Many people who have already been introduced to Buddhism have inevitably had some experiences with one or more of the Buddhist organizations that are out there. In all probability many of those experiences have been either outright bad or have left you feeling like there's much room for improvement. If neither of these is true for you, we'll just say then for the record that you, oh starry-eyed Buddha Mag reader, have become brainwashed. You should stop reading right now if you fall into this last category because the rest of this article is just going to make you mad. You won't be reading to get any value out of it, so why waste time? Mentor followers; priest-reliant pacifists; experienced lay leaders who have vowed to never leave their present organization; we're serious, stop reading.

Now for the rest of you, you are probably thinking that we're just joking about this, there really is no such thing as a perfect Buddhist organization (or any other type of organization, for that matter). If that's what you're thinking, you're mistaken.

In order to create the perfect Buddhist organization, we have to be able to envision what the perfect Buddhist organization would be. A lot of thoughts probably come to mind, but only one thing is really necessary: it has to result in the enlightenment of at least one person - you.

But it's a funny thing. You can't attain enlightenment without leading others to enlightenment, since the definition of Buddhahood is a powerful desire to lead all living beings to enlightenment.

Start With a New Vision and a New Direction.

If one honestly believes that the practice of Nichiren Buddhism is the fostering and development of Buddhas (as we do), then it's difficult to also believe that large organizations, where individuals are encouraged to simply attend services and go home, are the best vehicles for this religion. A Buddha doesn't simply attend services and go home. They might do that from time-to-time to observe and encourage a particular person they care about, but it isn't their primary practice of Buddhism. A Buddha is a person of action. A Buddha is a person of caring. To become a Buddha requires a strong feeling of personal responsibility and determination. Something like Shakyamuni's statement that he is "the father of this world." Or Nichiren's statement that he is "the pillar of Japan." That feeling is active, not passive. The sense that you are personally responsible for the people of this world doesn't lead to the action of sitting by passively while someone else practices Buddhism for you. Unfortunately, when an organization grows very large, the overwhelming majority of its members become passive Buddhists, allowing the leaders of the organization to take care of everything. Will any of these people ever become Buddhas? Do they even imagine that as a possibility in the near future?

A new way of thinking has to be introduced, and with it, a new system for spreading Buddhism. We see Buddhism as being spread by individual Buddhas. The future of Buddhism is one Buddha or two Buddhas working with every ounce of energy and passion they can muster, as it has really always been since Shakymuni. These individuals would be on their own but not really alone (unless of course, this person happens to be the only Buddha on the planet). They would be working in unity with other such Buddhas all around the globe. Not unity in the sense that we all agree about everything, but unity in the sense that we're all striving for the same ends - to lead people to enlightenment. In other words, for every one to five Buddhas on the planet, or even for every one to five aspiring Buddhas, there already exists what we would call a perfect Buddhist organization.

So you're a Buddha, or at least an aspiring Buddha. How do you go about starting a new organization?

Step 1: Make a vow. If you haven't made a vow to become enlightened and lead all others to enlightenment yet, do it. That is the first step. It should be the primary function of your organization and your personal efforts. Determine that you will do this with or without the help of ANYONE. And pour all of your sincerity into your vow!

Step 2: Chant. Chant every day. Chant at least an hour a day. How can you be fulfilling your vow from step 1 if you don't even chant, and chant lots? Read on after you've completed steps 1 and 2.

Step 3: Gather together all of your members. You took the first two steps, right? Then here's a hint. You've already completed step 3. A perfect Buddhist organization requires a single member - the Buddha - the one determined to make all other living beings Buddhas.

Step 4: Study. If you're going to start a Nichiren Buddhist organization, you might want to know who Nichiren was and what he said. So the Writings of Nichiren are a good place to begin. You might want to get to know Nichiren's view on things inside and out. Never, ever, assume you already know everything. Even if you've been practicing Buddhism for fifty years, don't ever think you've chanted enough, studied enough, or done enough to lead other people to enlightenment. You will never be done, and you will never know everything.

If you weren't going to start a Nichiren Buddhist organization but rather some other practice of Buddhism as your base, you're still going to be better off reading Nichiren. Why? Because, just as Nichiren came to believe, and as Shakyamuni came to teach, the practice of Buddhism that is based on the Lotus Sutra - or the eternal aspect of your life - is the only valid practice of Buddhism. And it took both of those Buddhas years to come to that conclusion (the very conclusion that you're now ignoring). If you are really serious about your vow (from Step 1) but fall into this category, congratulations. That must be some feat. Now start fulfilling your vow and you'll soon see what works and what doesn't.

