Editing SG31SBE-T (section)

=== The Anachronism of the All-Japan Buddhist Youth Federation ===
'''B:''' You did quite a bit of arguing at the conference of the All-Japan Buddhist Youth Federation on April 2 and 3. Was it about what you were just discussing?

'''A:''' It wasn’t only that, but I said everything that needed to be said. The obvious question was whether, in determining its attitude toward capitalism, which runs counter to the Buddhist spirit, the Federation would return to the Buddha—but they could not reach a decision. Worse still, although Buddhist youth from throughout Japan had joined together in a federation with the intention of advancing into a new society, they were still debating whether guiding principles were even necessary. It was like firing a gun in the dark; there was no real question to discuss.

'''B:''' Doesn’t the Federation’s second stated objective say, “We aim to awaken to the Buddhist spirit and promote its revitalization”?

'''A:''' However impressive such abstract phrases may sound, unless something new actually follows from them, things will simply continue as before. Even if they spend several hundred yen to establish another grand federation, what meaning can it possibly have unless they articulate concrete guiding principles appropriate to the demands of the new age? As I was saying, so long as the various sects each possess bodies of teaching that are historically incompatible with one another, the more faithfully each adheres to the doctrines of its own sect, the less what sect A regards as the Buddhist spirit will correspond to what sects B and C regard as the Buddhist spirit. Take the Nichiren sect: if it loudly proclaims the Buddhist spirit embodied in its Four Dicta, how can it possibly form a united front with the Nenbutsu and other sects? And if the Pure Land sect clings to the “Five Miscellaneous Practices,” wouldn’t the result be the same?<ref>The Five Miscellaneous Practices (gozōgyō 五雑行), derived from Shandao’s Pure Land classification, designate practices directed toward buddhas and teachings other than Amitābha and the Pure Land as “miscellaneous,” in contrast to the five “right practices” (goshōgyō 五正行). Seno’o juxtaposes this Pure Land exclusivism with Nichiren’s Four Dicta (see n. 30) to expose the unresolved doctrinal contradictions underlying claims of Buddhist unity.</ref> If they say cooperation is nevertheless possible, then that is shameless—unless, of course, they have already sublated their sectarian doctrines in accordance with the times. In any case, if the Federation is to become something more than a kind of religious social club and actually inaugurate a Buddhist movement appropriate to the new age, it must set forth a guiding principle of faith capable of unifying the Federation as a whole and, on that basis, a guiding principle for solving social problems. Otherwise, it is useless.

'''B:''' Surely people chosen to represent their respective regions must have thought about something as basic as that.

'''A:''' Exactly. Marx said that “humanity always sets itself only such problems as it is able to solve.”<ref>Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, Preface (1859): “Mankind always sets itself only such tasks as it is able to solve.”</ref> Since these people have joined the Federation in order to join hands with one another, there must be some common point on which they ''can'' join hands—some problem capable of solution. That is why I proposed that we…

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…identify this concrete point and launch a new movement.