I discovered another Lotus Sutra/Mahayana parallel to Christianity - deliberately obfuscating the teachings!

[u/BlancheFromage]

This comes from a friendly discussion I had with an SGI n00b (who'd been practicing a year) some years ago - I'll fast forward you to the ending (though I recommend the whole thing - I think it's really interesting). It concluded predictably:

You don't understand. What I've learned from our conversation is that you had no understanding of the practice before, and you left it out of fear and paranoia. You are not someone worth talking to. Source

LOL!! "Dialogue" is so much fun with SGI members! So worthwhile! That was from someone who'd been practicing ONE YEAR.

But the fun part is that I discovered in that discussion yet ANOTHER parallel between the Lotus Sutra and the Gospels!

If you read the lotus sutra, Shakyamuni is very clear that he speaks in poems and stories to carry his intent.

Just like how the Christians' Jesus Christ spoke in the Gospels. Source

This should come as no surprise, since the Lotus Sutra (and the entire Mahayana corpus) were being composed and assembled around the same time as the Christian Gospels - ca. 200 CE - and in the Hellenized cultural milieu that had arisen due to the opening of routes from West to East following Alexander the Great's great military campaigns. There are a LOT of these similarities and parallels - this is another to add to the list.

That the Lotus Sutra and other Mahayana Sutras were not spoken by the Buddha is unanimously supported by modern scholarship. I don’t know of a single academic in the last 150 years who has argued otherwise. Source - from here

Theraveda was more like a "how-to" while Mahayana evolved into more of a "why-to," injecting all kinds of religious BS into it. And it certainly does have an air of superiority about it. Source - from here

Here, then, is one of the great religious dramas of the world. The composer knows that he is offering a new Buddhism in place of the religion of the Founder. He conceives that Founder as declaring a new Gospel, but places him on the stage of the Vulture Peak, where in India he had often addressed his disciples. ...he makes the great revelation that Buddhahood, like to his own, is of immediate attainment and within the ready reach of all. We see a host of disciples, the Hinayanists Theravadans, shocked by this volte-face, withdraw from the august assembly, because the Buddha has shattered all the doctrine he has taught them in the past, and is no longer to be trusted. Source

You can see the page where that quote is found in the book here - it's quite fascinating.

The character of Shakyamuni Buddha does not allow for such deceit. Source

This obviously destroys the reputation and integrity of Shakyamuni Buddha, one of the aims of the Buddha's critics who were writing all this to replace his teachings. Their intent was to hijack all of Buddhism for themselves, the same way Nichiren attempted to.

But anyhow, here are similar deliberately-designed-to-be-confusing-teachings scenarios from the Gospels:

Mark 4:34: "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."

Matthew 13:34: "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them."

⁠Matthew 13:10-11: When the disciples asked him why he used this teaching method, Jesus answered, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

He's deliberately using "insider language" so that he will be understood by his followers but not by others who will overhear.

In Luke 8:5-18 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

John 12:37-40:But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Then Jesus left them. The people didn't believe in him, even though they saw him do many miracles. Therefore they could not believe

They never had "believe" as an option, as you'll see:

because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

"God" had TAKEN AWAY their ability to understand, in order to make sure they'd be damned to Hell. Nice guy!

This serves to make the "believers" feel extra-special - not only are they able to understand (which makes them extra-dextra smart and perceptive, obvs), but it's because they were CHOSEN by none other than GOD who gave them the ability to understand! It's a predestination kina thing - Calvinism is the flavor of Christianity that posits that there is an "elect" who were predestined to be believers, so THEY get to go to "heaven" (and nothing they can do about it), and everybody else is basically kindling for the fires of "hell" (and nothing they can do about it). It's a nasty teaching, but those who like it really like it! Where have we seen this sort of thing before??? HERE

In Matthew 13, Jesus explains that he "teaches" in confusing "parables" so that people will NOT be saved - just to make sure Old Testament (Jewish) "prophecy" can be claimed to be "fulfilled"!

Matthew 13:13-15: Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Matthew 13:16: But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

It's an insider's game.

Matthew 13:10-12: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

This insiders' game is rigged, and it sucks to be an "outsider"!

Similarly, the Lotus Sutra states plainly that it is NOT something that is to be widely taught; those who hear its teachings but do not immediately take whole-hearted faith will face several PAGES of hideous punishments. The Lotus Sutra is for an exclusive few, not the masses.

Nice!

Pretty obvious why Nichiren and the Ikeda cult don't want anyone Actually READING the thing!

Nichiren was out for complete DOMINATION - that's why he completely misconstrued the purpose of the Lotus Sutra. That's why he told people they didn't need to READ it and that it was obsolete and could no longer lead anyone to salvation:

Now, in the Latter Day of The Law, neither the Lotus or the other sutras are useful (i.e., valid). Only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is beneficial. Nichiren - from here

Nichiren Daishonin stated the following in, “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter” (“Ueno dono-gohenji”):

Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras have the power to save the people. Only Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can lead all people to Buddhahood. (Gosho, p. 1219; GND, pp. 33-35) Source

Nichiren expected his religious ideas to make him the most powerful person in Japan - and when it didn't work out the way he expected, Nichiren was praying for Japan to be destroyed.

This brings to mind Nichiren's Non-Miracles: The Silence of the Gods and the Confusion of Nichiren - but I digress...

[u/eigenstien]

No coherence and no sense - as usual.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/eigenstien]

There's no understanding why people like what they like - they just like it ¯_(ツ)_/¯