When you've studied Nichiren thoroughly, then go on to the next step.

Step 5: Do shakubuku (religious refutation). Shakubuku (with its weird Japanese name) is the way ideas are spread, both in the religious and the secular realm. It basically means to explain how your idea is superior to another idea. When we refer to shakubuku we're specifically referring to explaining why Buddhism is superior to other religious beliefs. However, unlike evangelical Christians, Nichiren encouraged the use of reason (even a medieval version of the scientific method) to convince people. The point isn't to tell people that you're better than them, but to try to convince them to discard their previous beliefs and accept yours instead. For instance, Copernicus, in stating his own theory that the sun was not the center of the universe, was arguing against the popular view that the sun was the center of the universe (which, by the way, stemmed from a Biblical view and was therefore a religious perspective). How could both be true? In other words, shakubuku is a natural part of the advancement of the human species in general and of individuals. And isn't that the whole point of Buddhism? This doesn't apply to opinions, such as artistic preferences. But it does apply to religion, since religions claim to be the possessors of certain "truths." If a religion actually possesses any truth, it needs to be able to be discussed in those terms.

Shakubuku is the whole reason to form an organization in the first place. And it's the way to keep yourself and your organization on the right track. Without shakubuku you will never have a perfect organization. Without sincere and caring shakubuku you'll ignore the counter-arguments from those you attempt to reason with about Buddhism. You'll become rigidly ensnared in your own version of truth. You'll minimize others' fears without actually addressing them. You'll close your own opened mind out of fear that you might actually be wrong. Do shakubuku - you have nothing to fear. And you will grow as a result. This is not only the foundation of the practice of Buddhism, it is what defines a Buddha and a perfect Buddhist organization. Each and every interaction with another for the purpose of doing shakubuku makes that person, in effect, part of your organization. The more sincere and, yes passionate, you are with them, the more a part of your organization they become. And they just keep getting more and more closely connected the more sincerely you deal with them with your vow in mind.

Step 6: Encourage people to attain enlightenment on their own. Now that you have begun your own Buddhist organization and you have a few people coming to your meetings and chanting with you, kick everyone out of it. Encourage people to become Buddhas, stand alone, take personal responsibility, and start their own organizations. You'll gain nothing from trying to line up a bunch of followers. Nothing positive, that is. Use every bit of energy and passion you have to convince others that they don't need you; they don't need an organization; they don't need a mentor; they don't need a priest; they just need to stand on their own two feet and muster the courage required to develop their own compassion and Buddhahood.

There will always be plenty of occasions where you'll have to witness others go through extremely trying times as they strive to become Buddhas. This is called overcoming or breaking the chains of karma. It is never pretty. We can be compassionate. We can chant with others. But ultimately, it will require their determination to change the life direction they've so stubbornly established up to this point. And yes, it will make you suffer too, just to see them going through tough times. The one thing that always works at times like these is to point them back to their own eternal life (myoho-renge-kyo) and to encourage them to chant like they're trying to wring water out of dry sand, or start fire with wet wood (two examples Nichiren used). Then you need to chant for them with the same intensity you've just told them to use. They will overcome the suffering on their own, and you will grow tremendously.

And when they come to thank you and follow you, be firm in demanding that they, too, need to start their own Buddhist organization. If they are ever to repay a debt of gratitude that they feel toward you, then that is the only way to do it.

Step 7: Names, Methods, Techniques, etc. to Use

If you have followed the other five steps, you won't really need this one. What your organization looks like, what it is called, how it conducts its Buddhist practice, are all up to you. You are now free. You are constrained only by your original vow. Nothing anyone else does really can stop or destroy this perfect organization you've created - this organization of one. So you can now just enjoy yourself and do anything you please toward those ends.

Don't forget your vow when you interact with the people closest to you. It's not a viable technique to create a Buddhist organization that doesn't also include, for instance, your spouse, lover, child, parent, sibling, friend, coworker, etc. The very moment you've interacted with them with your sincerity, you've put yourself on the line and opened your life to theirs. It could never happen that a Buddha would live with another person and not shakubuku them. It could never happen that a Buddha would see another person whom they care about and not shakubuku them. And it could never happen that a perfect Buddhist organization could exist without a Buddha.

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