Chief Priest Yugu Narita, a member of the Association for the Reformation of Nichiren Shoshu, was interviewed by Seikyo Times Chicago Bureau Chief Bill Endsley.
ST: When did you join the priesthood and what were your hopes?
YN: I was a member of the Soka Gakkai originally. My elder brother, Koichi, was the first Soka Gakkai member to become a priest. He received encouragement from the second president, Josei Toda, and was ordained in 1952. Koichi took the name Taikoh Narita, and became the chief priest of Shomyo-ji temple in Gumma Prefecture, where he worked until he passed away in 1983.
My brother had profound respect for President Ikeda and the SGI members. He once went to the city of Takasaki, Japan, to conduct funeral services for an extremely poor family. Before the services began, he had the torn shoft [Japanese style] doors in the house repaired, and refused to accept contributions. When it was over, he even left an offering for the family.
Filled with the conviction that Nichiren Shoshu needed a priest who truly understood the Soka Gakkai, I followed in my brotherís footsteps and joined the priesthood in 1981 when I was 48. Many priests then were against the Soka Gakkai. One of the reasons I wanted to join the priesthood was to protect the Soka Gakkai. The key factor in my joining was President Ikedaís guidance at a Headquarters general meeting in 1966. He said: ìI do not want priests to be concerned with formality or position, but rather to embrace even the most wretched beggars who have come to the temple in search of the Law and happiness. I want the priesthood to protect such people. This is my spirit.î It was President Ikedaís desire that priests would truly cherish each and every member.
ST: When did you first notice the disharmony between the priesthood and the laity?
YN: From the beginning I could see that the priests were not concerned with kosen-rufu, but with whether someoneís status was either higher or lower than theirs. Everything depended on which priest was your senior, or who would scold or beat you. Many priests, as acolytes, had suffered years of abuse and they in turn mistreated the younger ones.
ST: What did you do to correct this problem?
YN: Only the chief priests have power. Before I was a chief priest, I thought there was nothing I could do, but I was determined to complete my training and endure until then. I became the chief priest at Ei-bo on the Taisekiji grounds in January of 1991. Many times before I was appointed, I would sneak away to attend Gakkai meetings.
In November 1991, I was called into the General Affairs Bureau and interrogated. They wanted to know why I would not join the other priests in attacking the Gakkai. I was about to be assigned to my own temple, priests are assigned to temples according to when they joined the priesthood.
There was one other priest ahead of me on the list. The first temple that became available was in Yubari, a remote area of Hokkaido where there were few believers.
It should have been assigned to him. Instead, Nikken sent me there, and the priest ahead of me went to Yamaguchi Prefecture, where there are many more members and potential contributions.
Nikken changed the order of assignment to punish me. However, I saw this as a great benefit because of the history of the Gakkai in the Hokkaido area [Yubari was the site of the coal minersí union incident, at which time many Soka Gakkai members were persecuted. Please refer to The Human Revolution, Vol. XI]. It was clear to me that I could fulfill my mission to protect the Soka Gakkai members there.
ST: Are there any other priests who secretly support the Gakkai?
YN: In my opinion, maybe thirty or forty percent of the current priesthood think there is something wrong with the way Nikken is behaving. When they are in front of him, they bow and act with reverence, but behind his back, they say he is no good.
ST: What was happening at your temple when you first arrived?
YN: I arrived at Yubari on November 11, 1992. On November 28, Nikken excommunicated President Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai. I was shocked. I felt I had no future since there were only about twenty people who supported my temple. From December to February, I chanted many hours of daimoku, sometimes eight hours a day. I realized that it was time to take action.
I felt that I could not change the situation alone, but if I stood up against Nikken, other people would follow. I recalled my training as young menís division district leader. We were taught that if we stood up for kosen-rufu, we would recieve great benefits.
ST: Then you decided to leave the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. What was that like?
YN: It was as if I had been in the dark and now everything was bright. I had been fighting for kosen-rufu in secret, but now I could openly support President Ikeda.
ST: How is practicing in the SGI different from practicing in the priesthood?
YN: In the priesthood everything was closed and dark. Now I feel great joy. I practice for the entire world. At the leaders meeting the other night here in Chicago, I was so happy that I was dancing with members to the music. During my ten years of service as a Nichiren Shoshu priest, I attended the funerals of approximately 1,000 Soka Gakkai members. Based upon my own personal experience, I can declare that all the Soka Gakkai members have passed away peacefully in a state of Buddhahood. This is due to their sincere faith and practice.
As Nichiren Daishonin states in the Gosho, ì[Your deceased father] attained enlightenment in his present formî (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1423), whether or not one attains Buddhahood is determined solely by oneís faith and practice. Every time I witnessed the enlightenment of the Soka Gakkai members on their deathbeds, it was as though I was being taught the greatness of faith and the correctness of the Soka Gakkai.
On the other hand, I seldom heard any stories about priests from Nichiren Shoshu who died in the state of Buddhahood. An employee at a crematory near the head temple once said: ìIf you were to see the face of one of the deceased priests from Taiseki-ji, you would not have the slightest desire to practice their religion. They die with such horrid expressions on their faces.î
The reason is because there is absolutely no greater evil than seeking to destroy kosen-rufu. Therefore, the followers of Nikken are strictly punished by the Daishonin.
True happiness and enlightenment can be attained only by practicing within the SGI with President Ikeda as our mentor. I declare with utmost conviction that the lifeblood and spirit of the Daishonin pulsate nowhere but within the SGI.
President Ikeda has stated that Buddhism is a battle between happiness and unhappiness, justice and evil and the Buddha and the Devil [of the Sixth Heaven].
Nichiren Daishonin also states in the Gosho, ìRather than offering up ten thousand prayers for a remedy, it would be better simply to outlaw this one evil doctrine that is the source of all the trouble!î (The Major Writings, of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 24).
Without battling against the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, we cannot accomplish kosen-rufu, nor can we attain Buddhahood. I am determined to fight together with the members of the SGI to completely defeat Nikken once and for all!
ST: What are Nikken's intentions?
YN: The Soka Gakkai has always protected the priesthood, but Nikken has only wanted to control the Soka Gakkai. President Toda felt something was wrong when he first met Nikken Abe. Then, as President Ikedaís activities grew and he began traveling all over the world, Nikkenís jealousy grew. He waited until he had enough money to be financially independent. Then he carried out his plan to get rid of President Ikeda. He told the priests that we didnít need the entire SGI, we could get by with only 200,000 members.
In July of 1990, Nikken and his supporters began to actively work on removing President Ikeda with Operation C. They were looking for an excuse to put their plan into action.
They chose President Ikedaís November 16, 1990, Headquarters leaders meeting speech and deliberately distorted his presentation. The Soka Gakkai had been trying for years behind the scenes to point out corruption in the priesthood. This issue became public when Nikken decided to attack the Soka Gakkai openly.
ST: Members want to know what they can do to help solve this issue.
YN: Nikken and his supporters must be deposed. These priests are obstacles to kosen-rufu. You must be confident that this can be done. Because of Americaís important role in worldwide kosen-rufu, it is your mission to continue to share the correct practice with everyone.
(Seikyo Times, May 1994, No. 394, p. 41-43) © 1994 by World Tribune Press, Soka Gakkai International - USA