay followers.”

Obviously in accordance with the Lotus Sutra all Buddhas are equal, so as an organisation which has both priesthood and laity we should all be seen as advancing shoulder to shoulder together.  The laity should not be treated as though they are beneath the priesthood and the junior priests should not be treated as though they are beneath the senior priests.  All Buddhas are equal when it comes to the Lotus Sutra. 

Article 25: “My disciples should conduct themselves as holy priests, patterning their behaviour after that of the late master. However, even if a high priest or a priest striving for practice and understanding should temporarily deviate from (the principle of sexual abstinence), he may still be allowed to remain in the priesthood (as a common priest without rank).”

The issue of celibacy in Buddhism, as in Christianity, is a two-edged sword that has good and bad points.  Basically a high priest or senior priest should be devoted to Buddhism and the flow of kosen-rufu 24 hours a day and with a wife or girlfriend is likely to be distracted by more secular matters.  On the other hand, celibate priests are often seen as out of touch with the struggles of people in relationships or with families, and the suppression of their natural desires may result in more underhand sexual conduct, such as illicit affairs with parishioners or illegal acts with vulnerable children.

Since Nikko’s time, the guidelines on marriage have become more relaxed and many priests are now married.  They obviously need to find the balance between their home life and their religious calling, but it can cause problems when children or relatives are given positions of power or nominated as successors.  Is it nepotism or is it just that they know their family members’ intentions and depth of faith more deeply than non family members?

Article 26: “You should treasure those practitioners who are skilled in difficult debate, just as the late master did.”

Many lay members have priests or senior leaders that truly inspire them.  They have a natural way with words and can explain even the most difficult concepts of Buddhism in a clear and easy to understand way.  With a complete grasp of the knowledge of the Gosho and the Lotus Sutra they may also be skilled in debate, just as Nichiren, Nikko and Nichimoku were.

These skills have always been useful in the propagation of Buddhism and in debates with other sects, and they are equally important today when it comes to dealing with the media or questions from other organisations.

Conclusion

These 26 Articles lay out clearly how Nikko Shonin believes that his successors should behave and are a useful guide to evaluate the behaviour and correct practice of our own leaders. 

If you find this list of 26 points difficult to remember, the only thing you really need to consider is “FOLLOW THE LAW NOT THE PERSON” and then assess whether the leader of your faith is encouraging you to follow the mystic law of the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin or encouraging you to worship them and their teachings.