Editing SG33SHS-T

Today, we can see the decline of late-stage capitalism in politics and economics, and in
urban and rural areas, while the lives of the masses have reached a peak of anxiety.

During this transitional period, what should we, as Buddhist practitioners who
strive to live according to the noble and supreme ideal of saving humanity, do?

The sole task imposed upon us is the reorganization of Buddhism based on contem-
porary consciousness. This entails the establishment of an ideology and the firm belief
that such an ideology should be accompanied by bold and concrete practices.

In this brief work, Chairman Seno’o 妹尾 boldly criticizes and rectifies traditional
Buddhist studies, and calls for a leap toward a new era of Buddhist truth. We firmly
believe that this essay will forcefully address the contradictions faced by young Bud-
dhist practitioners in this transformative period and provide them with confidence and
resolution.

We would like to express our gratitude to comrade Seno’o, Chairman of the Com-
mittee, for his great efforts in presenting this essay to the world as a part of a series of pamphlets from our League. At the same time, we eagerly await rigorous examination
and sincere criticism of its contents by our comrades.

Central Executive Committee of the Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism
January 1933

Our Principles:

1. We deeply revere Śākyamuni Buddha as the supreme embodiment of human
character and strive to realize the construction of a buddha land based on the
teachings of brotherly love and compassion.

2. We acknowledge that all existing religious organizations have become remnants
that have desecrated the spirit of Buddhism, and we reject them while seeking to
promote Buddhism for a new era.

3. We recognize that the current capitalist economic system is contrary to the spirit
of Buddhism and hinders the well-being of the masses. We aim to reform it and
bring forth a new society suited to the future.

FOREWORD

I was born into a Shin 真 [True Pure Land] sect family and was raised in an atmo-
sphere of fervent nenbutsu 念仏 prayer. In the autumn of my twenty-first year, I fell
gravely ill and was forced to drop out of school, teetering on the brink of death until
the age of thirty. At that time, through some fateful circumstances, I seized upon the
doctrine of Nichirenism and experienced a revival of health. Nichirenism was indeed
for me the ultimate truth! With that conviction, for the past two two decades, I have
completely devoted myself to the study and propagation of Nichirenism, often forsak-
ing sleep and meals.

However, as a result of my efforts to sincerely embody the Buddhist spirit in which
I now believed, albeit weakly, I found myself unable to restrain a fatal doubt against all established Buddhism, and I could not help but engage in thorough opposition [against
institutional Buddhism].

For contemporary society, the conflicting denominations of sectarian Buddhism are
no longer beneficial but rather harmful. Ideological evangelism of that sort is detest-
able opium for the contemporary mass movement.

In the spring of 1931, I embarked on a comprehensive assessment of Nichirenism,
staking my entire life on it. Simultaneously, I began advocating for the dissolution
and unification of all sectarian Buddhist denominations under the single name of the
Buddha of Revitalized Buddhism while promoting a movement for the socioeconomic
transformation of capitalism through collective efforts. It is important to note that
there are those within the bourgeois class who merely toy with Buddhism, as well as
monks and Buddhist scholars who make a living by peddling its teachings. However,
if you genuinely grasp and practice the true spirit of Buddhism—the spirit of selfless-
ness—in a timely manner, I firmly believe that you will come to share the same doubts
and righteous indignation that I do.

Kōbō 弘法, Hōnen 法然, Shinran 親鸞, Dōgen 道元, Nichiren 日蓮 <ref>Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師 (a.k.a. Kūkai 空海, 774–836), Hōnen (1133–1212), Shinran (1173–
1262), and Dōgen (1200–1253). Nichiren (1222–1282) was the last of the major Kamakura 鎌倉
period (1185–1333) Buddhist founders and established the eponymous Nichiren (a.k.a. Hokke
法華, or Lotus) sect, dedicated to the 1st–2nd c. Mahayana Buddhist text known as the Lotus Sutra (Skt. Saddharma Pu arīka Sūtra). Though Seno’o was raised in a Shin Buddhist household, an encounter at a young age with a local tofu maker led him to become a devotee of Nichiren’s teachings—an attachment he would eventually modify but never completely sever.</ref>, and the like
are all exceptional pioneers who embarked on the path to buddhahood. Therefore, it is
essential to show reverence and respect to them. However, to ignore the objective cir-
cumstances of our advanced modern society and to accept their teachings and rituals
without question is, in fact, to tragically hinder the very practice of those predecessors who fervently dedicated themselves to the Buddha. In doing so, we are alienating [these figures and their practices] from the modern masses.

Awaken, comrades! Do not hesitate to bravely carry the torch passed on by our dead
pioneers! Comrades should not cling to even the slightest bit of doubt about trust-
ing the sect founders; our only attitude should be to “seek awakening above; benefit
sentient beings below!”<ref>''Jōgu bodai ge ke shujō'' 上求菩提下化衆生. According to the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (https://tinyurl.com/3kcp223m): “‘Seeking what is above’ is one’s own quest for enlightenment, and ‘saving those that are below’ refers to the bodhisattva’s altruistic activity in seeking to save others”; see, for example, Mohe zhiguan 摩訶止觀 (Great Concentration and Insight) by Zhiyi 智顗 (538–597); T no. 1911, 36: 4a10; 6a18–6b08.</ref> The times are changing! Only the brave who move forward,
stepping over the corpses, are true comrades following the founders; and the founders
themselves are living bodhisattvas who participate in the grand mission of building the
buddha land, our ultimate ideal.

This essay, born out of such convictions, is a compilation of the reevaluation of tra-
ditional Buddhism that we attempted last year in our magazine, Revitalized Buddhism.
It is aimed at reaching the masses of today and serves as a prelude to the reform of
Buddhism and a physical assault on the fortress of established doctrines.

My only hope is that through the outstanding practice and understanding of com-
rades who fight alongside me, any immaturity and errors [found in this essay] will be
rectified. It is my ultimate aspiration to truly contribute to the liberation of the masses.

January 31, 1933
In a corner of Zōshigaya 雑司ヶ谷 [Tokyo, Japan]
The author [Seno’o Girō]